Which word should replace the underlined word? “The twins said [there] going to the library after school.”
Use Standard Grammar, Usage, and Spelling to Edit · TELPAS Grades 8–9 writing. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: find and fix an error in a short text. On the real test some of these are typed answers or sentence rewrites. Here they are multiple choice so they can be checked.
The question
Read the sentence. Then choose the best answer.
Read the sentence. The underlined word has an error. The twins said [there] going to the library after school. Which word should replace the underlined word?
- their
- theirs
- they'reCorrect answer
- there's
Why “they're” is correct
This tests homophones, words that sound the same but are spelled differently. The sentence needs "they are going," and the short form of "they are" is "they're." Spell-checkers often miss this error because "there" is a real word.
Why the other answers are wrong
- their — "Their" shows ownership, as in "their books."
- theirs — "Theirs" is a pronoun that shows ownership, as in "the books are theirs."
- there's — "There's" means "there is," and "there is going" does not make sense here.
Practice more of this
More writing practice for Grades 8–9, or see the TELPAS practice test for 8th and 9th grade.
This is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Texas Education Agency or the official TELPAS program. All questions here are original practice material written to match the published test design.