Meaning & use
they
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Meanings
pronounplural
Used as the subject of a verb to refer to more than one person, animal or thing already known to the speaker and listener.
Grammar: Subject pronoun with plural verbs: they are, they were; the object form is them.
Patterns
- they + verb
- they are + adjective
My cousins said they would arrive before noon.
I bought new shoes, but they hurt my feet.
The dogs bark whenever they hear the doorbell.
pronounsingular
Used to refer to one person whose gender is unknown, unimportant, or who prefers this pronoun.
Grammar: Takes a plural verb even for one person: they are ready, not they is ready.
Patterns
- someone ... they
- they + plural verb
If anyone calls, tell them I will phone back when they leave a number.
My friend Alex said they would join us after work.
A good teacher knows their students well, and they listen carefully.
pronounpluralinformal
Used loosely for people in general or for authorities and others who are not named.
Grammar: Refers to an unnamed group: they say it will rain.
Patterns
- they say that ...
- they closed something
They say the winters here get very cold.
They have closed the road again for repairs.
Why do they always change the schedule at the last minute?
Word forms
| object form | them |
|---|---|
| possessive determiner | their |
| possessive pronoun | theirs |
| reflexive | themselves |
Common combinations
- they say
- They say practice makes perfect, and I believe it.
- they both
- They both enjoyed the concert last night.
- they all
- They all arrived late because of the storm.
- they themselves
- They themselves admitted the plan was risky.
- they used to
- They used to live near the river before moving north.
Synonyms and how they differ
- those people
- Those people is more specific and can sound distant or critical, while they is neutral and needs earlier context.
- he or she
- He or she is a wordy way to refer to one person of unknown gender, and they is shorter and now widely accepted.
- the others
- The others points to a particular remaining group, but they just refers to a group already mentioned.
Opposites
Word family
- them pronoun
- the object form of they
- their determiner
- belonging to them
- theirs pronoun
- the thing belonging to them
- themselves pronoun
- reflexive form for they
- themself pronoun
- reflexive form sometimes used for one person
Commonly confused: they or their? they or they're?
they vs their
Their shows ownership, as in their car, while they is the subject of a verb.
they vs they're
They're is a short form of they are and is pronounced exactly like their and there.
Practice
My neighbor said ___ would water the plants while I was away.
Choose one answer.
A subject pronoun is needed before would, and they is the subject form. Them and their are not used as subjects.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “they”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.