They

They

"They" (IPAEng|ðeɪ) is a
third-person,
personal pronoun (subject case) in Modern English.

Usage

The "singular" "they" is the use of this pronoun, where "they" is used as a gender-neutral singular rather than plural pronoun. The correctness of this usage is disputed.

Etymology

They "The People"

Taken from "You know what "they" say..."
* "They" refers to the masses of those who are among the pop culture. "They" quote sayings of individuals who could put complex events in to understandable context; believing that what "they" have just quoted would justify an event or action which had just occurred.
* "They" may also refer to the government or society at large, such as when a paranoid conspiracy theorist proclaims "They're out to get me, man" or "They're watching me right now."The logical position against this usage is based on the principle of methodological individualism - the obvious fact about the reality of humans that various actions such as "thinking", "saying", "feeling", "knowing", "believing" or any other physiological functions can only be done by individual humans.

ee also

* English personal pronouns
* Generic antecedents
* Them

* Possessive pronoun
* Subjective pronoun
* Objective pronoun


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • they — W1S1 [ðeı] pron [used as the subject of a verb] [Date: 1100 1200; : Old Norse; Origin: their] 1.) used to refer to two or more people or things that have already been mentioned or are already known about ▪ Bob and Sue said they wouldn t be able… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • they — (thā) pron. 1) Used to refer to the ones previously mentioned or implied. 2) Usage Problem Used to refer to the one previously mentioned or implied, especially as a substitute for generic he: »Every person has rights under the law, but they don t …   Word Histories

  • they — [ ðeı ] pronoun *** They is used as the subject of a verb: They killed him. In formal English they can also be used after the verb to be, especially before a relative clause: It is they who are telling lies. 1. ) used for referring to a group of… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • They — ([th][=a]), pron. pl.; poss. {Theirs}; obj. {Them}. [Icel. [thorn]eir they, properly nom. pl. masc. of s[=a], s[=u], [thorn]at, a demonstrative pronoun, akin to the English definite article, AS. s[=e], se[ o], [eth][ae]t, nom. pl. [eth][=a]. See… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • they'd — [ ðeıd ] short form 1. ) the usual way of saying or writing they would. This is not often used in formal writing: They said they d be happy to help. 2. ) the usual way of saying or writing they had when had is an AUXILIARY verb. This is not often …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • they're — (they are) n. they exist, they live, they occupy a certain position, they exist in a certain state …   English contemporary dictionary

  • they'd — [ðeıd] 1.) the short form of they had ▪ If only they d been there. 2.) the short form of they would ▪ It s a pity my parents didn t come they d have enjoyed it …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • they — ► PRONOUN (third person pl. ) 1) used to refer to two or more people or things previously mentioned or easily identified. 2) people in general. 3) informal people in authority regarded collectively. 4) used to refer to a person of unspecified sex …   English terms dictionary

  • they'd — (they had) v. verb used together with another verb to express past tense they d (they would) v. verb used together with another verb to express future tense …   English contemporary dictionary

  • they — [thā] pron. sing. he, she, it [ME thei < ON thei r, nom. masc. pl. of the demonstrative pron.; like THEIR & THEM (ME theim), also < the ON demonstrative forms, thei replaced earlier ME he (hi) because the native pronouns were phonetically… …   English World dictionary

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