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There, Their, or They're

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"There," "Their," and "They're" is a set of words that are so commonly misused that this post is dedicated to providing the definitions as well as some examples of each.

There: a place.
~in, at, or to that place or position (p. 843 The Pocket Oxford American Dictionary of English. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2002).
  • She has lived there for more than fifty years.
  • We decided not to go there over the weekend.

Their: a pronoun used to indicate possession.
~of or belonging to them or themselves (p. 842 The Pocket Oxford American Dictionary of English. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2002).
  • That is their basket.
  • I don't want to impose on their Thanksgiving.

They're: a shorthand version of "they are."
~a contraction of "they are." (a contraction is a shortening of a word--p. 168 The Pocket Oxford American Dictionary of English. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2002).
  • They're going to be on the news this morning.
  • No one knows yet that they're having a baby.
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