This is quite confusing at least for a non native like me… I’ve always been told ‘they’ is plural… It’s feels a bit like when megalomaniac people refer to themselves as we. Why not make a new pronoun if no other suitable singular exists?
I’m a native English speaker & I also read it and was like “Whoelse is engaging in this madness?!” If I’ve learned anything: It seems if we’re reading and it doesn’t make sense we’ll assume the “they” is of the person; not that the writer has omitted anyone.
Hey thanks, I thought there was something wrong with me with all the down voting… It just feels the language looses specificity… But for some people I guess I’m just an anti trans rights demon that needs to be down voted to the depths of hell 🤷♂️
They? Who’s they? Like her whole family does that?
“They” can be used as a gender non-specific pronoun.
This is quite confusing at least for a non native like me… I’ve always been told ‘they’ is plural… It’s feels a bit like when megalomaniac people refer to themselves as we. Why not make a new pronoun if no other suitable singular exists?
Time to improve and learn the real definition then.
Because English got simplified at various points in history. We’ve lost thee and thou and thy.
As awkward as singular they might seem, it’s so old that Shakespeare used it.
Well, now you know better.
If it helps to relate it to something else, “you” also has plural grammar but can refer to a singular.
Although in this case it could be either singular or plural
I’m a native English speaker & I also read it and was like “Who else is engaging in this madness?!” If I’ve learned anything: It seems if we’re reading and it doesn’t make sense we’ll assume the “they” is of the person; not that the writer has omitted anyone.
Hey thanks, I thought there was something wrong with me with all the down voting… It just feels the language looses specificity… But for some people I guess I’m just an anti trans rights demon that needs to be down voted to the depths of hell 🤷♂️
Welp! It’s where you belong 😆