Their, There, or They're?
Their is a possessive
pronoun. It always describes a noun.
Note the spelling of their. It comes from the word they, so
the e comes before the i.
There is an adverb meaning "that location." It is sometimes
used with the verb to be as an idiom. It is spelled like here
which means "this location."
They're is a contraction
of they are. Note the spelling: The a from are is
replaced by an apostrophe.
Examples: Their dog has fleas.
(possessive of they)
I put the collar right there. (that location)
There are five prime numbers less than ten.
(with to be)
They're 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. (contraction of they are)
There's, Theirs, or Their's?
Theirs is a possessive
pronoun.
There's is a contraction
for there is or, rarely, there has. Note the apostrophe replacing
the missing letter or letters.
Their's does not exist.
Examples: That painting is theirs.
(possessive pronoun)
There's more to this than meets the eye.
(contraction of there is)
Tortuous, Torturous, or Tortured?
Tortuous means "winding, crooked" or "tricky to
handle."
Torturous means "causing torture" or "painful in a
cruel way."
Tortured as an adjective means "receiving torture" or
"pained."
Examples: He had to take a tortuous route
through the Alps .
He survived the torturous existence of the concentration camp.
The beggar gave a tortured look to the passers-by.
Warranty or Warrantee?
A warranty (accent on first syllable) is a guarantee.
A warrantee (accent on last syllable) is a person or party who is
guaranteed something.
Neither word is used as a verb. The verb form is warrant.
Whose or Who's?
Whose is the possessive
form of who (or, occasionally, which). It means "belonging
to whom or which."
Who's is a contraction
of who is or who has. Notice the apostrophe replacing the missing
letters.
Incorrect: Who's department do you work for?
Correct: Whose department do you work for?
Correct: Who's coming to visit tomorrow?
