they

they
[[t]ðeɪ[/t]]
♦
(They is a third person plural pronoun. They is used as the subject of a verb.)
1) PRON-PLURAL You use they to refer to a group of people, animals, or things.

The two men were far more alike than they would ever admit...

People matter because of what they are, not what they have...

The young horses broke in a pack, and over the first furlong, they remained in a pack.

2) PRON-PLURAL You use they instead of `he or she' to refer to a person without saying whether that person is a man or a woman. Some people think this use is incorrect.

The teacher is not responsible for the student's success or failure. They are only there to help the student learn...

I never saw anyone go in to buy. Whether they ever did I don't know.

3) PRON-PLURAL (vagueness) You also use they in expressions such as `they say' or `they call it' to refer to people in general when you are making general statements about what people say, think, or do.

They say there's plenty of opportunities out there, you just have to look carefully and you'll find them...

They call us terrorists and say we must be destroyed.


English dictionary. 2008.

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