Their, They're (Part II)

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and this is Part II of a series explaining they’re, there, and their. Last time, we talked about they’re with an apostrophe, as in “they are.” Next up is “their,” as in t-h-e-i-r. This word is possessive. You use it to describe something that belongs to them. For example, you might say something about “their cats.” “their” spelled with an “I” is not interchangeable with there as in “over there” or “they’re” as in “they are.” Nope. These are three completely different words. “Their” is only used as a possessive. Most commonly, people mix up “they are” and “their” possessive. Don’t do that. These words are two different parts of speech and aren’t interchangeable. Tune in next week for the final “their!” That’s your Grammar Minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.