B2Nouns, pronouns and possession

Generic and common-gender pronouns

Refer naturally to unspecified people using you, we, they, one and singular they while maintaining clear agreement and register.

Overview

What this grammar does

Refer naturally to unspecified people using you, we, they, one and singular they while maintaining clear agreement and register.

Form and rules

How it works

Generic you is common in conversation for people in general: You never know what will happen.

Generic we can include speaker and audience/community: We tend to underestimate small risks.

Generic they can refer to institutions/unknown agents: They say the road will reopen soon.

Singular they is standard for a person whose gender is unknown, irrelevant or nonbinary: If a student calls, tell them to email.

One is a formal generic pronoun; keep reference consistent rather than switching awkwardly between one and you.

A closer look

Meaning and use

Singular they is standard for a person whose gender is unknown, irrelevant or nonbinary: If a student calls, tell them to email.

One is a formal generic pronoun; keep reference consistent rather than switching awkwardly between one and you.

Examples

See the pattern in complete sentences

You can't always predict the outcome.

We often remember unusual events better.

They've changed the rules again.

If anyone calls, tell them I'm out.

One should consider the wider consequences.

Common mistakes

What to avoid

If a customer has a complaint, ask it to complete this form.

If a customer has a complaint, ask them to complete this form.

Singular they/them naturally refers to a person of unspecified gender.

Them never know when an opportunity will appear.

You never know when an opportunity will appear.

Generic you can refer to people in general in conversation.

Ready to practise?

The test combines multiple choice, gap completion, error correction, and sentence building so students have to recognise and produce the grammar, not simply reread the rule.

Previous topicReflexive and reciprocal pronouns Next topic Compound nouns and possessive forms