5. Their, Theirs, There, There's or They're ?

Hello grammar bloggers and welcome back for a new lesson on some of our most common grammar problems!

Today's focus is on the sometimes confusing use of their, theirs, there, there's, and they're. This is another problem we see all the time, so is there a way we can tell the difference between these homophones (words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings)?


The following limerick, courtesy of Patricia T. O'Connor in WOE IS I, may say it best:

THEY seem to have taken on airs.
THEY'RE ever so rude with THEIR stares.
THEY get THERE quite late,
THERE'S a hand in your plate,
And THEY'RE eating what's not even THEIRS.

Let's start with THEIR. THEIR is simply a possessive pronoun showing ownership.

THEIR new home is gorgeous!

Mike and Kathy gave THEIR old guitars to a neighborhood friend.

All senior should wear THEIR caps and gowns for graduation rehearsal.

In each of these examples, notice that a noun follows each use of THEIR: THEIR (new) home, THEIR (old) guitars, and THEIR caps and gowns. The adjectives in parentheses are just modifiers and don't affect the "ownership" of the pronoun. Remember that when you use THEIR, you're saying that THEIR "owns/possesses" the following noun. THERE WILL NOT BE A VERB FOLLOWING THEIR, such as "Their are three boxes of popcorn on the table". This is what we see WAY too much--PUH LEEZE!! (This should be "THERE are three boxes of popcorn...")

The next problem appears with the adverb THERE. All you need to remember is that THERE means "IN OR AT THAT PLACE" or answers "WHERE" to the subject and verb of the sentence.


Now, here is the correct way to write these sentences:

THERE is a mouse in our kitchen. (A mouse is where? There, in the kitchen...)

THERE will be a musical production at Southeastern Community College Sunday. (A musical production will be where? There, at SCC...)

There are many good reasons to live in Whiteville, NC. (Live where? There, in Whiteville, NC...)


As stated above, THERE in the above sentences all answer the question Where-- the most common use of THERE. Also notice that verbs follow THERE in all three sentences. If you keep this simple rule in mind, you should have no trouble using THERE correctly from now on.

Our third rule deals with the misuse of THEY'RE. This one is super simple if you'll just remember some former rules we've already gone over in this blog--that is, the use of an apostrophe when part of a word is left out. THEY'RE is nothing more than a contraction of THEY ARE. As we said with IT'S being a contraction of IT IS, just read the sentence and say to yourself THEY ARE in the place where you are thinking of writing it as THEY'RE. If it makes sense, then THEY'RE is correct. If it doesn't, don't use THEY'RE--use THEIR or THERE--or one of the others--whichever is correct. Here are some examples:

THEY'RE going to win the state championship. (THEY ARE sounds correct and it is!)

Did you know THEY'RE all wearing blue and white outfits on the last day of school? (THEY ARE, again, is correct.)

Strawberries are so good THEY'RE selling out as fast as we can produce them. (Once more, THEY ARE is the one to use.)

These three uses (their, there, or they're) are the most commonly seen errors of this type. However, there are two more (almost) homophones that should be mentioned since one is used in the above limerick: THEIRS. The other one is THERE'S.


THEIRS is simply the plural possessive form of they. The correct way to use this is in the following example:

The children's money is THEIRS alone. (NO APOSTROPHE IS NEEDED since no letters have been left out of the word. You certainly wouldn't say ...money is THEIR IS alone!)

And...

THERE'S, once again, uses an apostrophe to indicate a letter or word has been left out. THERE'S simply stands for THERE IS. The correct way to use this is seen in the following example:

THERE'S a letter for you on the table. (THERE IS a letter for you on the table IS Correct.)

See how easy this is? Keep this little rules in mind and you'll always be on top of your game.

Again, I love hearing from you, so let me know if you have preferences for some future blogs. Have a great week! Warmest regards, GG

4. Double Negatives and AIN'T Reviewed

Hello, Everyone, and welcome back to take a look at a usage problem we hear WAY too much!


