2021-02-13
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด T – they
แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง they = ‘THEY’
Dictionary.com
USAGE NOTE FOR THEY
Traditional grammarshave limited the use of they
to refer only to a plural antecedent.
These grammars recommended using the singular masculine
he as if it were generic,
referring toa man, woman, or humanity universally.
Later, when generic he was criticized as sexist,
the long and awkward he orshe began to be used in its place.
But in spite of prescriptive rules that would prohibit it,
the pronoun they is also used to refer to a single person
in three distinct ways,
and each of these three uses
grew out of a particular historicalor social context.
Shakespeare, Swift, Shelley, Scott, and Dickens,
as well as many other English and American writers,
used they to refer to a generic, unspecified individual,
or to a person whose gender and other personal
details were unknown or irrelevant.
So, this use of they, their, and them
is nota recent development, nor is it a mark of ignorance.
Generic and singular indefinite they
and related case forms their and them
are found in respected works,
from Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors
(There's not a man I meet but doth salute me/As if I were their well-acquainted friend)
to Lewis Carroll’s Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
(If everybody minded their own business … the world would go round a deal faster than it does).
Singular they is also used as a pronounfor a known, specified person, particularly when the individual is named with a job title
or other noun phrase, instead of a proper name:
My teacher had their car stolen.
This specific singular they looks similar to the generic singular they,
but is somewhat less acceptable in conservatively edited English.
Nonbinary singular use of they, their, and them
has become widely accepted in the 21st century.
The third person singular pronouns in English are traditionally binary, with the masculine he and the feminine she.
People, including many who are nonbinary and gender-nonconforming, have simply chosen between these two words.
Likewise, people apply these pronouns to others based on gender expression cues observed in their appearance.
By the mid-2010s, some style guides began recommending the use of singular they as one way to refer to an individualwithout assigning gender to that person.
At the same time, it has become much more common for people to announce their pronoun or ask what pronoun a person uses.
It may be that a person has chosen
a traditional binary pronounlike he or she,
an alternative gender-neutral or nonbinary pronoun
such as ze, or the singular use of the existing pronoun they:
When Tyler was applying to college, they indicated their intended major on the application.
In spite of the older grammar rules that prohibitedthe use of singular they in reference to a specified, known, or named person,
use of they when the antecedent is a gender-nonconforming individual
or one who does not identify as male or female
is now accepted as an option.
And although they may be used as a singular pronoun,
they still takes a plural verb,
analogous to the use of "you are"to refer to one person:
The student brought in a note to show why they were absent.
See also he1.
Dictionary.com
Does Traditional Grammar Matter
When It Comes To Singular “They” And “Themself”?
Has someone ever asked you to refer to themas they instead of he or she?
Or, are you hedging because you can’t possibly refer to one single person as they?
Well, what if we told you that
they has been used to refer to just one person since at least the 1300s?
And what if we also told you themself is perfectly acceptable
—and in many instances, absolutely respectful?
In fact, forms of singular they have become so acceptable
(and respectable) that our lexicographers overhauled our entries for they, them, their, theirs, themselves, and themself
as part of our biggest dictionary update ever at Dictionary.com.
How can they be a pronoun for one person?
Language teachers instruct us on the basic pronouns.
Those are the words in a language that can be subbed in
when nouns (people, places, or things) aren’t up for playing
… or when it just takes too much time to say the full noun form.
In English, I, he, she, you,and it
are all pronouns you surely learned along the way.
Maybe you also learned that they were used to refer to singular nouns,
i.e., words that describe just one person, one place, or one thing.
I am going to eat chocolate for breakfast
is a sentence that you automatically know is just about you,
the one person who is living their best life with a decadent daily treat.
But, notice how we just used they
when we were talking about a whole bunch of things?
Grammatically, they is used as a plural pronoun,
a word that’s used to describe multiple people, places, or things.
They all read Dictionary.com, for example, would probably mean a bunch of really cool logophiles sat around on a Friday night looking for definitions together, right? (Hey, we tried).
They is not only a plural pronoun
They is also a singular pronoun,
and it has been for centuries.
