Exercise: Choose Between the Words ‘Their’ and ‘Theirs’

Difficulty Level : Intermediate / Proficient / Advanced / Skilled

Their vs Theirs: What’s the Difference?

“Their” shows that something belongs to a group of people or multiple individuals. It is used before a noun to indicate that the noun is possessed by more than one person.
Example: That is their car. (The car belongs to a group of people, and “their” describes the ownership of the car by those people)

“Theirs” is used without a noun. It stands alone to show possession and refers to something that belongs to a group or individuals. It’s often used to avoid repeating a noun.
Example: The car is theirs. (In this case, “theirs” replaces the need to say “their car” again, making the sentence more concise and less repetitive)

In summary, “their” is used before a noun to indicate possession by a group of people, while “theirs” is used without a noun to indicate ownership by the same group of people. Both pronouns serve the same purpose but are used in slightly different sentence structures.

Exercises: ‘Their’ or ‘Theirs’

Instructions : In this exercise, choose between the words “their” and “theirs” to fill in the blank in each sentence.

1. Is that car _______________ in the driveway ?
2. The picnic basket is _______________; they left it behind.
3. Whose responsibility is it to clean up this mess? It’s _______________.
4. They always bring _______________ dog to the park with them.
5. These tools are _______________ for the construction project.
6. Sarah and Tom are planning _______________ wedding for next summer.
7. The children did _______________ best to complete the puzzle.
8. I love visiting _______________ house; it’s so cozy.

Answers of ‘Their’ vs ‘Theirs’ exercise

Explanations of ‘Their’ vs ‘Theirs’ exercises

1. Is that car theirs in the driveway?
   – Here, we use “theirs” to indicate that the car belongs to a group of people, but we don’t specify who those people are.
2. The picnic basket is theirs; they left it behind.
   – “Theirs” is used here to show that the picnic basket belongs to a specific group of people, and we also mention that “they” (presumably the group who owns the basket) left it behind.
3. Whose responsibility is it to clean up this mess? It’s theirs.
   – “Theirs” is used to indicate that the responsibility for cleaning up the mess belongs to a group of people, without specifying who they are.
4. They always bring their dog to the park with them.
   – In this sentence, “their” is used before the noun “dog” to show that the dog belongs to a specific group of people (the subject of the sentence).
5. These tools are theirs for the construction project.
   – “Theirs” is used to indicate that the tools belong to a group of people involved in the construction project.
6. Sarah and Tom are planning their wedding for next summer.
   – In this case, “their” is used before the noun “wedding” to show that the wedding belongs to Sarah and Tom.
7. The children did their best to complete the puzzle.
   – “Their” is used before the noun “best” to indicate that the best effort belongs to the children.
8. I love visiting their house; it’s so cozy.
   – Here, “their” is used before the noun “house” to show that the house belongs to a group of people, and the speaker finds it cozy.

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