they

they
pronoun [third person plural]
1》 used to refer to two or more people or things previously mentioned or easily identified.
    ↘people in general.
    ↘informal people in authority regarded collectively.
2》 used to refer to a person of unspecified sex (in place of either ‘he’ or ‘he or she’).
Origin
ME: from ON their, nominative plural masculine of .
Usage
It is now widely held that the traditional use of he to refer to a person of either sex is outdated and sexist; the alternative, he or she, can be clumsy. It is now generally acceptable, therefore, to use they (with its counterparts them, their, and themselves) instead. This is especially the case where they follows an indefinite pronoun such as anyone or someone (anyone can join if they are a resident). In view of the growing acceptance of they, it is used in this dictionary in many cases where he would have been used formerly.

English new terms dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

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 — (IPAEng|ðeɪ) is a third person, personal pronoun (subject case) in Modern English.UsageThe 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… …   Wikipedia

  • 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'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'll — [ðeıl] the short form of they will ▪ They ll be tired after the long journey …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • they're — [ðə strong ðeə, ðeıə $ ðər strong ðer, ðeıər] the short form of they are ▪ They re going to Crete next week …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • they've — [ðeıv] the short form of they have ▪ They ve had a lot of trouble with their car …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • they'll — [ ðeıl ] short form the usual way of saying or writing they will. This is not often used in formal writing: Hurry up! They ll be here any minute …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • they're — [ ðer ] short form the usual way of saying or writing they are. This is not often used in formal writing: I bought these oranges yesterday, but they re not very good …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

Share the article and excerpts

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