Last Updated on August 13, 2012
When you ask the average reader what his biggest grammatical pet peeves are, a trio of words generally always appear near the top of the list: there, their and they’re.
The three words mean three different things, but you wouldn’t know that by the way some people write.
For me, I’ve understood the difference for so long (and from such an early age) that not understanding is next to impossible for me to imagine. But in the interest of helping those who don’t understand the difference, or those who wish to help someone who doesn’t, here’s my best shot:
There is an adverb that refers to a place. Remember this one by dropping the letter T and you have here. That’s your mental cue that if you’re writing about the opposite of here, there is the right word.
Their is a possessive pronoun. Drop the letter T and you have the word heir. An heir will own something once he inherits it. When people inherit something, it becomes theirs.
They’re is a contraction. The apostrophe is your clue: an apostrophe means that a letter or a few letters are missing. It’s a signal of a shortcut. In this case, the apostrophe signals the missing a. Spelled out, then, they’re becomes they are.
Let’s review:
- Place references need THERE.
- Ownership references need THEIR.
- The two-word shortcut needs THEY‘RE.
Maybe that will solve the problem!
I’m constantly amazed to see people tripping up on elementary grammar rules such as these. Thanks for dedicating a full week to provide these valuable tips. It’s a great idea:) Hope to see you do this every few months.
One of my pet peeves! Â I’m loving grammar week already! 🙂
 @Cathryn (aka Strange) Glad you like! I’m here all week! 🙂
@TedtheThird Thanks for the RT, Ted!
Patrick, it amazes me how many people get the there/their/they’re wrong. I’ve never heard these little tricks for remembering which one is which, so thank you for that!Â
Patrick, it amazes me how many people get the there/their/they’re wrong. I’ve never heard these little tricks for remembering which one is which, so thank you for that!Â
 @annedreshfield Thanks, Anne…it amazes me as well. The idea for these little tips just came from years of frustration of seeing the mistakes over and over again and the idea that there HAD to be a way to make it easier! Maybe this can help!
 @annedreshfield Thanks, Anne…it amazes me as well. The idea for these little tips just came from years of frustration of seeing the mistakes over and over again and the idea that there HAD to be a way to make it easier! Maybe this can help!