MEPX
Chapter 8 of 13All chapters
  1. 1Parts of speech
  2. 2Sentences and fragments
  3. 3Subject and verb agreement
  4. 4Tenses
  5. 5Lie and lay
  6. 6Pronouns
  7. 7Apostrophes
  8. 8Sound alike pairs
  9. 9Fewer and less
  10. 10Plurals
  11. 11Commas
  12. 12Other punctuation
  13. 13Active and passive

Chapter 8 of 13

Sound alike pairs

Their, there, they’re and friends.

The frequent ones

Their shows possession, there is a place, and they’re is they are. Your is possession and you’re is you are. The apostrophe always marks missing letters.

  • Read the sentence with they are in place. If it works, you want they’re.
  • Affect is usually the verb and effect usually the noun.

Others worth pinning

Then is time and than is comparison. Lose is a verb and loose is an adjective. Complement completes and compliment praises.