There...Their...They're

Since they are often pronounced the same I sometimes interchange these words.

Use there when referring to a place, whether concrete ("over there by the building") or more abstract ("it must be difficult to live there").

There is an antique store on Camden Avenue.
The science textbooks are over there on the floor.
There are many documents that are used in investigations.

Use their to indicate possession. It is a possessive adjective and indicates that a particular noun belongs to them.

My friends have lost their tickets.
Their things were strewn about the office haphazardly.

Remember that they're is a contraction of the words they and are. It can never be used as a modifier, only as a subject (who or what does the action) and verb (the action itself).

Hurry up! They're closing the mall at 6 tonight!
I'm glad that they're so nice to new students here.


Test your usage.
When you use any of these three words, get in the habit of asking yourself these questions:

If you wrote there, will the sentence still make sense if you replace it with here? If so, you're using it correctly.

If you chose their, will the sentence still make sense if you replace it with our? If so, you've chosen the correct word.

If you used they're, will the sentence still make sense if you replace it with they are? If so, you're on the right track!


Wrong: Their is no one here.
Wrong: Shelley wants to know if there busy.
Wrong: The dogs are happily chewing on they're bones.
RIGHT: I can't believe they're leaving their children there alone!

http://www.wikihow.com/Use-There,-Their-and-They