Grammar Loves These Aliens

There, Their, or They’re?

Use there to refer to a place or to the existence of something: “I keep my books over there” or “There were many people at the party.”

Use their to show that something belongs to someone: “The kids put their toys away.”

They’re is a contraction of they are: “They’re going to the park today.”

Many scientists dedicate there/their/they’re lives to studying the universe. They send probes into deep space and gaze through powerful telescopes. And there/their/they’re learning more and more every day.

So what are the chances that aliens exist somewhere out there/their/they’re in the far reaches of space? It depends on who you ask. But wrap your mind around this: To date, scientists have found 47 planets that could support life, and estimates show that billions more could be out there/their/they’re.

Over the decades, writers and filmmakers have dreamed up lots of memorable alien characters. (We’re looking at you, Chewie.) And there/their/they’re is something that many of these fictional aliens have in common:  there/their/they’re humanlike. Just look at the characters on this page—they all have faces, arms, and legs.

There/Their/They’re is no reason to believe that beings beyond our solar system would look anything like us though. After all, the universe is a pretty big place. Who knows how life might have evolved out there/their/they’re?

The 1982 movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is one of the most popular movies ever made. It tells the touching story of a gentle, childlike alien who gets homesick after his spaceship leaves Earth without him. (Director Steven Spielberg based E.T. on an imaginary friend that comforted him during his parents’ divorce when he was a kid.)

Would actual aliens be as sweet as E.T.? A study by Pennsylvania State University and NASA recently found that aliens could eat us, attack us, or just take over everything. Or they might pass on there/their/they’re germs to us and wipe us all out. We’re holding out for E.T. though!