Today, I’d like to address another common grammar mix-up. Fancy parts of speech aside, here is the difference between “there,” “they’re” and “their.”
There refers to a LOCATION
(There is also used as part of THERE IS/THERE ARE e.g. “there are three examples above””
They’re means THEY ARE:
Their means BELONGING TO THEM:
Authors should focus on getting grammar fundamentals like these right, not only in their books, but also in the marketing materials used to promote them (e.g. book descriptions, Facebook pages, author bios, etc.). These errors jump off the page at the reader and distract from the story or material, which is a real shame.
If grammar just isn’t your thing and never will be, a professional copyeditor can help catch mistakes like these before your book goes to print. (If you have a traditional publishing contract, you’ll be assigned one, but if you’re going the indie route, I strongly suggest hiring one.)
-Maria
This blog post originally appeared on CreateSpace.com. Reprinted with permission. © 2014 CreateSpace, a DBA of On-Demand Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.