There, Their and They're

There, their and they're sound alike, but they mean different things. We're going to discuss some tricks to use when you're trying to figure out which one you need in your sentence.

There

There is about place. You can remember that by looking at the word like this:

T(here)

“There” is like “here” because both show a location. For example:

The park is over there.
They went with him there.
We went there with our friends.

There is also used before the verb “to be.”

There are fourteen of us going.
There is something I have to tell you.
I don't want whatever there is left.
I remember when there were four buildings on this block.

Their

Their is about possession (something that belongs to them). You can remember that by looking at the word like this:

The(i)r

“Their” is like “I” because I is mine and their belongs to them.

Their car was parked by the corner.
I was waiting for their phone call.
How can I get their autographs?
What were their names again?

In each case, notice that their is showing possession.

They're

They're is telling you that they are somewhere. You can look at it like this:

They're = they + are

Whenever you use they're, you should be able to substitute for they are.

They're not going to be late this time.
I don't know when they're coming back.
Did they say when they're planning to eat dinner?
How come they're getting more more than I am?

Directions: Fill in the blanks with there, their and they're as appropriate.

1. ________________________________ never going to come home, are they?
2. When will we go back ________________________________?
3. How's the weather down ________________________________?
4. ________________________________ phone was disconnected yesterday.
5. When will we get ________________________________?
6. ________________________________ are two avocados left.
7. How come ________________________________ are only four of us here?
8. When will ________________________________ phone get fixed?
9. How come ________________________________ not at the party yet?
10. Well, I guess we'll see you ________________________________.
11. When will ________________________________ be ice cream again?
12. They still haven't done ________________________________ homework.
13. Where are ________________________________ exams?
14. ________________________________ not going to stop.
15. What's ________________________________ number again?
16. ________________________________ is too much wrong with the world.
17. ________________________________ too fast for you to catch!
18. ________________________________ is nothing you can do to stop us!
19. We did not steal ________________________________ delicious snacks!
20. What's ________________________________ deal, anyway?