Some of the following examples were printed in various newspapers this past week--most from direct quotes of people being interviewed.

Can you identify what the errors are?


1. After he was laid off, Jim realized that he didn't need none of the luxuries he had once enjoyed.

2. I'm not bringing nothing in this room until I am good and ready.

3. He wasn't in no trouble noway.

4. There wasn't hardly no tea in the pitcher.

5. My sister thought it didn't make no sense for me to stay in bed half the day.

Some of these kinds of statements sound very familiar, don't they? Unfortunately, we are beginning to hear not only double negatives, but triple, quadruple, etc. negatives also. So, what is the rule, anyway? First, we need to explain NEGATIVE words:

Some common negative words in the English language are

no, not, never, none, nobody, nothing, nowhere, etc.

These same negatives are also often used as part of a contraction (a word containing an apostrophe indicating that at least one letter has been left out of the word).

Examples: isn't (is not), don't (do not), didn't (did not), wasn't (was not), can't (cannot), won't (will not), and many others.

NOTE: Now we all know that the contraction AIN'T is NOT an acceptable use of AM NOT, IS NOT, or ARE NOT, don't we? I agree that it may be strange that we can use all sorts of contractions (such as those above) that are perfectly acceptable standard English, so why can't we use AIN'T? The answer is that our language, once again, is constantly changing and inconsistent. Somewhere along the line, all of the other contractions have made it into the "acceptable standard English" category, but, for some reason, AIN'T has not. Stay tuned. It's used so much today that who knows? Maybe we'll live long enough to see this happen (much to the chagrin of English teachers like me and those who love the language the way it is now), but we'll just have to wait and see. (By the way, for those of you who argue that AIN'T is in the dictionary so it must be okay to use, let me remind you that there are many words in the dictionary that are not acceptable as standard English--they are non-standard forms. Actually, before the 1970's, it is true that dictionaries WERE the "bosses" of correct language. In the early 1960's, however, WEBSTER'S THIRD UNABRIDGED made some radical changes and started including every word in use at the time--standard or non-standard-- in their new editions. This, of course, infuriated plenty of people although Webster's DID include usage notes to clarify the questionable items. Nevertheless, please make me happy by NOT saying

You AIN'T heard nothing yet!. (Say ...You haven't heard anything yet!)
...or...
DoN'T bring me NO boiled peanuts unless they're good and juicy ! (Say...Don't bring me any boiled peanuts unless they're good and juicy!)



Okay, so back to the matter at hand. There are a few more negatives that you need to know. The following words are also negatives, although we sometimes forget some of these :

scarcely, hardly, barely

What this means is that not only do we have to watch out for the obvious negative words such as no, never, none, not, nobody, etc. but scarcely, hardly, and barely. Just remember NOT to use more than one of any of these in a sentence. Again, make me happy by NOT saying

I didN'Tt HARDLY know NOBODY at that church picnic. (Say..I knew hardly anybody at that church picnic...or...I knew almost nobody at that church picnic...or...I didn't know anybody at that church picnic.)
...or...
I AIN'T got NOTHING to wear today!. (Say...I don't have anything to wear today!...or ...I have nothing to wear today!.)
...or...
Butch caN'T HARDLY finish his chores before he's ready to sit down. (Say...Butch can hardly finish his chores...or...Butch can't finish his chores...)




This all brings us to a very simple rule:

AVOID USING MORE THAN ONE NEGATIVE IN A SENTENCE. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE SENTENCE IS NOT NEGATIVE ANYMORE. REMEMBER THAT TWO (OR MORE) NEGATIVES MAKE A POSITIVE.

For example, in sentence #1 above, if you say

...Jim realized he DIDN'T need NONE.. you are saying that he DID actually need the luxuries. This error can be corrected by saying ... Jim realized he needed NONE of the luxuries... or...Jim realized he DIDN'T need any of the luxuries...

