English grammar tips: how to determine when to use their, there or they’re in English grammar

English Grammar Tips: Homonyms

“Master, I am confused. How do I know when to use their, there, or they’re in English?”

Have you ever been asked this frequently asked question? He’s just one of many English teachers around the world hearing from perplexed students. It’s a fair enough question since these three forms are what we call namesakes. That is, they are words that sound the same but have clearly different meanings. Fortunately, the differences and applications can be easily clarified. Let’s look at them now.

The possessive pronoun “his”

This first, “their”, is a possessive pronoun. We use it to show membership or ownership of a group. It is in the same category with other possessive pronouns including “our”, “his” also in the plural and “my”, “his hers”, “she” and “his hers” in the singular. Two usage examples are:

“Where is his classroom?“

“This is his classroom“. Or rather, the classroom belongs to them.

The contraction “they are”

The second form we will consider is contraction.”they are“. This is a contraction, or short form of “They are“. Often in spoken English, a contraction of verbs and pronouns is used when speaking formally. Two examples of this form include:

“They are in english class right now.”

This is the same as: They are in english class right now.”

Please note: contractions with the verb “to be” are not commonly used in questions.

The preposition “There”

The third homonymous form that we will consider here is the preposition “there“, which indicates a relative position. When we indicate a near or close position, we use “here”. When we indicate a more distant position, we often use “there“. Let’s look at some usage examples to help clarify this preposition.

My keys are here, but my car is there. The sentence indicates that the keys are near or near, but the car is far away.

Too, “there“When used with the verb to be, it can indicate possibility or existence.

“Over there is a way of teaching English to deaf students.

“Over there is it so 26 letters of the English alphabet.

More English grammar practice with They’re and There

How about trying some examples now? See if you can correctly apply the correct homonym for each question or sentence that follows.

Hello, does anyone ____________?

They wasted ____________ time going to that meeting.

Next time, ____________ is going to call first before leaving the office.

___________ It hasn’t rained in weeks, so __________ almost no water.

___________ waiting for English class to start with ___________ new teacher.

Now check the correct English grammar

So how do you think you did it? You can check the correct answers here.

hello, is there anyone there?

they wasted his time to go to that meeting.

Next time, they are going to call first before leaving the office.

Over there It hasn’t rained in weeks, so they are almost no water.

They are waiting for english class to start his new teacher.

Well then, how about a little more practice with these three namesakes? Now try this, but don’t look forward to the answers!

Is __________ a way for __________ the new teacher to see __________’s work before the test?

__________ studying for __________ the next English exam __________ in the library.

__________ textbooks are __________ where __________ sitting.

These were harder, so how well did you do this time?

Check the correct answers

Is there a way that his The work can be viewed by his new teacher before the exam?

They are studying for his next english test there in the library.

Your the textbooks are there where they are session.

Well then? Big! Now you can determine when to use “their”, “there” and “they’re”. Keep studying and practicing your English.

English grammar in use

Correctly applying the homonyms “their”, “there” and “they’re” is only a small aspect of English grammar in use. Although English can often seem confusing due to its many irregularities, with a little practice and simple explanations any student can speak better English in no time.