There’re — The Definitive Guide

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People wonder whether we can contract “there are” to “there’re,” or would that be plain wrong?

Let’s try to answer that question right about now.

 

What does “there’re” mean?

“There’re” means “there are,” which is a correct English contraction on a grammatical level. However, it is mainly used in casual speaking and writing and should be avoided in formal settings. If you look it up in dictionaries, including Cambridge, Oxford, and Collins, you won’t find this word.

 

Choosing between “there’re” or “there are”

Sometimes, people are not sure whether the contracted form of a word or phrase is correct in the first place.

A prime example of this can be seen in the words “there are,” which is the complete form of “there’re.”

On a grammatical level, “there’re” is a legitimate contraction of “there are.”

However, just because the rules say something is right doesn’t mean you can use it all the time.

For instance, most text editors don’t recognize “there’re” and will flag it if you write it.

What’s more, if you look it up in most online dictionaries, including Cambridge, Oxford, and Collins, you won’t find this word.

Contractions are when you shorten a word or a group of words by omitting specific letters and sounds, like when we say “I’m” instead of “I am” or “you’re” rather than “you are.”

Interestingly, many people get confused between “you’re” and “your.” Remember, “you’re” is the contraction, whereas “your” is the possessive form.

Keep in mind that contractions are also not when we say “someone else’s” because this one also shows possession.

So, the best strategy is to always stick with “there are” or the complete form and avoid “there’re” to make sure your message comes across the right way.

 

Using “there’re” in a sentence

“There’re” is generally used as the shorter version of “there are,” but some people may also argue that it could also be a contraction for “there were.”

Which contraction you are supposed to go for can only be understood through the surrounding context, making matters worse.

Example:

In the above sentence, it should be clear that we are contracting “there are,” not “there were.” How can you tell? Simple, you can look at the verb “need.”

If we had meant “there were,” then “need” would have been in the past, giving us “needed.”

Example:

There’re a few things we needed to talk about.

Unfortunately, it’s not always going to be this cut and dry, which would be confusing for the reader – something that writers must always avoid, unless for rhetorical reasons.

Example: 

Without any surrounding context or additional information, it’s almost impossible for us to know what the author is really saying.

“Are” there currently mangoes in the fridge, or “were” there mangoes in the fridge, but there aren’t anymore?

The right question isn’t whether you should use “there’re.” The right question is whether there are any circumstances where it is okay to use it.

To avoid ambiguity in writing, we have to choose the words that best represent what we really mean. We also need to consider how the reader would interpret, or worse, even misinterpret our message.

To resolve today’s puzzle, the best way is to use “there are” or the complete form in writing and avoid “there’re” at all costs.

But, in case we really need to use the contraction, then we must stick with “there’re” to mean “there are” and not “there were.” We also should only go for this option in informal writing scenarios like texting friends.

 

The correct way of pronouncing “there’re”

When speaking, “there’re” can be hard to pronounce given the repeated “R” sound. It feels heavy on the tongue and almost a bit unnatural.

Moreover, this contraction doesn’t reduce the number of syllables. While “there are” comprises two syllables, “there’re” also takes up two syllables.

The only thing this contraction omits is the glottal stop that comes with the “a,” yet that isn’t enough justification to accept this contraction.

If anything, it is that glottal stop that makes “there are” much easier to pronounce than “there’re.”

Now, if we look at things from the writer’s perspective, things only get worse.

For one thing, seeing as there is a lot of contention surrounding this contraction, using it would give pause to any reader and break their flow.

Additionally, it really doesn’t do a good job of shortening the number of characters a writer has to use because even though you might have omitted the “a,” you still have to place an apostrophe in its stead.

One way out of this confusion is to designate “there’re” to only “there are” while having to write “there were” in full every time.

At the end of the day, looking at this both from a speaker’s and a writer’s point of view and considering all surrounding factors are what we need to come up with a good solution.

 

“There’re” vs. “There’s”

If “there’re” is the contraction for “there are,” “there’s” is meanwhile the contraction for “there is.” Now, what’s their difference?

“There are” and “there is” are what we call expletive words in language studies. Like “here,” expletives are those words we use to convey existence. Apart from that, we also use them as filler expressions.

Both “there are” and “there is” are mostly used together with stative verbs like “to be” and its other forms, “to seem,” “to live,” “to coexist,” “to emerge,” etc.

“There are” is also what we use to refer to plural subjects, which come toward the end of the sentence in this particular construction.

Note that the subject in the next example is “people” and not “there.”

