when does one use they, there and their?
8 answers from our tutors
Best answer
There’s an article on grammarly from September 21, 2022 that talks about the differences of they’re, their, and there. Many people confuse them because they are homophones— they sound similar. There - in or at a place; location ADVERB I went there on Saturday. There is a place I want to go. Somewhere out there, someone is waiting for me. PRONOUN There is a chance to win! There is no way I am eating that! Their - possessive form of the pronoun they - indicates ownership Their noses went under the knife. I wonder how their plastic surgery went. That’s their problem. They‘re - a contraction of they are; usually in informal situations They’re (they are) late again! I wonder when they’re (they are) going to take the test. There is money inside the car. (Location) Their money is inside the car. (Possession/ownership) They’re hiding money in the car. (Subject Verb contraction) I hope this helps.
They is a pronoun that refers to a group of people or things. For example: They are my friends. They like pizza. • There is an adverb that means "in or at that place". For example: Look over there. I live there. • Their is a possessive adjective that shows ownership or belonging to a group of people or things. For example: Their house is big. Their dog is cute. • They're is a contraction that means "they are". For example: They're going to the movies. They're very smart. A good way to remember the difference is to look at the spelling of each word. There has the word here in it, which can remind you that it's about location. Their has the word heir in it, which can remind you that it's about inheritance or ownership. They're has an apostrophe in it, which can remind you that it's a contraction of two words. I hope this helps
'There' is often used when talking about a specific place, e.g. There is the school. 'They' can be used to refer to individuals in a group, e.g. They left the party early. 'Their' is used to show something belongs to someone, e.g. A customer left their wallet behind.
Check your English level for free
Take our quick and free test to find out your current level of English
Start test
The third-person plural pronouns which are they, them, theirs, and themselves. The third-person plural possessive determiner is their. These words are used to refer to more than one of anything: people, things, concepts, places, animals, and so on. No distinction is made between people and things or between male and female in this case; the plural pronouns are always the same.
Will THEY go THERE to that place to collect THEIR prizes?
They: It is a third person plural pronoun that can be used to refer to people, places, animals etc. For example they dance well. Their: It is the progressive form of they, meaning belonging to them. For example, their house is small. There: It is used when we haver to refer to a place, or to introduce sentences. Foer example, there is a big oak tree in the park.
Another one to consider is "they're." It sounds like these other words in your question, but it is just a contraction of "they" + "are." Example: "They're in the car."
"They" is a third-person singular pronoun and it can be used to identify a group of people or unknown gender. E.g They went to church. "There" is used as an adjective and also often about locations. E.g There is the house, Stay there, They got there before me. "Their" is a possessive pronoun and also meaning ownership of belongings e.g Their book was on the table Also note that "their" is the possessive form of "they".
Other student questions
- How many more English words (Homographs) and definitions can you think of ?
English words that are spelled the same, pronounced the same, but have different meanings: # Homographs 1. Bank (financial institution) and bank (slope or incline) 2. Bat (flying mammal) and bat (sports equipment) 3. Bolt (fastener) and bolt ( sudden movement) 4. Cloud (weather phenomenon) and cloud (collection of data or applications online) 5. Dish (plate or serving container) and dish (prepare and serve food) 6. Draft (preliminary version of a document) and draft (current of air) 7. Light (not heavy) and light (source of illumination) 8. Match (small stick used to produce fire) and match (competition or sporting event) 9. Mean (intend to convey) and mean (unkind or unpleasant) 10. Park (outdoor recreational area) and park (to leave a vehicle in a stationary position) 11. Pen (writing instrument) and pen (enclosure for animals) 12. Pole (long, thin piece of wood or metal) and pole (northern or southern end of the Earth) 13. Right (correct or proper) and right (direction or location)
Best answer
When student review is good and when they go ahead to book you after your trial lesson