Lexicographers have determined that as far back as the 1300s,
they and its related forms have been used
to refer to an indefinite referent
—that is, an unspecified, unknown person.
For example:
Each student should get their supplies ready for class.
Each student is singular, but we don’t know (or need to know)
the genderor sex identity of each student in this situation,
So, their is a perfectly handy gender-neutral option.
Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, and many other beloved writers of the English literary canon used this indefinite singular they.
If it was good enough for them, then we say:
chill out, modern grammarians.
Oppositionof the usage is considerably waning these days, though, we should note.
But, English speakers have been breaking new ground
when it comes to they,
resourcefully applying this to a specific and known singular,
e.g., My best friend from high school is famous now—too bad we didn’t stay in touch after they moved to California.
Singular they is vital for many nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people
What’s more,
they is an extremely important, powerful,
and useful way for people who are nonbinary
—don’t identify with the binary genders of female and male to describe themselves
—because they is not explicitly gendered.
The third person singular pronouns in English are traditionally binary,
with the masculine he and the feminine she.
Nonbinary singularuse of they, their, and them
addresses this significant gap,
and has become widely accepted in the 21st century even as some people have proposed or adopted alternative nonbinary singular pronouns (e.g., ze, among others).
Discover many more ways the LGBTQ community is transforming the English language in our Gender & Sexuality Dictionary.
Our definition for they now devotes a separate definition
for each of these three distinct uses of they
as a nominative singular pronoun.
We’ve also added the relevant senses
to the other grammatical forms in the pronoun paradigm:
them, their, theirs, themselves, and themself.
We know this is a hefty grammar lesson, but it’s important,
especially so that we don’t gender or misgender people
who are nonbinary or gender-nonconforming.
So, stay with us:
we’ll explain all these forms below.
And you should be sure to consult the incredibly informative Usage Note our dictionary editors have also provided at our entry for they,
detailing even more history and context about this versatile, evolving form in speech and writing.
What pronouns should you use when referring to a nonbinary person?
Sharing our pronouns
—as the practice of divulging
what pronouns you prefer to use for yourself is called
—is a way of sharing our gender identity with the world.
You might identify as female and ask that people refer to you as she/her/hers.
Or, maybe you identify as male and your friends use he/him/his
when they talk about you.
For a person who asks you to use nonbinary they
(as well as when you need to use a gender-neutral pronoun),
use the following grammatical forms:
They (nominative pronoun)
Use they to indicate a nonbinary or gender-neutral subject (doer)
of a verb (action) instead of he or she.
For example: They cook an amazing lasagna or They have an important meeting at noon.
Them (objective pronoun)
Use them to indicate a nonbinary or gender-neutral object (receiver)
of a verb or preposition, instead of him or her.
For example: I sent them a birthday card or I went to the summer pool party with them.
Their/theirs (possessive pronoun)
Use their or theirs to indicate a nonbinary or gender-neutral person has possession, instead of his or her/hers.
For example: They gave me their extra ticket to the concert or That package at the door is theirs.
Themself/themselves/theirself/theirselves (reflexive pronoun)
In grammar, a reflexive pronoun is used
when a subject and object (of a verb) are referring to the same thing or person.
It is also used when the object of verb is referring back to the subject.
(Yep, grammar gets abstract, so check out the examples below.)
There are several options people use
for a singular, nonbinary, gender-neutral reflexive pronoun:
themselves and themself as well as,
less commonly, theirselves and theirself.
- They rinsed themselves off after going to the beach.
- They rinsed themself off after going to the beach.
- They run the business all by theirself.
- They run the business all by theirselves.
Themself vs. themselves
Themself?
Now isn’t that just taking things too far? Absolutely not.
For one thing, themself referring back
to both a plural or singular generic/unspecified antecedent
is almost as old as singular they in the written record:
it’s recorded around 1350–1400, if considered nonstandard today.
In these two contexts, themselves is preferred over themself
(and over theirselves).
But nonbinary themself? Acceptable, respectable—and standard.
