Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Language / Grammar / Difference Between There and Their in English Grammar

Difference Between There and Their in English Grammar

January 26, 2011 Posted by koshal

 

The key difference between there and their is that there is an adverb and an exclamation while their is a possessive pronoun. Strictly speaking, both these words are spelled in different forms though they are similar in pronunciation.

There and their, are two words in the English language that may sound similar, but there is a lot of difference between there and their in English grammar when it comes to their usage. Such words are called homonyms. Now, this article attempts to present you with a clear idea about the difference between there and their.

Difference Between There and Their in English Grammar - Comparison Summary_Fig 1

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What Does There Mean
3. What Does Their Mean
4. Similarities Between There and Their in English Grammar
5. Side by Side Comparison – There and Their in English Grammar in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What Does There Mean?

Born from Old English, there is used as an exclamation and an adverb. There are also phrases that use the word there such as there you are, there goes, etc.

Difference Between There and Their in English Grammar

The word there is a kind of indeclinable too though occasionally it is used as a pronoun. It indicates a place when used as an indeclinable as in the sentence,

He stands there.

Here the word there indicates the place where the person stands.
There is sometimes used in exclamatory sentences as in

There he is!

Here the word there is used in exclamation. Generally, there is used in affirmative sentences as in,

There are several toys in the shop.

There is a big problem in the campus.

In both the sentences mentioned above, there is used in an affirmative sense.

Sometimes there is used as an adverb even when placed directly adjacent to the noun in a sentence as in,

Keep the book there.

Here the word there is used as an adverb to the word keep. There indicates the place where the book should be kept. There is a rare word that has got multiple usages as adverb and exclamation.

What Does Their Mean?

Their has its origins in Middle English. Their is used as a determiner. Their is also well known for being the possessive form of the pronoun they.

The word their is used as a pronoun in the genitive case of the pronoun they as in the sentence,

The troops marched into their territory.

She heard someone ringing their doorbell.

Here, the word their is used in the possessive or genitive case. Thus, their is the genitive form of the pronoun they.
In several instances, they and their appear in the same sentence as in

They know their responsibilities.

They reached their homes.

In both the sentences mentioned above, they and their are used together. Quite contrary to there, their is used only as a pronoun.

What are the Similarities Between There and Their in English Grammar?

  • There and Their sound similar, they are called homonyms.
  • They and their are often used together in sentences.

What is the Difference Between There and Their in English Grammar?

There vs Their

The word there is used to indicate a place, position or a time. The word their is used to describe something belonging or associated with the people or things previously mentioned or easily identified.
 Grammatical Category
There can be used as an adverb and an exclamation. Their is widely used only as a pronoun, as the genitive form of the pronoun they.
Usage
There indicates a place when used as an indeclinable as in the sentence. Moreover, There is generally used in affirmative sentences; it is also sometimes used in exclamatory sentences. Their is a possessive determiner.

Summary – There vs Their

The two words there and their are homonyms since they sound similar in pronunciation. But, they have differences in their usage and grammatical category. The difference between there and their is that there is an adverb while their is a possessive pronoun. Possessing a sound knowledge in the differences of these two words is necessary when poseeding with the English grammar.

Related posts:

Difference Between Here and There in English Grammar Difference Between Affect and EffectDifference Between Affect and Effect in English Grammar Difference Between On and Off Difference Between It and ThatDifference Between it and that Difference Between To and TooDifference Between To and Too

Filed Under: Grammar Tagged With: their, their definition, there, there and their, there definition

About the Author: koshal

Koshal is a graduate in Language Studies with a Master's Degree in Linguistics

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

Difference Between Cellulose and Glycogen and Glucose

Difference Between Cellulose and Glycogen and Glucose

What is the Difference Between CLL and Multiple Myeloma

What is the Difference Between CLL and Multiple Myeloma

Difference Between Limbless Amphibians and Snakes

Difference Between Limbless Amphibians and Snakes

Difference Between Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi

Difference Between Repo Rate and Reverse Repo Rate

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between Lactam and Lactim
  • What is the Difference Between Carbamazepine and Oxcarbazepine
  • What is the Difference Between HTLV 1 and 2
  • What is the Difference Between Bohr Effect and Haldane Effect
  • What is the Difference Between Oxybenzone and Avobenzone
  • What is the Difference Between Flakiness Index and Elongation Index
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.