Etymology : Middle English, from Old Norse their, masculine plural demonstrative and personal pronoun; akin to Old English thæt that
Pronunciation : [
th]A
Function : pronoun, plural in constructio
Date : 13th century
1. pro3rd person plural pronoun used to replace names of people or things. they\they\ (&thlig;ā), pron. pl.; poss. theirs; obj. them. [icel. ?eir they, properly nom. pl. masc. of sā, sū, ?at, a demonstrative pronoun, akin to the english definite article, as. sē, se?, ??t, nom. pl. ?ā. see:
that.] the plural of he, she, or it. they is never used adjectively, but always as a pronoun proper, and sometimes refers to persons without an antecedent expressed. jolif and glad they went unto here [their] rest and casten hem [them] full early for to sail. they of italy salute you. xiii.
2. blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness. v. 6.note: they is used indefinitely, as our ancestors used man, and as the french use on; as, they say (french on dit), that is, it is said by persons not specified.
3. The plural of he, she, or it.
4. They is never used adjectively, but always as a pronoun proper, and sometimes refers to persons without an antecedent expressed.
5. They is a third person plural pronoun. They is used as the subject of a verb.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. vagueness You 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.