英语词汇“their”的英英意思、用法、释义、翻译、读音、例句、短语、词组-英语词典

Can they, their, them, and themselves be used as singular pronouns?: Usage Guide

They, their, them, themselves: English lacks a common-gender third person singular pronoun that can be used to refer to indefinite pronouns (such as everyone, anyone, someone). Writers and speakers have supplied this lack by using the plural pronouns.

and every one to rest themselves betake —

William Shakespeare

I would have everybody marry if they can do it properly —

Jane Austen

it is too hideous for anyone in their senses to buy —

W. H. Auden

The plural pronouns have also been put to use as pronouns of indefinite number to refer to singular nouns that stand for many persons.

'tis meet that some more audience than a mother, since nature makes them partial, should o'erhear the speech —

William Shakespeare

a person can't help their birth —

W. M. Thackeray

no man goes to battle to be killed.—But they do get killed —

G. B. Shaw

The use of they, their, them, and themselves as pronouns of indefinite gender and indefinite number is well established in speech and writing, even in literary and formal contexts. In recent years, these pronouns have also been adopted by individuals whose gender identity is nonbinary, as illustrated in sense 3d above.

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There vs. They're vs. Their

There, they're, and their: they sound the same but have different meanings and keeping them straight can be very tricky.

We'll start with there. It has the word here in it, which can help remind us that this particular word is often about location:

There it is.

Put it there.

Stay there.

We'll be there soon.

It's about location in the more abstract sense too:

There you go.

There is where we disagree.

Friends who are always there for you.

It's also the one to use as the first word in sentences that have the subject after the verb:

There goes the bus.

And it's the one used with is and are at the beginning of sentences and questions:

There are plenty available.

Is there a hotel in the town?

The other two are trickier because they both have the idea of the plural in them. Both are connected to the idea of "them."

They're means "they are":

They're (=they are) funny people.

They're (=they are) the cutest puppies ever.

It can be used of non-living things too:

They're (=they are) both really good books.

They're (=they are) two of our biggest problems.

The last of this trio, their, is the possessive form of they, so it has to do with what belongs to, relates to, or is made or done by certain people, animals, or things:

It's their house.

We're their neighbors.

The trees are losing their leaves.

And there you go. They're not an easy group of words, but with practice we know you can master their distinctions.

Example Sentences

All the furniture in their house is brand-new. They are on friendly terms with their neighbors. The students are seeking to exercise their rights. The birds have left their nest. The trees have all shed their leaves. Their artwork is on display at the museum. He was angry because of their arriving late. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Also receiving votes: ’72 Lakers (13 pts), ’01 Lakers (7), ’67 76ers (2), ’03 Spurs (2), ’12 Heat (2), ’72 Bucks (1) ’83 76ers (1) and ’89 Pistons (1).*** THE PANELISTS AND THEIR BALLOTSListed alphabetically. —

Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 13 June 2017 Anti-Castro Cuban-Americans hate the idea of U.S. travelers enjoying mojitos in the police state that drove exiles from their homes and businesses. —

Vivian Salama, The Seattle Times, 2 June 2017 Both had been turned in by a landlord after their owner had been evicted. —

Sheldon S. Shafer, The Courier-Journal, 2 June 2017 Fidel Castro slowly faded from view, becoming even less coherent, before dying at home in November, as his brother slowly rolled back their revolution. —

David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 30 May 2017 Several years (and one divorce) later, his kids had moved to New England with their mother. —

Christopher Borrelli, chicagotribune.com, 28 May 2017 Cicadas have five stages in their development, and after the first stage, each subsequent stage takes about four years to complete. —

Peter Wade, Esquire, 28 May 2017 The two boys endured a spell in a military school before being swept up in rock music in their teens. —

Bloomberg.com, 27 May 2017 THEIR MAD AA HELL AND NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE! #womenleadership— Proud Gay American (@Alvin_IS_Equal) June 9, 2017@clairecmc the lone voice asking for accountability. —

