There, their and theyre Is there a way to tell the difference in English

There, their and they’re Is there a way to tell the difference in English Los Angeles based graphic designer, Florencio Zavala, has developed a t-shirt for Fruit of the Loom that makes a relevant point for students of the English language. There, their and they’re, can we actually tell the difference between them?Mr. Zavalas Theyre, Their, There T-shirt.Knowing when to use there, their and they’re can be confusing for students learning to write the English language. These words are called homophones or homonyms meaning they sound the same although they each have a different meaning. If you are struggling with these words, don’t worry, even native speakers have trouble with homonyms too. Lets look at some simple rules to make things easier.THEREThe first thing to remember is that there is the most versatile of the three words There can be used to refer to a place.Look! Mary is over there.We went there for the summer holidays. There can also be used to denote the existence of something or a demonstrative pronounThere is a child sitting on the chair.The re is a church in my hometown.There can be used as an interjection(I am right) SO THERE! (In some dialects) There can also be used as an adjectiveThat man there has a blue shirt. There can also be used as an adverb (of place, showing location or direction). The class will take place there. I will see you there.THEIRTheir is a possessive pronoun. It replaces “they,” another pronoun indicating a group of people, to show ownership.(John and David’s) cars are in the driveway = Their cars are in the driveway.(Mary and Susan’s) shoes are at the door = Their shoes are at the door.THEY’REThey’re is more straightforward. It is a contraction of they are, referring to the plural form (they) of he or she.They’re going to Paris for the holidays = They are going to Paris for the holidays.I see they’re at Susan’s house for the weekend = I see they are at Susan’s house for the weekend.They’re is normally used in spoken rather than written English.Here is a short paragraph with some examples of the use of there, their and they’re. There is one mistake. See if you can spot it.(1)They’re going to Paris for the holidays. It has been (2) their dream for years to climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower. While, (3) they’re (4) there, they will also walk the Left Bank, and drink hot chocolate in cafes. He said (5) they’ re expecting good weather (6) there and that they will be taking their (7) sunblock with them.(8) They’re also going to have to bring lots of euro with them because now it’s quite expensive (9) their. John is so excited about (10) their trip he can hardly contain himself. Unfortunately, his twin sons, David and Mark, will not be able to go because (11) they’re busy with their end of end of year exams. I’m sure John will call them once he gets (12) there though.So, how did you get on? Have you guessed the incorrect one? It’s number (9). It should read there.If you got that right go ahead and put on your t-shirt! Now you know the po int you are making when you wear it.Got questions? Email us or ask them in comments below.Sign up for our English classes. Inscribéte para nuestros cursos de inglés.If you found this lesson helpful, share it on Facebook and Twitter.