[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/they.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / they [← T](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/T/) # they «they» in Mova's school dictionary: **the people or things already named, more than one** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it. ### 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#m1) 2) They can mean people in general: «They say it will rain». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#m2) 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#m3) 4) (casual) «They» can mean the people in charge: «They're closing the pool». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#m4) 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#m5) 6) (formal) Exams avoid «they» and repeat the noun or say «the said persons», «the aforementioned pupils». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#m6) ### 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 - Tom and Mia have 5 apples each. How many do they have in all? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#x1) - They share 12 cookies equally. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#x2) - My grandparents live far away, but they visit at Christmas. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#x3) - The ducks swam over, and we fed them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#x4) - Someone left their bag on the bus. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#x5) - They say the new park opens soon. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#x6) - The twins did it all by themselves. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#x7) - They reckon the bus'll be 10 minutes late. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#x8) - They was gonna come but they never (nonstandard). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#x9) - They can sod off, I'm not giving 'em my chips. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#x10) - The two pupils, collectively, possess 10 apples. Ascertain the share of each, given equal division. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#x11) - They're closing the pool for a week. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#x12) - They complain most who suffer least. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/#x13) ### 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 - [Night shifts mean working through the night and sleeping in the day; nurses, drivers, bakers and warehouse workers often do them.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/2-shifts-nights-and-other-ways-of-working/6/) - [Some people go to work ill because they can't afford to lose the pay, which spreads germs to everyone else.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/2-shifts-nights-and-other-ways-of-working/12/) - [These things are worrying, but they are almost never anyone's fault at home, and most families get through them.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/4-when-work-goes-wrong/3/) - [Banks pay interest on savings, and they charge interest when you borrow.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/7-cards-banks-and-apps/4/) - [Lending money to friends can cause arguments, so many grown-ups only lend what they could afford to lose.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/8-borrowing-and-debt/22/) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every meaning and example of «they» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/they/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.