They (IPA: /ðeɪ/) is a third-person, personal pronoun (subject case) in Modern English.
| Singular | Plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Object | Subject | Object | ||
| First | I | me | we | us | |
| Second | you | you | you | you | |
| Third | Masculine | he | him | they | them |
| Feminine | she | her | |||
| Neuter | it | it | |||
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Usage
The "singular" they is an incorrect use of this pronoun, where they is used as a gender-neutral singular rather than plural pronoun. This use is disputed. (See also: English personal pronouns.)
Etymology
| Singular | Plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Object | Possessive | Subject | Object | Possessive | ||
| First | I | me | mi(n) | we | us | ure | |
| Second | thou | thee | thy | ye | you | your | |
| Third | Impersonal | hit | it/him | his | he they |
hem them |
hir their |
| Masculine | he | him | his | ||||
| Feminine | sche | hire | hir | ||||
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."
See also
- English personal pronouns
- Generic antecedents
- Them
- Possessive pronoun
- Subjective pronoun
- Objective pronoun
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| I · you · he · she · it · one · we · you · they |