Example:

 

On the other hand, we use “there is” for singular subjects like “a boy” in the next example:

Example:

 

Remember that contractions are when we shorten words for convenience reasons, such as to save speaking time and white space.

It’s also much more common to see and use “there’s” than “there’re.” A lot of times, we also misuse “there’s” instead of “there’re” when we do not pay enough attention to the grammatical number of the “delayed” subject.

Example:

 

But then again, if we were to consider the best option, we have to go for the uncontracted form “there are.”

 

Example:

 

And, if we were to rephrase the sentence above to further address the issue, here’s what we can do: we simply remove “there” and go with what’s left.

Example:

 

If we want to improve your writing and be clearly understood, though, we must reduce or avoid these expletive constructions.

We should only go for expletive constructions if we want to simplify what we mean or when we are trying to teaching the English language.

 

Choosing between “there’re” and “they’re”

“There’re” and “they’re” are both contractions, but they are used differently in making sentences. “There’re” is short for “there are,” yet “they’re” is short for “they are.”

In “there’re,” “there” is oftentimes removable because it is not the real subject of the sentence. In the next example, the subject is the word “apples.”

Example:

 

However, “they” in “they’re” cannot be omitted because it is the subject of the sentence, which is a pronoun.

Keep in mind that In English, a sentence must always have at least one subject and a verb and that subjects can be either nouns or pronouns.

Example:

 

What this essentially means is that we have to use “there’re” or “there are” when we talk about the existence of a certain subject that comes afterward.

Meanwhile, we use “they’re” or “they are” as the main subject and the verb of the sentence, and therefore, it cannot be removed.

 

Differentiating “there’re” and “their”

Although “there’re” and “their” may almost sound the same, they are used differently. The latter word is also not a contraction but rather a determiner.

The job of a determiner is to specifically identify a noun, which likely comes afterward, like in the next example:

Example:

 

“Their” in the example above is used to answer the question “Whose job is it to keep us safe?” “Their” also refers back to the previous subject “peacekeepers.”

If we consider the same context as the previous example to construct something using “there’re,” here’s what we can do:

Example:

But then again, it is still best to use the complete form “there are” instead of “there’re” in the sentence above for clarity.

 

“There” vs. “their”

“There” and “their” are confusing for many people because we pronounce them exactly the same way.

However, “there” is an expletive or filler word, whereas “their” is a determiner or noun identifier and specifier.

Hence, we use “there” to suggest and fill in the existence of an entity, but we use “their” to refer to and identify an entity.

Take a look at this example for clarity:

 

Example:

 

The sentence above simply states that a white floor lamp “can be found” in the living room of the new neighbors.

However, in the next example, the determiner “their” is used to refer back to and identify the word “neighbors.”

 

Example:

 

Why use contractions at all?

Contractions perform two main functions, one of which serves the writer, and the other serves the speaker.

For the writer, contractions offer a way of reducing the number of letters necessary to send the same message.

It might seem pedantic to focus on a few letters, but when you abbreviate every “I am” to “I’m,” every “you are” to “you’re,” and every “they will” to “they’ll,” these omissions add up.

The other service contractions do is for the speaker. They allow them to lessen the number of syllables they must use while talking.

To see this clearly, let’s look at the number of syllables in each of the aforementioned contractions.

“I am” is made of two syllables, whereas “I’m” is just a single syllable.

 

Similarly, “you are” consists of two syllables, yet “you’re” is only made up of one syllable.

And, as you may have guessed by now, “they will” requires two syllables to utter, but “they’ll” is happy with a single syllable.

So, in short, even though you can contract plenty of things, it only makes sense to use a contraction if one of the two functions is achieved.

You can use a contraction if it will help you use fewer letters while writing or allow you to utter fewer syllables while speaking.

Are these hard and fast rules?

Obviously, the answer is no. But they are excellent guidelines to bear in mind.

 

Frequently Asked Questions on “There’re”

 

What is the definition of “there’re”?

The definition of “there’re” is that it is a contraction for “there are,” and it is mainly used in casual writing but more so in casual speech. “There” in “there’re” is an expletive word like “here,” which comes off as a “fake subject” in sentences.

 

What is the use of “‘re” in “there’re”

The use of “‘re” in “there’re” is to represent the word “are” by means of shortening and attaching it to “there.” Although “there’re” is a correct English contraction, it needs to be avoided in formal writing and speaking.

 

Is “there’re” similar to “there’s”?

“There’re” is not similar to “there’s” when we talk about grammatical numbers and purpose. “There’re” is used for delayed plural subjects, while “there’s” is used for delayed singular subjects.