Rick Montgomery, kansascity.com, 9 June 2017 See More

单词	their
释义	their adjective t͟hər, ˈt͟her 1 : of or relating to them or themselves especially as possessors, agents, or objects of an action their furniture their verses their being seen 2 : his or her : his, her, its —used with an indefinite third person singular antecedent anyone in their senses—W. H. Auden Can they be used as an indefinite subject?: Usage Guide They used as an indefinite subject (sense 2) is sometimes objected to on the grounds that it does not have an antecedent. Not every pronoun requires an antecedent, however. The indefinite they is used in all varieties of contexts and is standard. Can they, their, them, and themselves be used as singular pronouns?: Usage Guide They, their, them, themselves: English lacks a common-gender third person singular pronoun that can be used to refer to indefinite pronouns (such as everyone, anyone, someone). Writers and speakers have supplied this lack by using the plural pronouns. and every one to rest themselves betake —William Shakespeare I would have everybody marry if they can do it properly —Jane Austen it is too hideous for anyone in their senses to buy —W. H. Auden The plural pronouns have also been put to use as pronouns of indefinite number to refer to singular nouns that stand for many persons. 'tis meet that some more audience than a mother, since nature makes them partial, should o'erhear the speech —William Shakespeare a person can't help their birth —W. M. Thackeray no man goes to battle to be killed.—But they do get killed —G. B. Shaw The use of they, their, them, and themselves as pronouns of indefinite gender and indefinite number is well established in speech and writing, even in literary and formal contexts. In recent years, these pronouns have also been adopted by individuals whose gender identity is nonbinary, as illustrated in sense 3d above. Did you know? There vs. They're vs. Their There, they're, and their: they sound the same but have different meanings and keeping them straight can be very tricky. We'll start with there. It has the word here in it, which can help remind us that this particular word is often about location: There it is. Put it there. Stay there. We'll be there soon. It's about location in the more abstract sense too: There you go. There is where we disagree. Friends who are always there for you. It's also the one to use as the first word in sentences that have the subject after the verb: There goes the bus. And it's the one used with is and are at the beginning of sentences and questions: There are plenty available. Is there a hotel in the town? The other two are trickier because they both have the idea of the plural in them. Both are connected to the idea of "them." They're means "they are": They're (=they are) funny people. They're (=they are) the cutest puppies ever. It can be used of non-living things too: They're (=they are) both really good books. They're (=they are) two of our biggest problems. The last of this trio, their, is the possessive form of they, so it has to do with what belongs to, relates to, or is made or done by certain people, animals, or things: It's their house. We're their neighbors. The trees are losing their leaves. And there you go. They're not an easy group of words, but with practice we know you can master their distinctions. Example Sentences All the furniture in their house is brand-new. They are on friendly terms with their neighbors. The students are seeking to exercise their rights. The birds have left their nest. The trees have all shed their leaves. Their artwork is on display at the museum. He was angry because of their arriving late. See More Recent Examples on the Web Also receiving votes: ’72 Lakers (13 pts), ’01 Lakers (7), ’67 76ers (2), ’03 Spurs (2), ’12 Heat (2), ’72 Bucks (1) ’83 76ers (1) and ’89 Pistons (1).*** THE PANELISTS AND THEIR BALLOTSListed alphabetically. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 13 June 2017 Anti-Castro Cuban-Americans hate the idea of U.S. travelers enjoying mojitos in the police state that drove exiles from their homes and businesses. —Vivian Salama, The Seattle Times, 2 June 2017 Both had been turned in by a landlord after their owner had been evicted. —Sheldon S. Shafer, The Courier-Journal, 2 June 2017 Fidel Castro slowly faded from view, becoming even less coherent, before dying at home in November, as his brother slowly rolled back their revolution. —David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 30 May 2017 Several years (and one divorce) later, his kids had moved to New England with their mother. —Christopher Borrelli, chicagotribune.com, 28 May 2017 Cicadas have five stages in their development, and after the first stage, each subsequent stage takes about four years to complete. —Peter Wade, Esquire, 28 May 2017 The two boys endured a spell in a military school before being swept up in rock music in their teens. —Bloomberg.com, 27 May 2017 THEIR MAD AA HELL AND NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE! #womenleadership— Proud Gay American (@Alvin_IS_Equal) June 9, 2017@clairecmc the lone voice asking for accountability. —Rick Montgomery, kansascity.com, 9 June 2017 See More Word History Etymology Middle English, from their, pronoun, from Old Norse theirra, genitive plural demonstrative & personal pronoun; akin to Old English thæt that First Known Use 13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Phrases Containing their beat someone at their own game drank to their health give (someone) a run for his/her/your/their money conspicuous by their absence his/her/their/my/our spirits rise have some surprises up their sleeves go our/their/your several ways cast their votes on their best behavior one of our/your/their number in its/their entirety in its/their totality put their/our/your heads together vote their pocketbooks/wallets vote with their pocketbooks vote with their dollars vote with their wallets/pocketbooks played their hearts out laughing their heads off voted with their feet See More beat someone at their own game drank to their health give (someone) a run for his/her/your/their money conspicuous by their absence his/her/their/my/our spirits rise have some surprises up their sleeves go our/their/your several ways cast their votes on their best behavior one of our/your/their number in its/their entirety in its/their totality put their/our/your heads together vote their pocketbooks/wallets vote with their pocketbooks vote with their dollars vote with their wallets/pocketbooks played their hearts out laughing their heads off voted with their feet See More Kids Definition their adjective t͟hər (ˌ)t͟he(ə)r, (ˌ)t͟ha(ə)r : of or relating to them or themselves their clothes they all have their theories their being seen
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their

adjective

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Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing their

Kids Definition