There, their and they're

Use there for a place or 'there is'.

The rule in one minute

These three words sound the same but do different jobs. Your ear cannot help, so you must choose with your mind.

• They’re means they are. The apostrophe replaces the missing letter, as in we’re and you’re. They’re late means They are late.
• Their shows ownership, like my or our. It comes before a noun that belongs to some people: their books, their decision, their house.
• There points to a place (sit over there) or starts a statement about existence (there is a problem). It contains the word here, and both are about place.

Why it costs marks

With homophones, sounding a word out does not help. The wrong one slips onto the page and often survives a quick reread.

In First Language writing, this lowers accuracy of expression. In ESL writing, correctness is marked directly, so each mix-up is a clear error.

These words are very common, so a writer who is unsure repeats the same visible mistake. Three simple tests remove it.

Wrong and right

• Wrong: Their going to announce the results today. Right: They’re going to announce the results today. Test: They are going to announce.
• Wrong: The students left there bags in the hall. Right: The students left their bags in the hall. It shows ownership. Test: our bags.
• Wrong: Put the boxes over their. Right: Put the boxes over there. It is a place.
• Wrong: Theirs a shortcut behind the school. Right: There’s a shortcut behind the school. There’s means there is.
• Wrong: They’re coach was disappointed. Right: Their coach was disappointed. It is the coach that belongs to them.

Try it yourself

Choose the correct word, then check below.

1. (There / Their / They’re) not sure whether the trip will go ahead.
2. The players thanked (there / their / they’re) supporters after the match.
3. (There / Their / They’re) is no easy answer to this question.
4. I left my keys over (there / their / they’re), on the shelf.
5. (There / Their / They’re) hoping to finish (there / their / they’re) project by Friday.

Answers: (1) They’re, because it means They are not sure. (2) their, because the supporters belong to the players. (3) There, because it means There is.

(4) there, because it is a place. (5) They’re (They are hoping) and their (the project belongs to them).

Make it a habit

Run the three tests in this order whenever you write one of these words.

1. Can I say they are here? If yes, write they’re.
2. Does the word show ownership, so I could say our? If yes, write their.
3. If neither fits, write there.

Your ear cannot help, so correct at the editing stage. Do one pass through your writing looking only for these three words. Stop at each and test it.

Learn them with the other homophone pairs (your / you’re, whose / who’s). They all give way to the same expand-and-swap trick.

Where students get stuck, and how we help

Most students know the three tests. They still slip when they write fast, because the word comes out automatically. In our English as a Second Language lessons, a teacher finds the swaps in your own writing and drills the tests until the right choice is instant.

Lessons start from RM70/hr. You can book a paid one-hour trial to try it.

Next step

Practise in the practice area. Then read about plurals and possessives, spelling strategies and commonly confused words. The proofreading guide shows how to catch these swaps in your own essays.

Next, visit our original practice tasks to use the rule in your own writing. Our IGCSE English tuition page explains how lessons run. When you are ready, the paid one-hour trial is the first step.