Micro-listening
their there they're: choose the right word
Can I use their to refer to only one person?
Their shows that something belongs to or connects with people. There indicates a location or introduces an existence statement with forms of be. They're is a shortened form of they are, where an apostrophe replaces the letter a.
Key points
- Remember three quick tests: their belongs to people, there names a place or starts an existence phrase, and they're always expands to they are.
- Choose by meaning and structure: their shows possession, there can indicate a place or introduce existence, and they're means they are.
- A following noun alone does not decide the spelling: 'their teachers' and 'they're teachers' have different structures and meanings.
This lesson has 5 stages. You can stop at any time and continue later.
Stage 1 of 5
Understand
What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
Examples
The artists brought their own brushes to the studio.
Why it works: Their shows ownership before the noun brushes.
3 more examples
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Please place the extra chairs over there near the entrance.
There indicates the physical location for the chairs.
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The volunteers called to say they're ready to open the gallery.
They're contracts they are before the adjective ready.
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There is an extra table near the hallway.
There is states that a table exists in that spot.
Read the full guide
Use their to show ownership before a noun
Their introduces something belonging or relating to people, animals, or things. It can also refer to one person who uses they, or whose gender is unknown or not relevant. Compare it with our or his to check its grammatical role, then check who the phrase refers to.
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The committee members submitted their final project report.
Why it works: Their appears directly before the noun phrase final project report to indicate ownership.
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The new tenants unpacked their luggage in the hallway.
Why it works: Their shows that the luggage belongs to the tenants.
Your turn
Select the sentence that uses their correctly.
Answer: The visitors left their umbrellas by the entrance.
Show the answer
Answer: The visitors left their umbrellas by the entrance.
Their is correct because umbrellas is a noun that belongs to the visitors.
Choose there to identify a place
Select there when you want to answer the question where. This word functions as an adverb of place, pointing toward a specific position, room, or direction away from the speaker. It acts as the opposite of here. If you can point your finger or replace the word with here, there is the form you need.
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We can stack the folding tables there by the back wall.
Why it works: There specifies the physical location where the tables belong.
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The gallery curator walked over there to inspect the lighting.
Why it works: Over there indicates direction and physical distance from the speaker.
You can practise this again in There was or there were: how to choose and Less or Lesser: Choose the Right Word.
Your turn
Which sentence correctly points to a physical location?
Answer: Leave your registration badge there on the desk.
Show the answer
Answer: Leave your registration badge there on the desk.
There correctly answers where the badge should be left.
Use there is or there are to state existence
Use there at the start of clauses that introduce the presence or existence of people or items. In this grammatical structure, there pairs with a form of the verb be, such as is, are, was, or were. It does not refer to a distant location. Instead, it announces that something exists or remains available.
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There is an extra roll of tape on the supply shelf.
Why it works: There is introduces the existence of a singular item on the shelf.
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There are twelve participants enrolled in the afternoon class.
Why it works: There are states the presence of multiple participants.
Your turn
Choose the correct phrase to complete: '___ several empty seats in row four.'
Answer: There are
Show the answer
Answer: There are
There are introduces the existence of plural seats.
Substitute they are to confirm they're
They're stands for they are, with an apostrophe marking the omitted a. Try the full words in the sentence. The possessive word their and the place word there have no apostrophe. This rule concerns these three spellings; possessive nouns follow other rules.
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The technicians called to explain that they're running late.
Why it works: Expanding the contraction gives they are running late, which makes complete sense.
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If the musicians arrive soon, they're likely to finish rehearsal early.
Why it works: They're stands for they are before the adjective likely.
Your turn
Select the sentence where they're is used correctly.
Answer: They're painting the main hallway this morning.
Show the answer
Answer: They're painting the main hallway this morning.
The sentence expands naturally to They are painting the main hallway this morning.
Inspect the next word for grammatical clues
Looking at the word immediately following the blank often reveals the correct form quickly. A noun or descriptive adjective followed by a noun strongly suggests their. A verb with an ing ending or an adjective describing people usually pairs with they're. Prepositions or standalone sentence endings often follow the location word there.
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The staff gathered their materials before the session started.
Why it works: The noun materials immediately follows their.
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The speakers confirmed they're eager to answer questions.
Why it works: The adjective eager describes the speakers and follows the contraction they're.
Your turn
Which form belongs in the sentence: 'The coordinators reviewed ___ schedule'?
Answer: their
Show the answer
Answer: their
The following word schedule is a noun, indicating ownership.
Distinguish identical sounds during listening
Because their, there, and they're sound identical in natural English speech, ear training requires analyzing sentence structure rather than pronunciation. Native speakers pronounce all three words with the exact same phonetic pattern. When listening to a lecture or dialogue, notice whether the speaker attaches a noun of possession or describes an ongoing action.
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I heard that they're planning a reception.
Why it works: Even though the sound is identical, the following verb planning indicates they are.
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The supervisors stored their documents inside the cabinet.
Why it works: The sound links directly to the noun documents, confirming the possessive form.
