Homonyms: They're, Their and There
Homonyms are words that sound alike but have different meanings. Sometimes they have the same spelling but other times, the spellings are different.
Consider the words: "There" "They're and "Their."
How do you determine the usages of each of them? Are there ways (sometimes silly) to remember the differences?
Yes. Follow these easy steps. Look at the links which will explain it further.
Step
1
Consider homonyms such as 'there', 'their', and 'they're.'
All are pronounced the same but they have different meanings. Are there mnemonics to help remember which is which?
Yes, there are ways to remember which word fits best. See if the aids below help you. If there are others which challenge you, let me know and I'll add them to this list. :)
Step
2
"There" means a place, which is the opposite of "here." Notice that the word "here" is inside the word "there"? If the sentence makes sense if you were to substitute the word "here" instead of the "there" then you know to use "there" in your sentence.
E.g.
incorrect usages: "Their" -- Their are the flowers to put in the vase.
"They're" -- They're are the flowers to put in the vase.
Correct usage: There are the flowers to put in the vase.
(Check it by putting "here" in place of "there." "Here" are the flowers to put in a vase. Since it works, the word "there" is correct.)
"They're" means "they are" in its contracted (shortened) form. "They're" is really two words. Expand them into the two words to check if you used it correctly.
E.g.
Incorrect usage: There certainly knowledgeable about cows.
Their certainly knowledgeable about cows. (You can't have a sentence without a verb. Since the 'are' is the verb that is missing, you know that this is incorrect. See article on What is a Sentence in the link below)
Correct usage: "They're" the owners of the cow.
(Check: They are the owners of the cow. It works correctly.)
"Their" means belonging to them. It is a plural(more than one) possessive (ownership) form of the pronoun "They."
Notice that there is an "I" in the word "their" and since "I" is a pronoun for who I am, the "I" tells me that "their" is about several persons. If the word 'their' is talking about persons and not things (a place, such as "there") then spell it "their" with an "I" in it.
If I am talking about a person, and it is not the "they are--they're" then I must be needing to spell it as "THEIR."
E.g.
incorrect usages: "There" -- The cow belongs to them. It is there cow because the brand is theres.
"They're" -- The cow belongs to them. It is they're cow because the brand is they'res.
correct usage: The cow belongs to them. It is their cow because the brand is theirs.
Step
3
Its
It\\
"Their" means belonging to them. It is a plural(more than one) possessive (ownership) form of the pronoun "They."
Notice that there is an "I" in the word "their" and since "I" is a pronoun for who I am, the "I" tells me that "their" is about several persons. If the word 'their' is talking about persons and not things (a place, such as "there") then spell it "their" with an "I" in it.
If I am talking about a person, and it is not the "they are--they're" then I must be needing to spell it as "THEIR."
E.g.
incorrect usages: "There" -- The cow belongs to them. It is there cow because the brand is theres.
"They're" -- The cow belongs to them. It is they're cow because the brand is they'res.
correct usage: The cow belongs to them. It is their cow because the brand is theirs.
Rely on the Grammar Detective to help you solve common grammatical errors. It will help you improve your eHow articles.
* Grammar mistakes are made by even the best of writers. As people type or write quickly, they can happen.
* Proof read your work carefully. Look especially for these types of mistakes.* Dictionaries have grammatical aids in them, often in the front or back. Keep one handy when you don't have access to your computer.
* Online references are helpful. Bookmark them or add them to your favorites for easy access.
Consider the words: "There" "They're and "Their."
How do you determine the usages of each of them? Are there ways (sometimes silly) to remember the differences?
Yes. Follow these easy steps. Look at the links which will explain it further.
Step
1
Consider homonyms such as 'there', 'their', and 'they're.'
All are pronounced the same but they have different meanings. Are there mnemonics to help remember which is which?
Yes, there are ways to remember which word fits best. See if the aids below help you. If there are others which challenge you, let me know and I'll add them to this list. :)
Step
2
"There" means a place, which is the opposite of "here." Notice that the word "here" is inside the word "there"? If the sentence makes sense if you were to substitute the word "here" instead of the "there" then you know to use "there" in your sentence.
E.g.
incorrect usages: "Their" -- Their are the flowers to put in the vase.
"They're" -- They're are the flowers to put in the vase.
Correct usage: There are the flowers to put in the vase.
(Check it by putting "here" in place of "there." "Here" are the flowers to put in a vase. Since it works, the word "there" is correct.)
"They're" means "they are" in its contracted (shortened) form. "They're" is really two words. Expand them into the two words to check if you used it correctly.
E.g.
Incorrect usage: There certainly knowledgeable about cows.
Their certainly knowledgeable about cows. (You can't have a sentence without a verb. Since the 'are' is the verb that is missing, you know that this is incorrect. See article on What is a Sentence in the link below)
Correct usage: "They're" the owners of the cow.
(Check: They are the owners of the cow. It works correctly.)
"Their" means belonging to them. It is a plural(more than one) possessive (ownership) form of the pronoun "They."
Notice that there is an "I" in the word "their" and since "I" is a pronoun for who I am, the "I" tells me that "their" is about several persons. If the word 'their' is talking about persons and not things (a place, such as "there") then spell it "their" with an "I" in it.
If I am talking about a person, and it is not the "they are--they're" then I must be needing to spell it as "THEIR."
E.g.
incorrect usages: "There" -- The cow belongs to them. It is there cow because the brand is theres.
"They're" -- The cow belongs to them. It is they're cow because the brand is they'res.
correct usage: The cow belongs to them. It is their cow because the brand is theirs.
Step
3
Its
It\\
"Their" means belonging to them. It is a plural(more than one) possessive (ownership) form of the pronoun "They."
Notice that there is an "I" in the word "their" and since "I" is a pronoun for who I am, the "I" tells me that "their" is about several persons. If the word 'their' is talking about persons and not things (a place, such as "there") then spell it "their" with an "I" in it.
If I am talking about a person, and it is not the "they are--they're" then I must be needing to spell it as "THEIR."
E.g.
incorrect usages: "There" -- The cow belongs to them. It is there cow because the brand is theres.
"They're" -- The cow belongs to them. It is they're cow because the brand is they'res.
correct usage: The cow belongs to them. It is their cow because the brand is theirs.
Rely on the Grammar Detective to help you solve common grammatical errors. It will help you improve your eHow articles.
* Grammar mistakes are made by even the best of writers. As people type or write quickly, they can happen.
* Proof read your work carefully. Look especially for these types of mistakes.* Dictionaries have grammatical aids in them, often in the front or back. Keep one handy when you don't have access to your computer.
* Online references are helpful. Bookmark them or add them to your favorites for easy access.