There, Their, and They're
Your and You're
Its and It's
Three of the most common mistakes writers make are confusing there, their, and they're; your and you're; and its and it's.
There, Their and They're
There is an adverb specifying place or location.
Example: The books are over there on the table.
Their is a possessive pronoun (plural) signifying something belongs to more than one person.
Example: Mark and Eric washed their cars in the driveway.
They're is a contraction of they are.
Example: They're going swimming today.
Choosing between there, their and they're:
- Talking about a location? Use there.
- Talking about something that belongs to two or more people? Use their.
- Will the sentence make sense if you use "they are"? Use they're.
Your and You're
Your is a possessive pronoun signifying something belongs to "you."
Example: That's your cat in the tree.
You're is a contraction of you are.
Example: You're going straight to school today!
Choosing between your and you're:
- Talking about something that belongs to someone? Use your.
- Will the sentence make sense if you use "you are"? Use you're.
Its and it's
Its is a possessive pronoun signifying something belongs to "it." There is no apostrophe between the t and s.
Example: The book has a tiger on its cover.
It's is a contraction of it is.
Example: It's sunny out today.
Choosing between its and it's:
- Talking about something that belongs to someone? Use its.
Will the sentence make sense if you use "it is"? Use it's.