English is a mighty fine and eloquent language to speak – but it can be embarrassingly tricky when writing.
We’re constantly hammering out reports and emails and churning through hundreds (if not thousands) of words each day. It’s understandable if sometimes we come a cropper.
Apostrophes and multiple spelling options are the usual suspects that will stop some writers dead in their tracks. Or the hardy will crash through, oblivious to the danger.
There, their and they’re are on the oft-offender list. And just to add to the frustration, auto-correct will sometimes create the problem, just because it can.
So it’s important to remain vigilant.
Here are three tips to keep these pesky homophones in the perfect usage line.
There – it’s often about location, place, or geography. It can also be an abstract reference to ‘being’.
There you are!
Put it over there.
There are plenty of nice lunch options available.
You’ve always been there for me.
Tip: think of location as something that can be ‘here, there and everywhere’ (and ‘here’ is in the word ‘there’).
2. They’re – is simply the contraction of ‘they are’.
They’re such generous and friendly people.
Reading and writing – they’re both things I love to do.
Tip: read aloud without the contraction to make sure of correct usage. If ‘they are’ does not make sense, you’ve got the wrong word.
3. Their – the trickiest of all three, but is merely the possessive form of ‘they’. It refers to ownership of a thing, or an action that belongs to a group of people.
It was the last leg of their journey.
It was their decision and no-one could alter their thinking.
I’m visiting my parents at their holiday house.
Tip: to remind yourself of the possessive, look at the ‘heir’ in ‘their’ – an heir takes possession. But double check: their is plural, not singular.