Teacher Discussion Forums

Does anyone have a good way or explaining the difference between there are and they are to a low level class with out going into too much grammar?

There is an adverb. It describes a location.
I went there [email protected]
There is a new sheriff in town. (a general way to cite location)

They're is a contraction that means "they are". Totally different.
They're going to see us next weekend.

thanks for the information. I have tried explaining the difference but notice that many students are still confusing the two. I guess I'll just keep correcting them and hopefully soon they will get it.

Thanks,

mb

Are you sure it's not just a pronunciation problem, whether theirs or yours?

Speaking of pronunciation, "They're" "there" and "their" are all pronounced the same in my dialect. So maybe it's a spelling confusion

How are they confusing them? Just putting the wrong one in the wrong place? That is a common problem among native speakers (Yeah, it drives me nuts too ).

Hi-

Basically it is a spelling issue and is most obvious in writing. However, I have even noticed in speaking. Some students will use "they are" instead of "there" (over correction?). My class has very little knowledge of grammar (although many are enrolled in a grammar class this semster). Most have been in the US for quite a while and have fossilized. They have asked for the explanation of the difference but without an understanding of grammar- in L1 or L2 it's difficult to illustrate, as are many things