We’ve given its proper due with its own entry,
which you can find with our new, second definition at themself,
also added in our sweeping update:
“reflexive form of singular they, as used to refer to a nonbinary or gender-nonconforming person.”
For instance: Chris only posts memes that they created themself.
And as our Usage Note at themself explains:
When themself is being used as a part of a set of pronouns (including they, their, and them)
that refer back to nonbinary or gender-nonconforming individual,
it is a grammatical option to express reflexive meaning.
Neither plural themselves nor gendered himself or herself
completely suffice in this context.
The grammaticality of nonbinary singular themself
in this paradigm follows logically from the acceptability of singular they
in this function:
Andi is learning to put themself first, and prioritize their own happiness and mental health.
Does singular they take a singular or plural verb?
While singular they can refer to one person,
it still takes a plural verb.
In fact, we did it above:
They run the business all by theirself, generally never
They runs the business all by theirselves.
Keep in mind that,
when referring to a nonbinary or gender-nonconforming person by name,
you use a singular verb.
For instance:
Jess cooks an amazing lasagna inspired by their grandmother’s recipe.
They love making modern twists on traditional cuisine.
Also keep in mind that, while singular they widely takes a plural verb,
some individuals who identify as nonbinary may individually
prefer using a singular verb with singular they:
They cooks an amazing lasagna.
If you don’t know someone’s preference, ask!
But, we know what you’re asking: a singular pronoun but a plural verb?
Sound inconceivable to you? You do it everyday. We all do it.
In fact, the pronoun you was originally only the plural form for the second person.
By the 1700s, you had largely supplanted thou as the singular pronoun for the second person
—and it took a plural verb with it, as in We trust you can handle singular they.
Singular, nonbinary they is about much more than just grammar
Rory Gory is Digital Marketing Manager for The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning) young people. Rory uses they/them/their pronouns, and explains the importance of using and respecting people’s preferred pronouns:
Neither sex nor gender is inherently binary in humans,
and having a pronoun which can correctly identify non-binary people
helps us communicate clearly and respectfully with each other.
The singular, nonbinary they has been used for centuries,
and while many commonly use plural verbs with the pronoun they,
you can also use a singular verb, as is done with the pronoun you.
At The Trevor Project, many of the young people we serve
and the staff members of our organization use they pronouns
to be seen and recognized for their true gender identities, regardless of their gender expression.
Dictionary.com
5 writing rules you can break
“They” is not a singular pronoun
They is actually both a singularand plural pronoun,
and it has been for centuries.
Lexicographers have determined that as far back as the 1300s,
they and its related forms have been used to refer to an indefinite referent
—that is, an unspecified, unknown person.
Using they acknowledges thegender or sex identity
of a person or people isn’t known.
Today, they is breaking ground as the preferred choice
to refer to a specific person who is nonbinary
—or doesn’t identify with the binary genders of female and male to describe themselves
—because they is not explicitly gendered.
For example, you may say,
“My child won the race. They make me so proud.”
COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY
USAGE FOR THEY
It was formerly considered correct
to use he, him, or his after pronouns such as everyone, no-one, anyone,
or someone as in everyone did his best,
but it is now more common to use they, them, or their,
and this use has become acceptable in all
but the most formalcontexts: everyone did their best
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Can they be used as an indefinite subject?: Usage Guide
They used as an indefinite subject (sense 2) is sometimes
objected toon the grounds that it does not have an antecedent.
Not every pronoun requires an antecedent, however.
The indefinite they is used in all varieties of contexts and is standard.
Can they, their, them, and themselves be used as singular pronouns?: Usage Guide
They, their, them, themselves:
English lacks a common-gender third person singular pronoun
that can be used to refer to indefinitepronouns
(such as everyone, anyone, someone).
Writers and speakers have
supplied this lack by using the plural pronouns.
and every one to rest themselves betake — William Shakespeare
I would have everybody marry if they can do it properly — Jane Austen
it is too hideous for anyone in their senses to buy — W. H. Auden
The plural pronouns have also been put to use as pronouns of indefinite number to refer to singular nouns that stand for many persons.
