{"id":2517,"date":"2022-04-05T13:35:16","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T13:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/?p=2517"},"modified":"2022-04-05T14:27:30","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T14:27:30","slug":"singular-they-and-how-to-use-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/singular-they-and-how-to-use-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Singular \"They\" and How to Use it"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/singular-they-and-how-to-use-it\/#1_What_are_Third_Person_Singular_Pronouns\" >1. What are Third Person Singular Pronouns?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/singular-they-and-how-to-use-it\/#2_Whats_Wrong_With_%E2%80%9CHe_or_She%E2%80%9D\" >2. What&#8217;s Wrong With &#8220;He or She&#8221;?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/singular-they-and-how-to-use-it\/#3_Why_Use_%E2%80%9CThey%E2%80%9D\" >3. Why Use &#8220;They&#8221;?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/singular-they-and-how-to-use-it\/#4_How_to_Use_Singular_%E2%80%9CThey%E2%80%9D\" >4. How to Use Singular &#8220;They&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/singular-they-and-how-to-use-it\/#When_Youre_Not_Referring_to_a_Specific_Person\" >When You&#8217;re Not Referring to a Specific Person<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/singular-they-and-how-to-use-it\/#When_Youre_Referring_to_a_Specific_Person\" >When You&#8217;re Referring to a Specific Person<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/singular-they-and-how-to-use-it\/#%E2%80%9CThemselves%E2%80%9D_or_%E2%80%9CThemself%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Themselves&#8221; or &#8220;Themself&#8221;?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/singular-they-and-how-to-use-it\/#Want_to_Learn_How_English_is_Actually_Spoken\" >Want to Learn How English is Actually Spoken?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>Can you spot what pronouns are used in the following dialogue?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\" datatext=\"\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"591\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/03\/08222949\/dialogue_1-1024x591.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/03\/08222949\/dialogue_1-1024x591.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/03\/08222949\/dialogue_1-300x173.jpg 300w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/03\/08222949\/dialogue_1-768x443.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>You may be surprised to see that Nina and Zach use plural pronouns (\"they,\" \"them,\" and \"their\") to refer to one person. Shouldn't they be using \"he or she\" instead? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, we'll explain why and how <span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">native English speakers<\/span> use \"they\" to refer to one person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"#What-are-Third-Person-Singular-Pronouns?\">What are Third Person Singular Pronouns?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#What's-Wrong-With-&quot;He-or-She&quot;?\">What's Wrong with \"He or She\"?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Why-Use-&quot;They&quot;?\">Why Use \"They\"?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#How-to-Use-Singular-&quot;They&quot;\">How to Use Singular \"They\"<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"What-are-Third-Person-Singular-Pronouns?\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_What_are_Third_Person_Singular_Pronouns\"><\/span>1. What are Third Person Singular Pronouns?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>First, let's review what third-person singular pronouns are. In English class, you probably saw a <mdspan datatext=\"el1645691112995\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">chart<\/mdspan> of pronouns like the following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\" datatext=\"\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"591\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/03\/08225103\/pronoun_chart-1024x591.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2699\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/03\/08225103\/pronoun_chart-1024x591.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/03\/08225103\/pronoun_chart-300x173.jpg 300w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/03\/08225103\/pronoun_chart-768x443.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The blue \"Third Person\" row contains pronouns for people or things that are not a part of the conversation. <\/li><li>The red \"Singular\" column contains pronouns that refer to only one person or thing.<\/li><li>The purple box contains pronouns which are both third person and singular.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So when people use \"they\" to refer to one person, they put it in their list of \"singular pronouns.\" That's why it's called the \"singular 'they'.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\" datatext=\"\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"591\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/03\/08225545\/pronoun_chart_w-they-1-1024x591.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2701\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/03\/08225545\/pronoun_chart_w-they-1-1024x591.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/03\/08225545\/pronoun_chart_w-they-1-300x173.jpg 300w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/03\/08225545\/pronoun_chart_w-they-1-768x443.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"What's-Wrong-With-&quot;He-or-She&quot;?\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Whats_Wrong_With_%E2%80%9CHe_or_She%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>2. What&#8217;s Wrong With &#8220;He or She&#8221;?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Traditionally, \"he\" and \"she\" were the only third-person singular pronouns that referred to people. So if you didn't know someone's gender, you would refer to them as <mdspan datatext=\"el1645691998428\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">\"he or she\" <\/mdspan>in formal speech and writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, \"he or she\" can be awkward and tiring to use. For example, imagine having to say sentences like these every day:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A patient left <strong>his or her <\/strong>wallet in the waiting room. The staff are trying to figure out who <strong>he or she <\/strong>was, so they can return the wallet to <strong>him or her<\/strong>.<\/li><li>If you ask your teenager how <strong>his or her<\/strong> day was, chances are <strong>he or she<\/strong> won't say much. A teenager likes to keep things to <strong>himself or herself<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Why-Use-&quot;They&quot;?\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Why_Use_%E2%80%9CThey%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>3. Why Use &#8220;They&#8221;?