They

Pronunciation: /ðeɪ/

Definitions of they

pronoun a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse (e.g., I, you) or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse (e.g., she, it, this).

Example Sentences

A1 They are my friends.

A2 They like to play soccer together.

B1 They have been working on this project for months.

B2 They were the ones who discovered the hidden treasure.

C1 They have a deep understanding of the subject matter.

C2 They have always been supportive of each other in times of need.

Examples of they in a Sentence

formal They are responsible for overseeing the project from start to finish.

informal They said they would be here by noon.

slang They totally nailed the presentation.

figurative They hold the key to our success.

Grammatical Forms of they

• past tense: were
• plural: they
• comparative: more
• superlative: most
• present tense: are
• future tense: will be
• perfect tense: have been
• continuous tense: are being
• singular: he/she
• positive degree: good
• infinitive: to be
• gerund: being
• participle: being

Origin and Evolution of they

First Known Use: 1200 year

Language of Origin: Old Norse and Old English

Story behind the word: The word 'they' originated from the Old Norse word 'þeir' and the Old English word 'ðā'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'they' has evolved to be used as a pronoun to refer to a group of people or things, regardless of gender. It has become widely accepted as a gender-neutral pronoun in modern English.