Your turn
When taking notes from speech, how do you decide which spelling to write?
Answer: Analyze whether the sentence structure requires possession, location, or a verb.
Show the answer
Answer: Analyze whether the sentence structure requires possession, location, or a verb.
Because pronunciation is identical, grammatical context provides the only reliable clue.
Spot automatic keyboard slips before sending
It's easy to type the wrong spelling when you're writing quickly. Before you send a message, check each use of their, there, and they're against the sentence's meaning. This can help you catch a spelling that looks familiar but doesn't fit.
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Please review their comments on the draft proposal.
Why it works: Rushing writers often mistype there comments, but comments requires possessive their.
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The files remain over there on the shared shelf.
Why it works: Location requires there, not the possessive spelling their.
Your turn
Which sentence has been corrected to remove a common typing slip?
Answer: The clients sent their feedback by noon.
Show the answer
Answer: The clients sent their feedback by noon.
Feedback is a noun belonging to the clients, requiring their.
Run a systematic replacement check in your draft
To verify your choices reliably, apply a simple two-step editing routine. First, expand every instance to they are. If the sentence makes sense, keep they're. If it fails, check whether the sentence answers where or introduces existence. If so, choose there. If neither test applies and a noun follows, choose their.
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They're confident that their office will remain there.
Why it works: Testing each word: they are confident (they're), our office (their), in that place (there).
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There is no doubt that their team worked hard.
Why it works: There is introduces existence, while their specifies the team.
Your turn
What is the most reliable first step when checking a sentence that contains they're?
Answer: Expand the word to they are to see if the sentence remains grammatically sound.
Show the answer
Answer: Expand the word to they are to see if the sentence remains grammatically sound.
The expansion test quickly confirms or rules out the contraction.
Use it naturally
How people really use “their”
Neutral Fine almost anywhere, at work or with friends.
Words it often goes with
- their ownThe children each have their own room.
- their belongingsPassengers should check their belongings before leaving the train.
- their namesThe travelers wrote their names on the form.
- their wayThe visitors lost their way near the station.
Questions about "their there they're: choose the right word"
Can I use their to refer to only one person?
Yes. In modern English, their is widely used as a singular pronoun when the gender of a person is unknown or when referring to an unspecified individual. This avoids awkward phrasing like his or her while remaining grammatically accepted in both professional and casual contexts.
Every visitor should keep their badge visible at all times.
Somebody left their notebook in the conference hall.
How do I know whether to use there is or they're?
There is introduces something that exists. They're means they are. They may refer to several people or things, or to one person. Even for one person, they takes are, not is.
There is a fresh pot of coffee in the break room.
They're enjoying a coffee break after the morning presentation.
Why do spellcheckers sometimes miss errors with their, there, and they're?
Spellcheckers often miss these mistakes because all three spellings are legitimate English words. Unless the software conducts deep grammar analysis, it sees a correctly spelled word and accepts it. Reading your text aloud while expanding contractions helps you catch errors that software overlooks.
The software missed the error in 'Their are three files'; the writer meant 'There are three files'.
Can their or they're ever appear at the very end of a sentence?
There can easily end a sentence because it specifies a location. They're rarely ends a sentence in standard English because contractions with subject pronouns require a predicate. Their never ends a sentence because it must precede a noun. If you need a possessive pronoun at the end of a sentence, use theirs instead.
We placed the spare chairs over there.
The backpacks on the bench are theirs.
Before you go
Remember this
Remember three quick tests: their belongs to people, there names a place or starts an existence phrase, and they're always expands to they are.
Stage 2 of 5
Listen
Hear it in real sentences, from short to long, and write what you hear.
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Speak
Say it with the speaker, then use it in your own answer.
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Play the line slowly, then speak at the same time as the speaker. Copy the rhythm, not just the words.
Your turn
Say it your way
Speak for 30 to 60 seconds from memory. You are helping two travelers find lost bags at a train station. Describe their bags, explain where to look, and say what the travelers are doing now.
Use: their there they're
Take ten seconds to think, then answer out loud without looking at the lesson. Speak for the time shown in the task above. Nothing is sent unless you ask for feedback.
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Hear how someone else might say it
I'm at the train station with two travelers who can't find their bags. One bag is small and blue, and the other is a large black suitcase. They think they left both bags near the ticket machines. We're going to look over there first. If we can't find them, we'll ask someone at the information desk. Right now, they're checking the photos on a phone to show me the bags. Their train leaves in twenty minutes, so we need to hurry.
Try once more and answer this: What do the bags look like?
Stage 4 of 5
Write
Use what you've learned to write about your day or week, then write a message.
Write
Put it in your own words
- I used “their”.
- It is about my life, not the lesson’s example.
- I read it once aloud to check it sounds right.
Write your own response
Choose a situation and write 30–50 words of your own. In this activity, you decide what to say rather than copy the words in a recording.
Check your own writing
Read one possible response
Use these checks to revise your message. Grammar and meaning are not automatically graded. Each task keeps its own draft in this browser tab.
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