Homonyms! 

They’re everywhere and their usage seems to change here and there.

What’s a homonym? It’s a word that sounds the same as another word and may or not be spelled the same, but most definitely has a different meaning. Today we’ll look at the big three T’s that are commonly used and confused.

When To Know They’re There For Their Own Good

A lot of people seem to confuse these three bewitching words pretty often, and it’s understandable since the sound is used in common everyday conversation. I don’t say this from a high horse, but I rarely ever get them wrong, at least now I don’t. Here’s a little system that helped me remember which witch is which.

There – In Reference to a Location

When you ask somebody the whereabouts of a location you ask “where is it?” And if they’re kind enough they’ll respond, “over there.” An easy way to remember this one is to form the association in your head between the words where and there.

For extra measure, you can also remind yourself to replace the W in where with a T to make there. 

(Where – W) + T = There

There, there, you’re getting it, right? Moving on!

Their – In Reference to Ownership

What are the three important letters you need to remember when you lend someone your favourite video game without getting anything in return at the time of exchange?

I.O.U. which is something you should scribble down on a napkin to create a lawfully binding agreement that they’ll owe you something in return later.

I wish I kept that in mind 15 years ago when I lent my friend Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins. It took him five years to pay me back the amount I spent on getting a new copy because he lost my original one. *Shakes fist* but let’s not dwell on the past shall we?

When I say it’s my video game and not yours, (but you can borrow it for now…) those two words imply ownership by a person.

So to remember to spell this one as their, I like to keep in mind that while I‘m referring to someone else, in their point of view they refer to themselves as “I.” I would be referring to your ownership in third person perspective if I were to use their.

I know that one is kind of convoluted, but simply put:

Your + Speaking of You In Third Person = Their

(Third – the D) + E + shifting of the letters = Their

They’re – In Reference to Several People

It’s a contraction of the words they are.

C’mon, it can’t get any easier than that.

…

 

What other homonyms would you like some clarity on?

Was my pseudo word math a bit too much?

Did you find this post helpful?

Make sure to let me know in the comments below!