They facts for kids

They is a common pronoun in the English language. We use pronouns like "they" to talk about people or things without having to repeat their names over and over. "They" helps make our sentences shorter and easier to understand.

Understanding the Pronoun "They"

What is a Pronoun?

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. For example, instead of saying "Sarah went to the park, and Sarah played on the swings," you can say "Sarah went to the park, and she played on the swings." "She" is a pronoun. "They" is also a pronoun.

"They" as a Plural Word

Most often, "they" is used when you are talking about more than one person or thing. It is the third person plural pronoun. This means you are talking about people or things that are not "you" (second person) and not "I" (first person).

For example:

• "The students are studying. They have a test tomorrow." (Talking about multiple students)
• "The books are on the shelf. They are very old." (Talking about multiple books)

When "they" is the subject of a sentence (the one doing the action), we use "they." When it is the object (the one receiving the action), we use "them."

For example:

• They saw the movie. (Subject)
• The movie excited them. (Object)

"They" as a Singular Word

Sometimes, "they" can be used to talk about just one person. This happens when we do not know if the person is a boy or a girl. It can also be used when we want to be general or include everyone.

For example:

• "Someone left their backpack. I hope they come back for it." (We do not know if the person is male or female.)
• "Every student should do their best. They will be proud of their effort." (Talking about each student generally.)

When "they" is used for one person, it still uses the same verb forms as the plural "they." This is similar to how the word "you" works. "You" can mean one person or many people, but the verb form stays the same (e.g., "you are").

"They" for General Groups

"They" can also be used to talk about a general group of people without naming them specifically. This is often used when talking about customs or common actions.

For example:

• "In America, they celebrate Thanksgiving in November." (Referring to people in America generally.)
• "At the school, they have a new principal." (Referring to the people who work at the school.)