In sentence #2 above, if you said

I'm NOT bringing NOTHING in this room... you are saying that you ARE bringing something into this room. This error can be corrected by saying...I'm bringing NOTHING in this room... or...I'm NOT bringing anything in this room...


In sentence #3 above, we have, not only two, but THREE negatives used! If you say

He wasN'T in NO trouble NO way...you are saying that he Was in trouble (big time!) This error can be corrected by saying...He wasN'T in any trouble anyway..or...He was in NO trouble anyway,,.

In sentence #4 above, we once again see the misuse of THREE negatives! If you say

There wasN'T HARDLY NO tea in the pitcher...you are saying that there WAS tea in the pitcher. This error can be corrected by saying...There was NO tea in the pitcher....or Tea was NOT(or wasN'T) in the pitcher...

In sentence #5, if you say

...it didN'T make NO sense... you are actually saying that it DID make sense. Just say, ...it made No sense...or...it didN'T make sense...

These sentences can probably be corrected other ways, also, but the bottom line is that you should avoid using more than one negative in a sentence. You have lots of ways to correct a sentence with this problem--just be sure your final product has only ONE NEGATIVE.

ANOTHER NOTE: You may ask why the rule doesn't say NEVER use more than one negative per sentence instead of AVOID using more than one negative Here's the reason: Sometimes you might intend a positive or lukewarm meaning:

Camille was NOT UNhappy with the results of her test.

The use of NOT and UNhappy says that while Camille wasn't UNhappy, she wasn't exactly overjoyed either. She also might be thrilled, depending on what you mean.

It also works to use double negatives if you're using a clause or phrase for emphasis or parallel structure;

The General shouted, "I will not retreat--NOT today, NOT tomorrow, NOT ever!)

And, finally, you may actually intend two negatives to be positive. How many of you remember Sara Lee's well known ad

"NObody doesN'T like Sara Lee!"? (This negative appearing statement actually means the opposite--that everybody likes Sara Lee!)

In conclusion, we once again see exceptions to the rules. However, I hope you can also see the logic in most of these exceptions.

Have a great week and do feel free to drop me a line. Warmest regards, GG

3. It Isn't Right to Use AIN'T

Hi, Y'all (there's a wonderful use of a Southern contraction)!

We're back with a new lesson...one that isn't going to be very popular in our neck of the woods...but it needs to be addressed.

The topic is "It Isn't Right to Use AIN'T." (Now, I know almost everyone DOES, but that still doesn't make it standard English.)

The word "AIN'T" is frequently used as a "negative" word. What exactly do I mean by a word that is negative?

Well, some common negative words in the English language are

no, not, never, none, nobody

These same negatives are also often used as part of a contraction (a word containing an apostrophe indicating that at least one letter has been left out of the word).

Examples: isn't (is not), don't (do not), didn't (did not), wasn't (was not), can't (cannot), won't (will not), and many others.

NOTE: Now we all know that the contraction AIN'T is NOT an acceptable use of AM NOT, IS NOT, or ARE NOT, don't we? I agree that it may be strange that we can use all sorts of contractions (such as those above) that are perfectly acceptable standard English, so why can't we use AIN'T? The answer is that our language, once again, is constantly changing and inconsistent. Somewhere along the line, all of the other contractions have made it into the "acceptable standard English" category, but, for some reason, AIN'T has not. Stay tuned. It's used so much today that who knows? Maybe we'll live long enough to see this happen (much to the chagrin of English teachers like me and those who love the language the way it is now), but we'll just have to wait and see. (By the way, for those of you who argue that AIN'T is in the dictionary so it must be okay to use, let me remind you that there are many words in the dictionary that are not acceptable as standard English--they are just non-standard forms. Actually, before the 1970's, it is true that dictionaries WERE the "bosses" of correct language. In the early 1960's, however, WEBSTER'S THIRD UNABRIDGED made some radical changes and started including every word in use at the time--standard or non-standard-- in their new editions. This, of course infuriated plenty of people although Webster's DID include usage notes to clarify the questionable items. Nevertheless, please make me happy by NOT saying

You AIN'T heard nothing yet!. (Say ...You HAVEN'T heard anything yet!)...or...

