they
part of speech
pronoun (they, them, their, theirs, themselves)
meaning for a pupil
1) They means the people or things already named, more than one. tree →
2) They can mean people in general: «They say it will rain». tree →
3) They can also be used for one person when you do not know or do not say if the person is a boy or a girl. tree →
4) (casual) «They» can mean the people in charge: «They're closing the pool». tree →
5) (casual, nonstandard) «They» is said for «there» or «their» in some speech: «they was», «they got» (UK, US South); «they're» is often typed «there». tree →
6) (formal) Exams avoid «they» and repeat the noun or say «the said persons», «the aforementioned pupils». tree →
sense in the lessons
the people or things just counted; «they» may mean several people together; phrases: «they have in all», «between them», «each of them»; in casual talk «they reckon», «they was» (nonstandard), «y'all» (US South, you all); in rough talk «they're idiots», «they can get lost»; in the exam voice «the said parties», «the aforementioned», «the two persons collectively»
examples
- And they brought Joseph into Egypt. (Torah GEN.37.28, JPS 1917) tree →
- I am the LORD their God. (Torah EXO.29.46, JPS 1917) tree →
- 'Harass the Midianites, and smite them; (Torah NUM.25.17, JPS 1917) tree →
- And they went out at noon. (Prophets 1KI.20.16, JPS 1917) tree →
- Then the king hearkened unto them. (Writings 2CH.24.17, JPS 1917) tree →
- So they executed judgment upon Joash. (Writings 2CH.24.24, JPS 1917) tree →
- Tom and Mia have 5 apples each. How many do they have in all? tree →
- They share 12 cookies equally. tree →
- My grandparents live far away, but they visit at Christmas. tree →
- The ducks swam over, and we fed them. tree →
- Someone left their bag on the bus. tree →
- They say the new park opens soon. tree →
- The twins did it all by themselves. tree →
- They reckon the bus'll be 10 minutes late. tree →
- They was gonna come but they never (nonstandard). tree →
- They can sod off, I'm not giving 'em my chips. tree →
- The two pupils, collectively, possess 10 apples. Ascertain the share of each, given equal division. tree →
- They're closing the pool for a week. tree →
- They complain most who suffer least. tree →
note
Forms: they (subject), them (object), their (owner), theirs. Trap: «their», «there» and «they're» sound the same. «N of them» is a part taken from the whole just named. «they» may mean several people together: count each one. «they was» is common in speech but school English says «they were». «collectively» in an exam means all of them together.
In the corpora
- and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.' And it was so.
- And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
- And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.
- And the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
- Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «they» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.