and while you’re at it, the ns …n’s … ns’ thing has been bothering me too (Is that the correct punctuation?).
When and why, please. Examples would help.
- CnoteChris. Daring to ask the unaskable.
Hi. I’m an English teacher. These are easy. Once you’ve got them down, you’ll never confuse them again.
‘There’ refers to a place. You can remember that because this spelling contains the word ‘here.’ Examples: “Put that case of high-quality wine over there.” “There is the very dark chocolate.”
‘Their’ refers to something that belongs to them. Examples: “Isn’t that their high-quality wine?” “I’m taking their wine, and their chocolate as well.”
‘They’re’ is a contraction. It’s short for ‘they are.’ You can remember it because most of the word ‘are’ is still there, with the apostrophe taking the place of the ‘a.’ Examples: “They’re going to be upset when they find their wine missing.” “Well, they’re going to have to deal with their anger. They’re not coming home soon, are they? Is that their expensive cheese, there in their refrigerator?”
Bonus answer, with nouns added for simplicity:
cans: more than one can.
can’s: something that belongs to the one can, like ‘the can’s lid’
cans’: something that belongs to several cans, like ‘the cans’ lids’
Simple, no?
You owe me a thousand dollars now.
I’m not sure if this is what you’re asking, but here goes:
There - indicates a location. “The keys are over there on the bar.”
Their - indicates possessive (plural subject). “The students stamped their feet.”
They’re - is a contraction of “They are”. “Well, they’re about to leave.”
as to the “ns” … If you are inquiring about the posessive:
If the subject is plural, the apostrophe goes on the outside. “The cars’ horns were all blaring”.
If the subject is singular the apostrophe goes between the n and the s. “The car’s tire is flat.”
There = location - e.g. “Look over there!” or “There it is!”
Their = belonging to them - e.g. “It’s their house,” or “It’s theirs.”
They’re = they are - e.g. “They’re playing a game,” or “They’re over there!” 
Hope that helps a bit. 'fraid I dunno about the n’s thing though
Ummm.
not helpin’ ya?
Bonus: As far as I know, if someone’s name ends in “S,” the punctuation is debatable. I was taught for it to be (for example) Jesus’, but my English teacher recently told our class that the latest convention is in fact Jesus’s.
They’re over there doing their homework.
They’re = they are
their = the person has something
there = place
I guess that’s pretty much what everyone else said. Could you elaborate on what it is that is confusing you?
With all due respect, did you ever consider using a dictionary??? If you don’t have one, you can always use this:
I’m reasonably sure all three of your words will be found therein (theirin? they’re in?)
Maybe associations might help to make the distinction clearer?
Person 1: Where did Britney go??
Person 2: She went there!!
Person 1 salivates and scurries of in general direction pointed out
Person 1: Britney sings pop music. She**'s** great!
Person 2: Hey, the Backstreet Boys sing pop! They**'re** great too!
Person 3 starts puking his guts out
Person 1: Britney is so shapely. Her tummy is yummy!
Person 2: Well, I like the Backstreet Boys. Their tummies are yummy too!
Person 3 dies from all the puking he has had to do
(Darn you, Gaudere!)