they /ðeɪ/ ●●●S1W1 pronoun [used as the subject of a verb]
1PERSON/PEOPLEused to refer to two or more people or things that have already been mentioned or are already known about 他们;她们;它们
Bob and Sue said they wouldn’t be able to come.
鲍勃和休说他们来不了。
Ken gave me some flowers. Aren’t they beautiful?
肯送给我一些花。很漂亮吧?
They all want to come to the wedding.
他们都想来参加婚礼。
2they say/think etcBELIEVEused to state what people in general say or think 据说/据信等
They say it’s bad luck to spill salt.
据说把盐弄撒了会有坏运气。
Examples from the Corpus
they say/think etc• But the president essentially endorsed Rumsfeld's approach, they said.• These others stand on something they said.• Light a match, they say, and flamesflicker over it like brandy on a Christmas pudding.• Black children from middle-class or affluent families, they say, are more apt to adopt what is commonly called black slang.• She asked them why; they said it was because they had information that the two children had been sexually abused.• Employers' groups welcomed the reforms, though they said more are necessary to encourage employers to take on permanentstaff.• I thanked them for praying for me and seeing me now, hopedthey thought their effortsworthwhile.• Goodness only knows what makes them tick, or why they thought they could get away with it here.
3spokenGOVERENMENT used to refer to a particular organization or group of people 他们〔特指某一组织或某一群人〕
Where are they going to build the new highway?
他们将在哪儿修建新的公路?
They’re going to take an X-ray.
他们要照X光。
4PERSON/PEOPLEused when talking about someone who may be male or female, to avoid saying ‘he or she’ 〔用于谈论人时泛指两性,以避免使用he or she〕
If anyone has any information related to the crime, will they please contact the police.
本案如有知情人士请与警方联系。
Every child, whoever they are, deserves to have a mum and a dad.
每个孩子,无论他是谁,都应该有爸爸和妈妈。
5GRAMMAR 语法
You can use they , them , and their to refer to a single person when you do not want to show that the person is male or female. People do this because they want to avoid suggesting that the person can only be male, or using longer expressions such as ‘he or she’, ‘him or her’ etc. 如果不想说明是男性还是女性,可以用they,them和their指代一个人。人们这么做是想避免暗示此人只能是男性,或不想使用he or she或him or her等较长表达法
If anyone doesn't like it, they can leave.
如果有人不喜欢,可以离开。
This use is acceptable and very common in speech, and is becoming more acceptable in writing as well. However, some people consider this use to be incorrect. You can sometimes avoid the problem by making the subject plural. 这一用法在口语中很常见,在书面语中也越来越为人们所接受。但也有人认为这种用法是错误的。要避免这一问题,可以把主语变成复数
When a friend upsets you, do you tell them?
如果一个朋友惹你生气了,你会告诉他们吗?
Someone has left their coat behind.
有人忘了拿大衣。
If people don't like it, they can leave.
如果有人不喜欢,可以离开。
When friends upset you, do you tell them?
如果朋友惹你生气了,你会告诉他们吗?
nUSAGE: They, them, their
If you want to talk in general about someone, and you do not want to say if the person is male or female, you often use they, them, or their:
If anyone doesn’t like it, they can leave.
如果有人不喜欢,可以离开。
When a friend upsets you, do you tell them?
如果一个朋友惹你生气了,你会告诉他们吗?
Someone has left their coat behind.
有人忘了拿大衣。
People do this in order to avoid suggesting that the person can only be male, or to avoid using longer expressions such as 'he or she', 'him or her'.
This use is acceptable and very common in spoken English, and is becoming more acceptable in writing as well.
However, some people consider this use to be incorrect. You can sometimes avoid the problem by making the subject plural:
If people don’t like it, they can leave.
如果有人不喜欢,可以离开。
When friends upset you, do you tell them?
如果朋友惹你生气了,你会告诉他们吗?
In the past, people used to use 'he' to refer to men or women, but most people now avoid doing this.