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Elementary

Head Rambles Posted on by

They: Pronoun. Third person, plural.

I would have been taught this back in Infants’ Class, or at the very latest, First Class.

Basic grammar. Part of the foundation blocks of the English language. Every kid should know this and use the correct pronoun instinctively.

“They” is not a substitute for “he”, “she” or “it”. The latter group are singular pronouns.

Surely they are still teaching something this basic in schools?

Surely parents want their kids to learn to speak properly.

Apparently not.

I’m glad to read that at least one teacher still has a grasp of the fundamentals.

 

Comments

Elementary — 6 Comments

  1. I often think we should invent a pronoun that is a contraction of she/he/it to satisfy these muppets. Don’t think they’d appreciate being called sheit though

  2. I was raised in a part of Scotland with a local accent and dialect that was almost incomprehensible outside a distance of maybe 50 miles.
    But I was also very fortunate to have, from primary one up to leaving secondary school, teachers who insisted that we spoke and wrote proper English in the classroom.
    Outside the classroom, in the playground, we used the local tongue. As did some of the teachers.
    We ended up being able to talk to older locals without sounding condescending or mocking, and also talk and be understood by any other native of the British Isles.
    And later English speaking foreigners. With the added advantage that we could revert to dialect and totally baffle outsiders.
    By not teaching children how to speak proper these educators are handicapping the children for life.

    • You didn’t try your hand/tongue on Scottish Gaelic? As an [ex-]speaker of Irish I can testify that it’s a brilliant way of dumbfounding foreigners.

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