When To Use There And Their | Clear Rules For Writers

Homophones cause trouble for many learners, and there and their sit high on that list. They sound the same, look similar on the page, and spell check often lets both pass. By the end of this guide, the question of when to use there and their should feel far less intimidating.

This guide explains the core meaning of there and their, how they differ from they’re, and the habits that keep them straight in everyday writing. You will see patterns, quick checks, and sentence examples you can reuse in class or study sessions.

Quick Guide: There And Their

Start with a fast overview. You can treat this section as a reference card when you draft or edit.

Word Or Use	Grammar Role	Typical Job In A Sentence
there (place)	Adverb	Points to a place or position: “Put your bag there.”
there (starter word)	Pronoun like starter	Opens sentences where the real subject comes later: “There is a bus stop nearby.”
there in phrases	Adverb or pronoun	Points to a situation or stage: “There you go,” “We are almost there.”
their	Possessive determiner	Shows that something belongs to people or things: “Their coats are on the chair.”
their (singular)	Possessive determiner	Refers to one person when gender is unknown: “Each student must bring their notebook.”
they're	Contraction	Short form of “they are”: “They’re happy with the result.”
Spell check issues	Homophone set	All three sound the same, so you must check meaning, not just spelling.

Under that table sits one guiding rule. If your sentence talks about place, reach for there. If it talks about who owns something, reach for their. If you can swap in they are, you want they’re instead of either one.

What There Means And How It Works

The word there covers several jobs, but they all connect to place or position. Sometimes that place is a real spot you can point to. In other lines it is a stage in a process or a point in time.

There For Places You Can Point To

The clearest use of there is as a word for location. In this job, there often appears beside here in pairs such as “here and there” or “over here” and “over there.”

Sample sentences:

• “Leave your shoes over there by the door.”
• “We stayed there for two nights.”
• “Is there a park near your school?”

In each line you could point with a finger while you speak. When a sentence works that way, there fits and their does not.

There As A Sentence Starter

Writers also meet there at the front of lines such as “There is a problem” or “There are many ways to solve this.” In grammar terms this use of there is sometimes called an expletive subject or dummy subject.

Instead of placing the true subject first, English allows this lighter starter. A sentence like “There is a problem with your answer” points to “a problem with your answer” as the real thing under discussion.

The same pattern appears with questions:

• “Is there enough time left?”
• “Are there any seats free near the front?”

Here again, there does not show ownership. It acts more like a pointer that leads into the main news of the sentence.

There For Situations And Ideas

Writers also use there to refer to situations or stages instead of places. It still follows that pointer sense, only in a more abstract way.

• “Hang in there.”
• “There you go.”
• “We are almost there with the draft.”

When sentences sound like these, choose there. If you tried their in the same spots, the lines would no longer talk about a stage or situation. They would claim that someone owned something called “you go” or “in.”

What Their Means In Sentences

The word their always links to people, animals, or things. It sits before a noun and shows that the noun belongs to them.

Their As A Marker Of Ownership

This use is the one most learners meet in school. The pattern looks like this: their + noun. If you can place a name in front of the noun instead, and the sentence still feels natural, then their is usually correct.

Sample lines:

• “The children forgot their lunches.”
• “The team packed up their equipment.”
• “The dogs wagged their tails.”

Each line has a group (children, team, dogs) and something that belongs to that group (lunches, equipment, tails). You can try the swap test: “The children forgot Alex’s lunch,” “The team packed up Lina’s equipment,” and so on. When that swap still works, a possessive word like their fits well.

Singular Their In Modern English

Modern style guides, including guidance on singular they from Purdue OWL, accept their for one person when gender is unknown or when someone uses they as a personal pronoun.

Writers use singular their in lines such as:

• “Each learner should submit their assignment by Friday.”
• “Someone left their phone on the desk.”
• “Ask your partner what pronouns you should use for their profile.”

This pattern keeps sentences smooth without long phrases like “his or her.” It also shows respect for people who use they as their main pronoun.

Where Their Cannot Go

Because their always marks ownership, it cannot stand on its own as the main subject or object of a sentence. You need a noun after it.

These lines do not work:

• “Their is a book on the desk.”
• “I left it over their.”

In each case, the writer wanted there instead, because the sentence points to a place or position. When you read their aloud in these examples, you can hear how it asks for a noun that never comes.

When To Use There And Their In Real Writing

Now that you have the building blocks, it is time to pull them together into simple habits you can apply in school essays, work email, or social posts. This section ties the rules back to everyday tasks so that when to use there and their feels natural instead of forced.

Spotting The Question Behind Each Sentence

A fast way to pick the right word is to ask a short question before you write. Are you talking about a place or about who owns something?

• Place question: “Where is it?” → “It is over there on the shelf.”
• Ownership question: “Whose bag is this?” → “It is their bag, not mine.”

When the hidden question sounds like “where,” there usually follows. When the hidden question sounds like “whose,” their is the right call.

Using There And Their With Time And Events

Writers also mix these words with descriptions of time and events. The same basic split still works, though the place side can turn more abstract.

• “There will be a quiz on Monday.” (points to an event on the calendar)
• “Their quiz scores improved this term.” (points to scores owned by a group)
• “We are almost there with the project.” (points to a stage in a process)
• “Their project outline is already finished.” (points to a document owned by a group)

Any time you can swap in a finger pointing motion, think there. Any time you can swap in a name with an apostrophe s, think their.

Practice Sentences For There And Their

Practice helps fix the choice in your mind. Try to fill each blank with the right option, then check your answer in the table that follows.

Sentence With Blank	Correct Word	Reason
“The class left ___ books on the back table.”	their	The books belong to the class, so you need a possessive form.
“Put the chairs over ___ by the window.”	there	The sentence points to a place near the window.
“___ are several routes to the station.”	There	The word opens a sentence where the subject follows the verb.
“Have the players handed in ___ forms yet?”	their	The forms belong to the players.
“We parked the car and walked from ___.”	there	The sentence describes movement from a location.
“Each group shared ___ main idea with the class.”	their	The idea belongs to each group.
“Is ___ a charger I can borrow?”	there	The word starts a question about the existence of a thing.

Work through lines like these out loud. Say the sentence once with there and once with their. The version that matches the idea in your head will usually sound smoother, which gives you a natural way to check your choice.

Common Errors With There And Their

Even strong writers make mistakes with this pair when they write quickly or type on small screens.

Trusting Spell Check Too Much

Spell tools can miss homophones such as there, their, and they’re. The tool sees a correct English word in each position, so it stays quiet even when the meaning is wrong. A short pause for each of these three words is still worth the effort.

Letting Speech Patterns Take Over

In relaxed conversation, friends guess the meaning from tone and context. On the page that safety net disappears. A line like “There going to share their notes” may pass in a noisy room, but on paper the wrong choice jumps out at the reader.

Stopping After Their Without A Noun

Another frequent slip comes when someone writes their and then ends the sentence. Because their always marks ownership, a noun should follow soon after. If you cannot point to that noun, the line needs a quick repair.

Simple Checks Before You Hit Send

Good habits turn grammar rules into steady choices. A short checklist at the end of a draft helps you fix slips with there and their.

Circle And Label Each There, Their, And They’re

When a piece matters, such as an exam answer or a job application, print it or read it slowly on screen. Circle each there, their, and they’re. Above each one, write place, owner, or they are. If the label does not match the sentence, swap the word.

Use Memory Hooks For Fast Recall

Short memory hooks help many learners, especially younger students. One hook links their with heir, which both signal ownership. Another links there with here, which both link to place. A third hook now ties they’re to the apostrophe used in other forms with are in English writing.