'tis meet that some more audience than a mother, since nature makes them partial, should o'erhear the speech — William Shakespeare
a person can't help their birth — W. M. Thackeray
no man goes to battle to be killed.—But they do get killed — G. B. Shaw
The use of they, their, them, and themselves as pronouns of indefinite gender and indefinite number is well established in speech and writing, even in literary and formal contexts. In recent years, these pronouns have also been adopted by individuals whose gender identity is nonbinary, as illustrated in sense 3d above.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Usage Notes
Singular Nonbinary ‘They’: Is it ‘they are’ or ‘they is’?
Notes on a conjugation
What to Know
When using the nonbinary they,
use the verbthat sounds the most familiar.
"They are"is still the correct choice
when referring to a single person, rather than "they is."
When someone tells you that their pronouns are they and them,
it means that instead of referring to the person as he/him or she/her,
you’re being asked to refer to the person as they/them.
Simple enough, right?
Well, yes, except that if you’re unfamiliar with the use,
you might wonder what kind of a verb goes with that pronoun:
is it “they are my friend” or “they is my friend”?
The simple answer is that the most natural-sounding verb is the one to use.
They always goes with a plural verb,
even when they is referring to a single person: “They are my friend.”
Singular 'They' (Are)
This is natural to native English speakers with older uses of singular they:
If someone calls, tell them I’ll be back soon.
The contest winner will be informed that they have won before the public announcement.
In these cases, the identity of the person being referred to with they or them is unknown or unspecified.
But we also use a plural verb when the person’s identity is intentionally not revealed:
The identity of the contest’s winner is being kept secret for now, but we can tell you that they are elated.
And so it is with nonbinary they:
Jay won the contest, and they are elated!
Decline of Thou, Thee, and Ye
It may take some getting used to,
but English speakers have been through this territory before.
The word you was originally solely a plural pronoun.
Back when people were speaking Old English,
it was used as the object of a verb,
as in “I remember you (both),”
while ye was the subject of the verb,
as in “Ye (both) were in my class.”
Their singular counterparts were thou and thee:
“I gave thee a high five”; “Thou gave me a high five.”
In the mid-13th century,
these plural forms began to be used for one person,
usually a superior, as a signifier of deference or respect:
Ye sat in front of me in homeroom.
I sat behind you in homeroom.
We don’t know why you and ye began to take over the territory
that had belonged to thee and thou,
their longtime singular counterparts,
but it’s likely that the French practice of using plural pronouns in formal contexts had something to do with it, as likely did the English use of the royal “we.”
Whatever the reason, the use of you and ye to refer to a single person spread. After 300 or so years, in the mid-16th century, ye started to fade from use, and you was applied in both the subject and object positions (that is, in both the nominative and accusative cases).
Queen Elizabeth I was a notable proponent; writing in the 16th century, she used only you in her correspondence.
By the beginning of the 17th century, the typical English speaker would use thou and thee only for a close intimate, or to show deliberate disrespect.
English speakers noted this loss of thee and thou,
and initially they modified which verb they used with you according to number:
they would say “you is my friend” to one person,
and “you are my friends” to multiple people.
But in the 18th century this practice lost favor, and was in effect abandoned.
We’ve been saying “you are my friend” to individuals and multiple people ever since.
English speakers rarely think about how odd it is that
we say “I am” and “we are,” but “you are”
no matter how many people that you is referring to.
It’s likely that “they are” for a singular nonbinary person will be similarly unremarkable in the future.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Word of the year
2019 Word of the Year - They
The Word of the Year for 2019 was one of the most common words in the English language:
they.
Increasingly over the decade a subject of studyand commentary,
the pronoun they got an expanded definition in 2019
—"used to refer to a single personwhose gender identity is nonbinary"
—but lookups for the word had increased dramatically over the previous year before that addition was announced.
When something so basic to a language as a personal pronoun takes on new meaning, the speakers of the language are going to notice
—and they're going to look to their dictionary for guidance.
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year is determined by data:
the word must have been a top lookup at Merriam-Webster.com in the past twelve months, and it must have seen a significant increase in lookups over the previous year.
