How does there fit with their and they're?

There points at a place, their owns something, they're expands to they are. Location, ownership, expansion: three words, three one-second checks.

Why do strong readers still miss these?

The pairs are homophones, so the ear cannot help; only the test can. Practicing the test until it is reflex is the entire cure.

4th grade contractions or possessives?

4th grade contractions or possessives? worksheets

Fourth graders add whose/who's, L.4.1.g's frequently confused words, and run the test at speed across all four families.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.4.1.g.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of sentences you'll fix

Try the two-word test, choose your answer, and write it on the line.

(Their / There / They’re) project won the ribbon for best display.
Fixed: Their project won the ribbon for best display.
(Its / It’s) almost feeding time, and the cat knows.
(Your / You’re) boots are by the door where you left them.

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 4th grade sheet

4th grade sheets draw from 40 sentences, 8 to a page. 3rd to 6th grade print from the same 40 sentences. The teaching notes below are written for this grade.

A few of the sentences, as the answer key corrects them:

The turtle tucked into its shell at the first shadow.
The town repainted its water tower over the summer.
It’s quiet in the library right before the bell.

Fix it. Try the two-word test, choose your answer, and write it on the line. 8 sentences to fix per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Add the three-way there/their/they're with location, ownership, and expansion: there points, their owns, they're expands. Run the expansion first; if they are doesn't fit, the test is done and meaning decides between there and their. One signal per word keeps the triangle stable.

Watch for: The apostrophe here means letters are missing, not ownership: it's = it is or it has. This runs exactly opposite to possessive nouns, which is why the pairs tangle. The expansion test finds the contractions: read the sentence with the two full words, trying both it is and it has (who is and who has). If one works, use the apostrophe. If neither works, you need a word without one, and the meaning picks it: its, your, or whose for belonging, their for belonging and there for a place.

Common questions about 4th grade contractions or possessives

How does there fit with their and they're?: There points at a place, their owns something, they're expands to they are. Location, ownership, expansion: three words, three one-second checks.
Why do strong readers still miss these?: The pairs are homophones, so the ear cannot help; only the test can. Practicing the test until it is reflex is the entire cure.

Related worksheets

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Aligned to Common Core L.4.1.g. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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