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Was It They or Them?

Maya Lin-Takahashi • • 7 min read
Was It They or Them?

They and them are always used in place of plural nouns or noun groups in the third person. However the fundamental difference between the two in grammatical terms, is that they is a subject pronoun

subject pronoun
In English, the subject pronouns are I, you, thou, he, she, it, one, we, ye, they, who and what. With the exception of you, it, one and what, and in informal speech who, the object pronouns are different: i.e. me, thee, him, her, us, you (objective case of ye), them and whom (see English personal pronouns).
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, and them is an object pronoun. They is used to refer to the subject of a clause.

Is it correct to say it is they?

When referring to a generic person whose gender is unknown or irrelevant to the context, use the singular “they” as the pronoun. ... If a person uses “she” or “he,” do not use “they” instead. Likewise, if a person uses “they,” do not switch to “he” or “she.” Use the pronouns the person uses. Kai is a nonbinary person.

Is it they or it?

Unlike the singular "it" which always implies a non-person, the plural pronouns "they", "them", and "those" do not. The plural forms should be used for any plural noun, whether or not it is a person. There aren't actually plural forms of people-specific pronouns.

Maya Lin-Takahashi
Author

Maya Lin-Takahashi

Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.