Our Word of the Year for 2019 is they.
It reflects a surprising fact: even a basic term, among the most common in the language—a personal pronoun—can rise to the top of our data.
Although our lookups are often driven by events in the news, the dictionary is also a primary resource for information about language itself, and the shifting use of they has been the subject of increasing study and commentary in recent years, and especially in the past year.
Lookups for they increased by 313% in 2019 over the previous year.
This curiosity is remarkable for a venerable old pronoun, but this is a special case, and a consequence of shifts in the way they is used.
English famously lacks a gender-neutral singular pronoun
to correspond neatly with singular pronounslike everyone, someone, and anyone,
and as a consequence they has been used for this purpose for over 600 years.
Much of this use is unremarkable:
Everyone likes pizza, don’t they?
No one has to come if they don’t want to.
More recently, though,
they has also been used to refer to one person
whose gender identity is nonbinary,
a sense that is increasingly common in published, edited text,
as well as all over social media and in daily personal interactions between English speakers.
There's no doubt that its use is established in the English language, which is why it was added to the Merriam-Webster.com dictionary this past September.
The addition of this new sense,
“used to refer to a single person whose gender identity is nonbinary,”
did itself create a spike of interest in the word, but a substantial increase in lookups for they had been occurring all year to that point
—with lookup numbers nearly double from the previous year.
Nonbinary they was also prominent in the news in 2019.
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA) revealed in April during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Equality Act that her child is gender-nonconforming and uses they.
Singer Sam Smith announced in September that they now use they and them as pronouns. And the American Psychological Association’s blog officially recommended that singular they will be preferred in professional writing over “he or she” when the reference is to a person whose gender is unknown or to a person who prefers they. It is increasingly common to see they and them as a person’s pronouns in Twitter bios, email signatures, and conference nametags.
Nonbinary they takes a plural verb, despite referring to one person, which can make the grammatically conservative uncomfortable. It's helpful to remember that the pronoun you was initially plural, which is why it too takes the plural verb even when it's referring to a single person. "You are" has, of course, been perfectly grammatical for centuries, and it’s worth noting that thee and thou were long ago completely displaced by singular you in standard speech and writing—concrete evidence of the constant evolution of language. We don’t even notice the singular use of you today, and it's quite possible that the nonbinary they is headed for a similarly unremarkable fate—only usage and time will tell. In the meanwhile, the word is spending some time in the spotlight in 2019.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition
Usage Note:
The use of the plural pronouns they, them, themselves,
or their
with a grammatically singular antecedent dates back at least to 1300,
and such constructions have been used by many admired writers, including William Makepeace Thackeray ("A person can't help their birth"), George Bernard Shaw ("To do a person in means to kill them"), and Anne Morrow Lindbergh ("When you love someone you do not love them all the time").
Despite the apparent grammatical disagreement between a singular antecedent like someone and the plural pronoun them, the construction is so widespread both in print and in speech that it often passes unnoticed.
There are several reasons for its appeal.
Forms of they are useful as gender-neutral substitutes for generic he and for coordinate forms like his/her or his orher
(which can sound clumsy when repeated).
Nevertheless, the clash in number can be jarring to writers and readers, and many people dislike they with a singular antecedent.
This includes much of the Usage Panel, though their resistance has declined over time. Resistance remains strongest when the sentence refers to a specific individual whose gender is unknown, rather than to a generic individual representative of anyone:
in our 2015 survey, 58 percent of the Panel found We thank the anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments unacceptable.
A sentence with a generic antecedent,
A person at that level should not have to keep track of the hours they put in, was rejected by 48 percent (a substantial change from our 1996 survey, in which 80 percent rejected this same sentence).
As for the use of they with antecedents such as anyone and everyone,
pronouns that are grammatically singular but carry a plural meaning, by 2008, a majority of the Panel accepted such sentences as
If anyone calls, tell them I can't come to the phone (56 percent) and Everyone returned to their seats (59 percent).
For those who wish to avoid the apparent clash of number, some of these sentences can be recast in the plural:
People at that level should not have to keep track of the hours they put in.
