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


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • 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 Go On — was an dot com era Internet only soap opera developed by Levi Strauss Co. and NBC Digital Productions and streamed from NBC s website. The show, funded entirely by Levi Strauss, was based on characters from their advertising campaign of the same… …   Wikipedia

  • they — pronoun, plural in construction Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse their, masculine plural demonstrative & personal pronoun; akin to Old English thæt that Date: 13th century 1. a. those ones used as third person pronoun serving as the… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • they — /dhay/, pron. pl., poss. their or theirs, obj. them. 1. nominative plural of he, she, and it. 2. people in general: They say he s rich. 3. (used with an indefinite singular antecedent in place of the definite masculine he or the definite feminine …   Universalium

  • they'd — Date: 1599 they had ; they would …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • they'll — Date: 1567 they will ; they shall …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • they'd — /dhayd/ 1. contraction of they had. 2. contraction of they would. Usage. See contraction. * * * …   Universalium

  • they — pronoun /ðeɪ/ a) A group of people or objects previously mentioned. Fred and Jane? They just arrived. b) A single person, previously mentioned, but of unknown or irrelevant gender. I have a Ford Focus and a Toyota Corolla, but they are both… …   Wiktionary

  • they — See: LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • they — See: LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY …   Dictionary of American idioms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”