Another plural form is you people. However, this can sound rude, and should only be used if you want to show that you are angry or annoyed with the people you are talking to.
‘Why can’t you people leave me alone?’ he says.
‘I can’t work with you people,’ Zoe said.
Some plural forms of you – you guys, you lot, you two, you three and y’all – can also be used as vocatives. For more information on vocatives, see paragraphs 9.95 to 9.99. You all and you both cannot be used as vocatives.
‘Listen, you guys,’ she said. ‘I’ll tell you everything you want.’
Come on, you two. Let’s go home.
Bye, y’all!
For more information on you as an object pronoun, see paragraphs 1.104 to 1.106.
he and she
1.99 You refer to a man or a boy as he, and to a woman or a girl as she.
My father is 78, and he’s very healthy and independent.
Billy Knight was a boxer, wasn’t he?
Mary came in. She was a good-looking woman.
‘Is Sue there?’ – ‘I’m sorry, she doesn’t work here now.’
it
1.100 You use it to refer to anything that is not male or female; for example, an object, a place, an organization, or something abstract.
Have you seen Toy Story? It’s a good film for kids.
‘Have you been to London?’ – ‘Yes, it was very crowded.’
How much would the company be worth if it were sold?
It is not an idea that has much public support.
It is often used to refer to an animal when its gender is not known or not considered to be important. Some people also refer to babies in this way.
They punched the crocodile until it let go of her.
If the shark is still around it will not escape.
How Winifred loved the baby! And how Stephanie hated it!
You also use it in general statements, for example to refer to a situation, the time, the date, or the weather.
It is very quiet here.
It is half past three.
It is January 19th.
It is rainy and cold.
For more information on the use of it in general statements, see paragraphs 9.31 to 9.45.
Note that it is also an object pronoun. For more information on this, see paragraphs 1.104 to 1.106.
1.101 Although it is used as a pronoun to refer to something that is not male or female, she is sometimes used to refer to ships, cars, and countries. Some people do not like this usage.
When the repairs had been done she was a fine and beautiful ship.
we
1.102 You use we to refer to a group of people that includes yourself. The group can be:
Where shall we meet, Sally?
We aren’t exactly gossips, you and I and Watson.
I do the washing; he does the cooking; we share the washing-up.
they
1.103 You use they to refer to a group of things, or to a group of people not including yourself or the person or people you are talking to.
All the girls think he’s great, don’t they?
Newspapers reach me on the day after they are published.
Winters here vary as they do elsewhere.
They is also often used to refer to people in general. For more information on this, see paragraph 1.123.
object pronouns
1.104 Object pronouns refer to the same sets of people or things as the corresponding subject pronouns.
Here is a table of object pronouns:
singular plural 1st person me us 2nd person you 3rd person him
her
it them
position in clause
1.105 Object pronouns are used as the object of a clause.
The nurse washed me with cold water.
He likes you; he said so.
The man went up to the cat and started stroking it.
They can be the indirect object of a clause.
Send us a card so we’ll know where you are.
A man gave him a car.
You have to offer them some kind of incentive.
They can also be the object of a preposition.
She must have felt intimidated by me.
Madeleine, I want to talk to you immediately.
We were all sitting in a café with him.
1.106 Object pronouns can also be used after linking verbs. For example, you can say It was me, It’s her. However, in formal or written English, people sometimes use a subject pronoun after a linking verb. For example, It was I, It is she.
For more information on linking verbs, see paragraphs 3.126 to 3.181.
Talking about possession: possessive pronouns
1.107 When you are talking about people or things, you often want to say how they are connected with each other. There are several different ways in which you can do this, but you usually do it by using a possessive pronoun to show that something belongs to someone or is associated with them.
Here is a table showing possessive pronouns:
singular plural 1st person mine ours 2nd person yours 3rd person his