Unfortunately, the option is unavailable when the referent must be singular: Lindbergh's sentence cannot be recast as
When you love people, you do not love them all the time without drastically changing its meaning, nor can the sentence about the anonymous reviewer.
The recent use of singular they for a known person who identifies as neither male nor female remains controversial; as of 2015 only 27 percent of the Panelists accepted
Scout was born male, but now they do not identify as either traditional gender.
With regard to this last sentence, the Panel's responses showed a clear generational shift: the approval rate was 4 percent among Panelists born before 1945 and 40 percent among Panelists born later. See Usage Notes at anyone, he1.
Word History: Incredible as it may seem,
the English pronoun they is not a native English pronoun.
They comes from Old Norse and is a classic example of the profound impact of that language on English:
because pronouns are among the most basic elements of a language,
it is rare for them to be replaced by borrowings from foreign sources.
The Old Norse pronouns their, theira, theim worked their way south from the Danelaw, the region governed by the Old Norse-speaking invaders of England, and first appeared in English about 1200, gradually replacing the Old English words hīe, hīora, him.
The nominative or subject case (modern English they) seems to have spread first. William Caxton, who brought the printing press to England, uses they, hir, hem in his earlier printed works (after 1475) and thei, their, theim in his later ones.
This is clear evidence of the spread of these Norse forms southward, since Caxton did not speak northern English natively (he was born in Westminster). The native English plural him or hem may well survive, at least colloquially, in modern English 'em, as in "Give 'em back!"
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary
usage:
Long before the use of generic he1 was condemned as sexist,
the pronouns they, their, and them were used in educated speech
and in all but the most formal writing to refer to indefinite pronouns
and to singular nouns of general personal reference,
probably because
such nouns are often not felt to be exclusively singular:
If anyone calls, tell them I'll be back at six.
Everyone began looking for their books at once.
Shakespeare, Swift, Shelley, Scott, and Dickens, as well as many other English and American writers, have used they and its forms to refer to singular antecedents.
Although rejected as ungrammatical by some usage critics, this use of they, their, and them is increasing in all but the most conservatively edited American English.
This increased use is at least partly impelled by the desire to avoid the sexist implications of he as a pronoun of general reference. See also he1.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
they
They can be the subject of a verb.
You use they to refer to peopleor things
that have just been mentionedor whose identity is known.
All universities have chancellors. They are always rather senior people.
The women had not expected a visitor and they were in their everyday clothes.
Be Careful!
When the subject of a sentence is followed by a relative clause,
don't use'they' in front of the main verb.
Don't say, for example, 'The people who live next door, they keep chickens'.
Say 'The people who live next door keep chickens'.
Two children who were rescued from a fire are now in hospital.
The girls who had been following him suddenly stopped.
They can refer to people in general, or to a group of people whose identity is not actually stated.
They say that former nurses make the worst patients.
Mercury is the stuff they put in thermometers.
You can also use they instead of 'he or she'
to refer to an individual person whose sex is not known or not stated.
I was going to stay with a friend, but they were ill.
See he - she - they
Be Careful!
Don't use 'they' with are to say that a number of things exist or are in a particular place.
Don't say, for example, 'They are two bottles of juice in the fridge'.
Say 'There are two bottles of juice in the fridge'.
There are always plenty of jobs to be done.
See there
Collins COBUILD English Usage
he – she – they
1. 'he'
He, him, his, and himself are sometimes used to refer back
to an indefinite pronoun or to a word
such as person, child, or student.
If anybody complained about this, he was told that things would soon get back to normal.
It won't hurt a child to have his meals at a different time.
Many people object to this use because it suggests that
the person referred to is male.
2. 'he or she'
You can sometimes use he or she, him or her, his or her, or himself or herself.
A parent may feel that he or she has nothing to give a child.
Anyone can call himself or herself a psychologist, even if untrained and unqualified.
Many people avoid these expressions
because they think they sound clumsy and unnatural,
especially when more than one of them is used in the same sentence.
In writing, some people use s/he to mean he or she.
3. 'they'
Most people use they, them, and their.
