Can ‘they’ be used for a singular person?

0 1 View | Posted 2 months ago
Asked by Pooja Shekhar

  • 1 Answer

  • C

    Answered by

    Chanchal Chauhan | Contributor-Level 6

    2 months ago

    Yes, they can be used for a singular person, and this usage is both grammatically correct and widely accepted in Modern English. Known as singular 'they', it is commonly used when the gender of a person is unknown, irrelevant, or when referring to someone who identifies as non-binary.

    Singular 'they' has been used by well-known authors like Shakespeare and Jan Austen in their works. It helps avoid awkward or gendered language and has become a practical choice in both spoken and written English.

    Example: Someone left their phone on the table.

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Yes, personal pronouns are commonly asked questions in competitive exams, especially in English language and grammar sections. These pronouns test a candidate's understanding of subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, and the correct use of subjective, objective, possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives cases.

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Personal pronouns play a vital role in formal English as they:

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