they’re vs their vs there :

they re or their or there

Many people are so spooked by apostrophes that a word like “they’re” seems to them as if it might mean almost anything. In fact, it’s always a contraction of “they are.” If you’ve written “they’re,” ask yourself whether you can substitute “they are.” If not, you’ve made a mistake. “Their” is a possessive pronoun like “her” or “our” “They eat their hotdogs with sauerkraut.” Everything else is “there.” “There goes the ball, out of the park! See it? Right there! There aren’t very many home runs like that.” “Thier” is a common misspelling, but you can avoid it by remembering that “they” and “their” begin with the same three letters. Another hint: “there” has “here” buried inside it to remind you it refers to place, while “their” has “heir” buried in it to remind you that it has to do with possession.

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  Do you make these 10 mistakes?
Definitions
  there
  • n  a location other than here; that place
    you can take it from there
  • r  in or at that place
    they have lived there for years
    it's not there
    that man there
  • r  in that matter
    I agree with you there
  • r  to or toward that place; away from the speaker
    go there around noon!
News & Articles
  their
  • THEIR FAVORITE THINGS: Giant Composer Michael John LaChiusa Shares His Theatregoing Experiences
    Playbill.com's new feature series, Their Favorite Things, asks members of the theatre community to share the Broadway performances that most affected them as part of the audience.
    June 13, 2013 - Playbill
  • Did 49ers really tip their plays vs. Rams in 2012?
    Former Ram and current 49er Craig Dahl made some NFC West waves this week when he revealed how the St. Louis Rams defense had, to some extent, solved San Francisco’s offense in 2012. The 49ers tipped their plays, Dahl told the San Jose Mercury News , allowing the Rams to often figure out whether a run or pass play was coming at them.
    June 13, 2013 - Sports Illustrated
  • Their first year: Teachers reflect on their first classroom experiences
    Today is the last day of school for 21,000 Racine Unified students and their teachers. It’s a time for excitement – and reflection. At the beginning of the school year, The Journal Times asked three first-year teachers about their plans, hopes and fears. As their first year of teaching drew to a close, those same teachers answered another set of questions, this time about their best and worst ...
    June 11, 2013 - The Journal Times
  there