Everyone thinks they know what the problems of living with a teenager are.
Often when we touch someone we are demonstrating our love for them.
Don't hope to change anyone or their attitudes.
This use used to be considered incorrect,
but it is now the most common form in both spoken and written English,
and is used in formal and informal writing.
It is often possible to avoid all the above uses.
You can sometimes do this by using plurals.
For example, instead of saying 'Every student has his own room',
you can say 'All the students have their own rooms'.
Instead of saying 'Anyone who goes inside must take off his shoes',
you can say 'People who go inside must take off their shoes'.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
1. 'one'
One is sometimes an impersonal pronoun,
showing that something is generally done or should generally be done.
One doesn't talk about politics at parties.
You can also use the possessive determiner one's
and the reflexive pronoun oneself.
Naturally, one wants only the best for one's children.
We all understood the fear of making a fool of oneself.
One, one's, and oneself are fairly formal.
Here are some other ways in which
you can say that something is generally done or should be done:
2. 'you'
You can use you, your, yours and yourself,
as we usually do in this book.
There are things that have to be done and you do them and you never talk about them.
Ignoring your neighbours is rude.
3. 'we'
You can use we, us, our, ours,and ourselves
to say that something is generally done by a group of people that includes yourself.
We say things in the heat of an argument that we don't really mean.
There are things we can all do to make ourselves and our children happier.
4. 'they'
They can sometimes mean people in general,
or a group of people whose identity is not actually stated.
They found the body in the river.
Some people use they when they are
mentioning a sayingor repeating a piece of gossip.
They say that the camera never lies – but it doesn't always show the full picture.
He made a fortune, they say.
They, them, their, theirs, and themselves are also used to refer to words such as everyone and anyone, person, child,and student.
See he - she - they
5. 'people'
You can use people. This is also a fairly common use.
People shouldn't leave jobs unfinished.
I don't think people should make promises they don't mean to keep.
6. the passive
Instead ofusing one of these words and an active verb,
you can sometimes usea passive verb.
This is a fairly common use in formal writing.
If there is increasing pain, medical advice should be taken.
Bookings must be made before the end of December.
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expressions
they
This word, as well as their, theirs, and them,
should have a definite antecedent (something to which it refers)
or should not be used.
“They have good weather in Hawaii” is a vague statement
because no one can tell what or whois meant by they.
“Hawaii has good weather” make sense.
“In my job, they have good training in office techniques”
is much clearer if it is revised:
“In my job, good training is provided in office techniques.”
Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
They & their(singular)
Using the plural pronoun to refer to a single person
of unspecified gender is an old and honorable pattern in English,
not a newfangled bit of degeneracyor a politically correct plot to avoid sexism (though it often serves the latter purpose).
People who insist that
“Everyone has brought his own lunch”
is the only correct form do not reflect the usage of centuries of fine writers.
A good general ruleis that
only when the singular noun does not specify an individual
can it be replaced plausibly with a plural pronoun:
“Everybody”is a good example.
We know that “everybody” is singular
because we say “everybody is here,“ not“everybody are here”
yet we tend to think of“everybody” as a group of individuals,
so we usually say
“everybody brought their own grievances to the bargaining table.”
“Anybody”is treated similarly.
However, in many written sentences the use of singular “their”
and “they” creates an irritating clash even when it passes unnoticed in speech.
It is wiseto shun this popular pattern in formal writing.
Often expressions can be pluralized
to make the “they” or “their”indisputably proper:
“All of them have brought their own lunches.”
“People” can often be substituted for “each.”
Americans seldom avail themselves of the otherwise very handy
British “one” to avoid specifying genderbecause it sounds to our ears rather pretentious:
“One’s hound should retrieve only one’s own grouse.”
If you decide to try “one,” don’t switch to“they” in mid-sentence:
“One has to be careful about how they speak”
sounds absurd because the word “one” so emphatically calls attention to its singleness.
The British also quite sensibly treat collective bodies like governmental units
and corporations as plural (“Parliament have approved their agenda”)
whereas Americans insist on treating them as singular.
