there, their and they’re

These homophones sound the same but mean different things.

Let's learn

1. there: a place (“over there”) or “there is”.
2. their: belongs to them (“their bikes”).
3. they’re: they are (“they’re late”).
4. Test: replace with “they are”. If it works, write they’re.

Watch out for

• Relying on spell check. It will not catch the wrong homophone.

Make it fit your reader

• Easier: Practice with three sentences.
• Harder: Write one sentence with all three.

Practice activity

• Triple sentence: write “They’re putting their coats over there” and invent two more.
• Proofread: fix the homophones in a short paragraph.