What Does Their Mean in a Sentence

Their vs. There vs. They're

There vs Their vs They're What Is The Difference

The differences betweenthere, their andthey're are quite easy to understand are profound, yet the words are commonly mixed up in writing. Part of the issue is that they look very similar when written and are similar in terms of spelling.

But perhaps the biggest issue is that they are homophones, which are words that are pronounced the same but have different spellings and meanings. Other well-known and easily confused homophones include for/four, weather/whether and our/hour. Because they sound the same, it is understandable thattheir,there andthey're can be misused in a sentence.

So, what are the meanings oftheir,there andthey're?

There is an adverb meaningthat place, but it is also used as a pronoun introducing a clause or sentence.
Their is a possessive pronoun and it is used to show ownership of a thing or concept.
They're is a contraction ofthey are, used as a matter of style or in informal speech and writing.

Consider these examples:

They're (they are) willing to go there (that place), but it will depend on their (possession) schedules.
There (introductory clause) wasn't enough time for their (possession) speeches. They're (they are) going to have to come back and make them tomorrow.
Their (possession) troubles started when they went there (to that place), yet they're (they are) refusing to come home.

When to Use There

Thereis one of the most common words in English and has a variety of uses. In its adverb form, it simply meansin or at that placeand can easily be remembered as the opposite of the word here. It is often employed in a sentence to stop unnecessary repetition of a noun:

I love Paris. I gothere (to Paris) every summer.
The attic scares me. That's why I don't go upthere (to the attic) anymore.

However,therecan also be used when it is assumedthat place is already known or to indicate a general direction.

Don't go downthere, Jane. (It is assumed that Jane knows wherethere is).
Oh, it's somewhere overthere. (A vague direction, and you might assume the speaker is pointing).

As an adverb,there is very easy to understand. However, it can be a little bit more difficult to explain as a pronoun, where it is used to introduce a sentence or clause. In a way, it can be viewed as a place-holder, a word that doesn't have any synonyms or an easy translation, yet almost acts like an engine to get the sentence or clause started. The best way to think ofthere is as a way of introducing that something exists or happens.

There is a mouse under the table.
It's raining now, butthere will be sunshine tomorrow.
Isthere any hope for humanity?
"There now, doesn't that feel better?", the mother said, kissing her daughter's scraped elbow.

Therealso has some specific functions in speech, some of which are informal and colloquial. Examples are provided below:

Meaningat this/that point and sometimes used as an interjection.

I'll just stop youthere.
Stop rightthere.

Meaning (roughly)what you have said and used to refer back to something someone has said:

Well, you've got methere.
I have to agree with youthere.

Meaningin place oravailable and used to refer to something that can be used:

The money isthere for you to buy a new car.
The opportunity isthere. Let's grab it.

When to Use Their

Their is the possessive pronoun of the subject they. It is used to indicate ownership of a thing or concept (usually) by more than one person.

It istheir prerogative.
Theirpresentation was by far the best.
Can we taketheir car instead?

Normally,their is used as a plural to indicate ownership by more than one person, but there can be exceptions when it is singular if the identity or gender of the owner is not known, usually indicated by words like someone or anybody:

Someone lefttheir backpack behind.
Somebody has gottheir wires crossed.
Will anyone let me borrowtheir key?
I couldn't get in. Nobody wanted to give metheir key.

When to Use They're

They're is a contraction of the wordstheyandare.They're has exactly the same meaning astheyare , but is substituted for style, brevity and informal speech.

They're going on vacation for six months.
They're already at the restaurant.
Let me know when they're ready.
They're older than Tommy and Jane, right?
At times, they're a bit annoying.

How to Remember the Difference

There are a couple of different tricks to remembering the difference betweenthey're,their andthere.They're is arguably easiest to understand (and probably the one that gets confused the least) as it has the apostrophe in the middle. The simple way to check if it is correct is to replace it withthey are and see if the sentence still makes sense:

They're going to the store for groceries. Test sentence.
They are going to the store for groceries. Correct.
There going to the store for groceries. Incorrect.
Their going to the store for groceries. Incorrect.

There andtheir probably joinyour andyou're as the two most commonly mixed up words in written English, and you will often see them incorrectly used on social media and, even, occasionally within major news organizations' websites and newspapers. The trick to remember the difference betweenthere andtheir is the last four letters of each word.Their indicates ownership and has the wordheir in its last four letters. Anheir is someone who inherits something or will take ownership of something. There normally means 'that place' and has the wordherein its last four letters, so we can think of it like in the sense of position – here and there.

T(here) = that place, over here. Should we sit over there, or right here?
T(heir) = indicates ownership, heir. Prince Charles is the heir to the throne.

their vs there

More Examples of There vs. Their vs. They're

They'regoing to movetheir car overthere,closer to the apartment.
There isn't much clarity abouttheirplans, butthey're usually right about these things.
Their new idea is upthere with the best, butthey're going to need more money to make it happen.

There vs Their:

There wasn't any room fortheir things, so they bought a new closet.
Their favourite city is New York, but they don't gothere in the winter.
Is thattheir suitcase overthere?

There vs They're:

They'regoing to walkthere instead.
Thereis a chance thatthey're going to be late.
Ifthey'rethere before me, let me know.

They're vs Their:

If they don't study,they're going to failtheir exams.
Theirbiggest problem is thatthey'reeasily distracted.
It isn't thatthey're lazy, it'stheir short attention span.

Source: https://www.gingersoftware.com/english-online/spelling-book/confusing-words/their-there-theyre

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Sheean Amonly1949

What Does Their Mean in a Sentence