Their

In this lesson, we will learn all the rules and uses of the possessive determiner, 'Their.'

Their is a third-person possessive determiner and it is mostly plural. We will discuss when and how to use it.

'Their' as a Possessive Determiner

Their mainly shows possession with the people previously mentioned. But it has more functions. Look at its uses and examples:

Their shows association or belonging to the people previously mentioned. For example:

My children go to school. Their classes started last week.

Firefighters are heroes. Their job is to protect people from possible threats.

Their is used for kings, queens, judges, etc. In this case, 'their' starts with a capital letter. For example:

I want to talk to Their Majesties.

Their Highnesses are over there.

Their is used in impersonal cases. It refers to everyone in general. For example:

Their arrogance is the reason of their failure.

I set the rules for their safety.

Their replaces indefinite pronouns such as 'anyone, everyone, and no one.' For example:

Everyone has a talent. It's their job to turn it into skill.

Anyone who is a victim of robbery can use their insurance to recover the damage.

Their is used for a transgender person. Their in this case is singular. For example:

One of my friends is having their hair cut.

My friend is having issues with their dad.

Their as a possessive determiner always comes before a noun or a noun phrase. For example:

My friend is having issues with their dad.

'Dad' is a noun.

I set the rules for their safety and health.

'Safety and health' is a noun phrase.

Articles like 'a', 'an' and, 'the' or other determiners cannot be used before 'their.' Take a look at the following examples:

This is their house. ✔ ~~This~~ is a ~~their~~ ~~house~~.