We have 7 target words for today’s
lesson:
(1) There
(2) Their
(3) They’re
(4) Your
(5) You’re
(6) Its
(7) It’s
These 7 expressions are the best
examples of confusing words in the English language. Because when you pair them
up, they start to sound very similar to each other and many people have trouble
using them.
In fact, you will see many jokes,
memes, and products on the Internet that feature these confusing expressions.
Pronunciation
If you’re hoping to learn them
through Pronunciation, then it’s going to be hard.
“There,” “their” and “they’re”
are Homophones. “Your” and “you’re” are Homophones. And “its” and “it’s” are also
Homophones.
What are Homophones?
Well, to begin with, they're definitely not like your headphones.
What are Homophones?
Well, to begin with, they're definitely not like your headphones.
![]() |
image courtesy of stock.xchng |
Homophones are words that have
the same sound but have different spelling. For example, “to,” “too,” and “two.”
Take a look at how our 7
expressions are pronounced:
(1) There = /ðer/
(2) Their = /ðer/
(3) They’re = /ðer/
(4) Your = /jʊr/ or /jɔr/
(5) You’re = /jʊr/ or /jɔr/
(6) Its = /ɪts/
(7) It’s = /ɪts/
As you can see, in terms of Pronunciation, the paired words have the same sound.
What’s the difference then?
In order to know the difference
between all our expressions, you have to know 2 things: (1) Contraction, and
(2) Possessive.
#1. Contraction
Just like in our previous
lessons, a Contraction means the shorter form of a word or words.
For example,
cannot = can’t
should have = should’ve
I would = I’d
etc.
Why are Contractions important in
today’s lesson?
Because if you will kindly look at our list
of expressions again, you will notice that not all of them are single words:
(1) There = 1 word
(2) Their = 1 word
(3) They’re = 2 words; contraction
(4) Your = 1 word
(5) You’re = 2 words; contraction
(6) Its = 1 word
(7) It’s = 2 words; contraction
The three expressions “they’re,” “you’re”
and “it’s” are not single words but two words fused together. The original
expressions are:
They’re = They are
You’re = You are
It’s = It is
This means that if you want to
use these 3 expressions inside a sentence, NEVER use them as words.
Take a look:
They took they’re
bags. = X
You left you’re
wallet. = X
The dog ate it’s
food. = X
The third one is the most difficult
to notice. Because it is very similar to the other expression “its” without
apostrophe (').
Learners know well how confusing it is
to use all these 3 expressions. Especially when
they are writing or typing. And in this age of Facebook and Twitter, when we
often chat with our friends online or post our status updates, it’s very common
to make spelling mistakes. And one tiny mistake can become big or permanent. If
it’s public, almost anybody can read it.
If you’d like to know more about
how to avoid spelling errors online, just click the links below:
So the next time you use any of
these 3 expressions: “They’re,” “You’re,” and “It’s,” just remember that they’re
not words. They’re Contractions. They were originally two words fused together.
That’s why they look like single words. But they’re not.
When you use them inside a
sentence, use them like this:
They’re getting hungry. = Ok
You’re always beautiful. = Ok
It’s not too late. = Ok
These sentences are the same as:
They are getting hungry. = Ok
You are always beautiful. = Ok
It is not too late. = Ok
#2. Possessives
Now what are Possessives? Possessives
are words that mean ownership. They show us that something belongs to somebody
(or something).
For example, “her father,” “his money,” “our house,”
etc.
If you are already familiar with
Possessives, then you will notice that, again, 3 of the words on our list are
Possessives. Take a look:
(1) There
(2) Their = Possessive
(3) They’re
(4) Your = Possessive
(5) You’re
(6) Its = Possessive
(7) It’s
Actually, to be exact, the three
words (their, your, and its) are Possessive Adjectives.
What does this mean?
This means that if you want to
use any of these 3 words, you’d better put a Noun after them. Like this:
Possessive
Adjective + Noun
Ex.
their car
your umbrella
its tail
etc.
Got it?
You probably remember by now that
the 3 words belong to the Pronouns Table that you learned (memorized) in school
before. It looks like this:
Subject
Pronouns
|
Object
Pronouns
|
Possessive
Adjectives
|
Possessive
Pronouns
|
Reflexive
Pronouns
|
I
|
me
|
my
|
mine
|
myself
|
He
|
him
|
his
|
his
|
himself
|
She
|
her
|
her
|
hers
|
herself
|
We
|
us
|
our
|
ours
|
ourselves
|
You
|
you
|
your
|
yours
|
yourself / yourselves
|
They
|
them
|
their
|
theirs
|
themselves
|
It
|
it
|
its
|
(none)
|
itself
|
If you still haven’t memorized
this table, it would be wise for you to do so because the words here are basic
and very commonly used in English.
And if you take another look, you
will see that our 3 words are there at the bottom. They are all of the same
type:
Subject
Pronouns
|
Object
Pronouns
|
Possessive
Adjectives
|
Possessive
Pronouns
|
Reflexive
Pronouns
|
I
|
me
|
my
|
mine
|
myself
|
He
|
him
|
his
|
his
|
himself
|
She
|
her
|
her
|
hers
|
herself
|
We
|
us
|
our
|
ours
|
ourselves
|
You
|
you
|
your
|
yours
|
yourself / yourselves
|
They
|
them
|
their
|
theirs
|
themselves
|
It
|
it
|
its
|
(none)
|
itself
|
So the next time you use these 3
words, don’t forget to put a Noun after them.
Ex.
Your late. = X
You forgot your cellphone. = Ok
Their coming. = X
Their message is
strange. = Ok
Its a dog. = X
The bag is too big, but its color is good. = Ok
If you want to have a quick review
of the Possessives, just click this link:
Lastly
We have discussed all our
target words except one: “There.”
“There” is often used in 2 ways:
(1) It is used to say that something exists
or happens
Ex.
There is a problem.
Is there anything I can help you with?
There were 5 kittens under the table.
As you can see from our examples,
the pattern “there+is” or “there+was” etc. is very common when we want to use “there.”
(2) "There" is also used to refer to a place
Ex.
Who is the man standing over there?
I live there.
The opportunity was right there but I didn’t take it.
Of course these are not all of
the uses of “There,” but these are the most common.
In Summary
You have to remember 2 things and
know the big difference between them:
(1) Contraction = short form of words
(2) Possessive = shows ownership
And when you're posting on Facebook,
Twitter etc., remember that Contractions carry an apostrophe (‘) but Possessives don’t.
So be careful with:
Their vs. They’re
Your vs. You’re
Its vs. It’s
In summary,
Contraction
|
Ownership
|
Existence
/
Place
|
They’re
|
their
|
there
|
You’re
|
your
|
|
It’s
|
its
|
Hope You Learned
Something!
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