Grammar review
More practice with three words that sound exactly the same but do different jobs.
THEY'RE = they + are: “They're my neighbors.” Test: can you say "they are" instead? If yes, use this one. THEIR = belongs to them: “Their car is red.” Test: can you say "his" or "her" instead? If yes, use this one. THERE = a place, or with "is/are": “Put it over there.”, “There are three of them.” Test: is it about location, or introducing something that exists? If yes, use this one.
READY TO PRACTICE? LET’S GO!
Choose whether the following sentences require there, their, or they're.
1. This is _______ first album in five years.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
2. He didn't think _______ was any need to tell his parents about what happened.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
3. _______ the type of people that only care about themselves.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
4. _______ was a fire at the old warehouse last night.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
5. The Three Roses Restaurant? Yes, I used to go _______ all the time.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
6. _______ doing pretty well so far.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
7. That's _______ cat Max.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
8. They take really good care of _______ children.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
9. They said they would come, but now it turns out _______ not coming.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
10. She said that _______ would be a lot of people at the party.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
11. Your wallet is _______ on the table.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
12. _______ German.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
13. They both lost _______ phones.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
14. _______ the ones that I told you about.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
15. We won't be able to get _______ in three hours.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
16. _______ is too much traffic.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
17. _______ cheering for Steve.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
18. _______ not big fans of Chinese food.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
19. This is _______ only free day.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
20. _______ was a woman here looking for you.
That's right! Well done!Sorry, that is incorrect. Please try again.
—
Did you know?This mistake immediately signals careless writing to any examiner, even though the words sound identical.
Confusing their, they're, and there in an IELTS or TOEFL essay is a Lexical Resource error. It suggests the writer doesn't fully control very common words, which undermines confidence in the rest of the vocabulary.
For Cambridge Use of English (Part 2, open cloze), choosing between these three is a regularly tested item. Getting it wrong costs easy marks, so making the distinction automatic is worth the practice.