They're/their/there

Okay! We are faced with another annoying set of words that sound the same but have different meanings.

They're=they are
Their=possessive pronoun; they own something
There=a place or location; used with verbs such as is and are

Follow a simple step by step process of elimination guide to figure out which is the correct word to use!

1) Plug in "they are" into the sentence. If it makes sense, write down "they're." If not, go to step 2.
2) Look to see if a group of people/things own or have something in that sentence. If so, write down "their." If not, you can write "there." As a backup, just make sure that "there" in that sentence makes sense.

Example:


John is over _____ by the trees.

I first plug in they are: John is over they are by the trees.
WRONG
Next, look to see if there is a group of something with ownership:
Well, there are trees, but they don't own anything in here.
WRONG
John is over there by the trees.
RIGHT. This shows location.
DING DING DING DING