I AIN'T eating my chicken bog today. (Say...I'M NOT eating my chicken bog today.)...or...

Ava AIN'T going with me to the race. (Say...Ava ISN'T going with me to the race.)

Next time, I'll expand on this problem with info about double negatives--another common usage problem and one that is seen combined with AIN'T in many of our sentences.

Have a wonderful week and do feel free to drop me your comments! GG

2....Behind the Preposition "At"

Hello, Everyone! Wow, I've heard from many of you about this next problem. It seems this one has become so common that it's heard all over the place. When many of us were growing up, we were bound to be corrected by our English teachers, parents, ministers, and plenty of other adults if we said something such as, " Where's the ball AT?"

Before we could correct ourselves, we would hear, "It's behind the preposition AT," accompanied by many groans as we protested from under our breaths that we hadn't learned this rule yet.


Actually, there are some pretty funny stories about the misuse of this one and how there ARE some exceptions to the rule--another thing that makes our English language so difficult at times. How did all of this confusion begin?


Once upon a time, there was an eighteenth-century English clergyman named Robert Lowth who wrote the first grammar book and in which he proclaimed that


PREPOSITIONS SHOULD NEVER END A SENTENCE !


This antiquated rule was eventually addressed by the very famous Sir Winston Churchill. He was asked once whether there was ever a time when prepositions could be used to end a sentence, such as in the following sentence:


"This is the one which I cannot find the answer FOR."


Churchill then joked, "Overzealous grammarians are people whom I will not
put [up]."

Sounds pretty silly, doesn't it? Churchill loved making fun of this rule and constantly and deliberately wrote many sentences purposely ending them with a preposition rather than try to come up with a clumsy alternative. Obviously, saying "Overzealous grammarians are people whom I will not put up WITH," is perfectly good English and makes sense with no confusion. Of course, other options are possible, such as " I will not put up with overzealous grammarians."

Ok, then, why should we even worry about ANY prepositions ending sentences? The answer is that we have a constantly changing and living language that allows certain exceptions to older rules, most often due to constant usage. Modern English has evolved to the place today where, although some prepositions are fine to use for ending sentences, others are not( yet).

First, let's clarify exactly what a preposition is.

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to some other word in a sentence. Prepositions also express space, time, and other relationships in a sentence. If this still sounds a little confusing, try this trick to clarify what one is.

Here's the simple example sentence: The airplane went _________ the cloud. Think of all the words that would fit into the blank:

over, in, at, around, under, to, toward, into, through, below, against, across, from, beside, past, near, beneath, etc.

All of the above words would fit into the blank and make sense. This DOESN'T mean that every single preposition would do so--some would be a stretch.

Prepositions such as: from, about, like, since, until, without, etc. would sound a little strange in that sentence, but, I hope, you can see a kind of pattern with the types of words that are prepositions.

ONE NOTE: Prepositions are a part of something called prepositional phrases. This means that they do not "stand alone", but have an object (or noun or pronoun) with them. Many times they also contain one or more adjectives.

Examples: aboard the train, over the hill, under the bridge, until midnight, beneath ground, through traffic, etc.

This all brings us to what is still unacceptable TODAY as Standard English:

Don't say " Where's the car AT?" or "Where are you going TO?".
Say, "Where's the car?" or "Where are you going?"

Nevertheless, there's nothing wrong with saying, "I don't know where Whitley will end UP" or "That's the strangest movie I've ever run ACROSS."


Well, that's it for today, folks. I appreciate your comments. Have a great week and be a Grammar Star!

With warmest regards,
Grammar Guide