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you don't know someone's gender, it's a lot easier to use \"they\" than \"he or she.\" However, people don't use it just because it's convenient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Singular \"they\" is also grammatically correct. Famous writers like Shakespeare and Jane Austen used it. And more generally, <span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">native English speakers<\/span> have been using it since <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/public.oed.com\/blog\/a-brief-history-of-singular-they\/#:~:text=Singular%20they%20has,form%20even%20older\" target=\"_blank\">at least the 14th century<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>There's not a man I meet but doth salute me<br>As if I were <strong>their<\/strong> well-acquainted friend<\/p><cite>- Shakespeare in <em>A Comedy of Errors<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>I say nothing of which I am ashamed ... Let every body on the Hill hear me if&nbsp;<strong>they<\/strong>&nbsp;can.\"<\/p><cite><mdspan datatext=\"el1645694971274\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">- Jane Austen in <em>Emma<\/em><\/mdspan><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, unlike \"he or she,\" \"they\" is <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/words\/word\/gender-neutral\/5ecnTal0SOK7FNgag-Qv7g\">gender-neutral<\/a>. This means that it's a respectful way to refer to someone who doesn't identify as male or female.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"How-to-Use-Singular-&quot;They&quot;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_How_to_Use_Singular_%E2%80%9CThey%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>4. How to Use Singular &#8220;They&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_Youre_Not_Referring_to_a_Specific_Person\"><\/span>When You&#8217;re Not Referring to a Specific Person<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In English, people use pronouns like \"anybody,\" \"everyone,\" \"someone,\" and \"who\" when they aren't referring to a specific person. You can use singular \"they\" in place of these pronouns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>If <strong>anyone<\/strong> asks, tell <strong>them<\/strong> I'm at the hospital.<\/li><li><strong>Everyone<\/strong> in our family has <strong>their<\/strong> own room.<\/li><li><strong>Who<\/strong> left <strong>their<\/strong> lunch on my desk?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also use singular \"they\" when you talk about <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/2022\/01\/18\/how-to-use-a-and-the-to-talk-about-things-in-general\/\">a group of people in general<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Every child&nbsp;needs <strong>their<\/strong> parents.<\/li><li>A teacher&nbsp;should care about <strong>their<\/strong> students.<\/li><li>The boys in this class need to learn to behave <strong>themselves<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_Youre_Referring_to_a_Specific_Person\"><\/span>When You&#8217;re Referring to a Specific Person<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also use \"they\" when you're referring to a specific person, but you don't know their gender or don't want to <mdspan datatext=\"el1645710905440\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">reveal it<\/mdspan>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>You met the new HR director, right? What are <strong>they<\/strong> like?<\/li><li>This person's name has been changed for <strong>their<\/strong> privacy.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You should also use \"they\" to refer to someone if you don't want to assume their gender or they've told you that's their preferred pronoun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" id=\"block-b8a0058a-63ff-4b1b-bd77-6af75023ebf8\"><li>This is my friend Paul. <strong>They<\/strong> like to ski.<\/li><li>Have you met Sharon? <strong>They<\/strong>'re our new neighbor.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CThemselves%E2%80%9D_or_%E2%80%9CThemself%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Themselves&#8221; or &#8220;Themself&#8221;?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The reflexive form of \"them\" is \"themselves\": e.g. \"The kids made <em>themselves<\/em> sandwiches.\" Does this mean that the reflexive form of singular \"them\" is \"themself\"?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mdspan datatext=\"el1646041505292\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">In everyday conversation, both are fine. Most people won't notice which one you're using.<\/mdspan><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Did someone hurt <strong>themself<\/strong> yesterday?<\/li><li>Did someone hurt <strong>themselves<\/strong> yesterday?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>However, \"themself\" is not <mdspan datatext=\"el1645714186683\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">yet widely accepted<\/mdspan> in formal English. So when you're speaking or writing formally, it's safer to use \"themselves\" or avoid the reflexive pronoun altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" id=\"block-4aba6b05-f05e-4de3-8fc4-c7a94b37d363\"><li>Did someone hurt <strong>themselves<\/strong> yesterday?<\/li><li><mdspan datatext=\"el1646041599143\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">Did someone get hurt yesterday?<\/mdspan><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Want_to_Learn_How_English_is_Actually_Spoken\"><\/span>Want to Learn How English is Actually Spoken?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to learn more about real-world English or practice your speaking, book a lesson with a professional English tutor. At Engoo, we have thousands of tutors available 24\/7. Sign up <a href=\"http:\/\/engoo.com\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can you spot what pronouns are used in the following dialogue? You may be surprised to see that Nina and Zach use plural pronouns (\"they,\" \"them,\" and \"their\") to refer to one person. Shouldn't they...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":2694,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"unified_meta_tagline_field":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language-tips"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Singular \u201cThey\u201d and How to Use it<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You&#039;ve probably heard native English speakers use &quot;they&quot; as a singular pronoun. Why is this? And how do you use singular &quot;they&quot; properly? Read to find out.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/singular-they-and-how-to-use-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Singular \u201cThey\u201d and How to Use it\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You&#039;ve probably heard native English speakers use &quot;they&quot; as a singular pronoun. Why is this? And how do you use singular &quot;they&quot; properly? 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