There, their, and they’re often sound alike, but their jobs differ: there can mean a place or introduce a statement, their shows that something belongs to them, and they’re means they are. In “They’re leaving their bags there,” the sentence uses all three forms correctly. [1]
Place or sentence opener: there
Use there when you mean a location: “The rehearsal room is over there.” A useful reminder is that there contains here, another place word. But there also appears in sentences such as “There are two chairs by the window.” In this pattern, there introduces the statement; the actual subject follows the verb.
That second use is easy to confuse because there is not naming a location. Read “There are two chairs” as a way to present the existence of two chairs. In standard edited English, the verb agrees with the subject that follows: “There is one chair” and “There are two chairs.” Purdue OWL makes the same subject-verb point for sentences beginning with there is or there are. [2]
Possession: their
Their tells us that something belongs to or is associated with a group represented by they: “The singers checked their microphones.” The word is possessive, like our or your, and does not need an apostrophe. The singers are not the microphones; the form simply connects the microphones to them.
A quick substitution can help: replace their with “belonging to them.” “The singers checked the microphones belonging to them” preserves the intended relationship. If the sentence instead means “they are,” their is the wrong choice.
The contraction: they’re
They’re combines they and are. Expand it in the sentence to check: “They’re ready for the next verse” becomes “They are ready for the next verse.” If the expansion works, the contraction fits. If it does not, choose one of the other forms.
This test separates the three words in a sentence such as “They’re waiting there with their instruments.” Expand they’re to “they are”; point to the location meant by there; and ask whose instruments they are. Each word answers a different question, even though speech may make them sound identical.
Repair a sample note
Here is an example note: “Their setting up there chairs over they’re.” First decide what each phrase should mean. If a group is setting up chairs at a location, write “They’re setting up their chairs there.” They’re expands to “they are setting up”; their tells whose chairs; there names the place.
Now alter the meaning: “Their setting is over there.” This can be grammatical if setting means a scene or environment that belongs to them, but it is not the same as “They’re setting up.” The replacement test exposes the difference. Do not correct words by appearance alone; identify the sentence you intend to communicate.
Check the whole sentence, not just the sound
A proofreading pass can focus on each occurrence of there, their, and they’re. Ask three questions: Does this mean a place or introduce an existence statement? Does it mean belonging to them? Can I expand it to they are? The answer should make one form fit clearly. Purdue OWL lists there as a place word, their as possessive, and they’re as a contraction of they are. [1]
Finally, check any there is or there are construction for number: “There is a note on the stand”; “There are notes on the stand.” This is a separate issue from choosing among the three spellings, but it often appears in the same sentence. Reading the line aloud can reveal a missing word, while the grammar checks confirm which spelling carries the intended meaning.
