Their, There, or They’re?

I am by no means a grammar whiz, but there are a few things that I am a real stickler about. The most annoying thing I see people do time and time again, BY FAR, is mix up their, there, and they’re. It drives me crazy, mostly because it seems so basic, and I know plenty of intelligent people that are otherwise good writers that miss the concept completely. Here’s the low down:

Their, There, or They’re?

Their is a possessive pronoun. It always describes a noun.

Note the spelling of their. It comes from the word they, so the e comes before the i.

There is an adverb meaning “that location.” It is sometimes used with the verb to be as an idiom. It is spelled like here which means “this location.”

They’re is a contraction of they are. Note the spelling: The a from are is replaced by an apostrophe.

Examples: Their dog has fleas. (possessive of they)

I put the collar right there. (that location)

There are five prime numbers less than ten.
(with to be)

They’re 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. (contraction of they are)

If the Rockies make the world series, THERE is a good chance it will be snowing.

You can take an online quiz HERE to put yourself to the test!
I’ll post a few more grammar lessons in the coming weeks on here too, for my edification as well as my readers…. we all could use a little refresher every now and then!  Plus there are a ton of rules I still don’t know!