There, their, they’re
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When do we use there, their and they're?
There, their and they’re are homophones and often confuse English learners because:
- they are pronounced the same,
- have different spellings,
- have different meanings.
Here’s a quick guide to explain the different usages, and an English quiz to check your understanding.
there
1. [ADVERB] refers to a place.
My friend lives in Scotland. He moved there last year.
Where is the supermarket? It’s over there, next to the post office.
2. [PRONOUN] used to say that something exists (and is the subject of the verb ‘be’).
There is a cat in our garden!
There aren’t any taxis at the train station.
their
[POSSESSIVE DETERMINER] refers to something belongs to a group of people.
It can also refer to an individual person without saying “he” or “she”.
Their house was built last year.
Every passenger needs to show their passport at the airport.
they're
[CONTRACTION] is a shortened version of “they are”.
They’re going on holiday at the weekend.
They’re students at Oxford University.
English quiz: There, their, they’re
Try our English quiz with 10 multiple choice questions to check your understanding of the grammar.
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