Phrase "They who arrive early will get the best selection of seats"

[HamburgEnglish]

OH OK Ill tell you .... but please English people ... think harder ..........

They does NOT refer to people .... it refers to A PERSON and because we do not know if this person is a HE or a SHE we use the plural ...

They who worship the Lord, will forever have a place in Heaven.

e.g. Who left their unbrella here? THEY will get wet today because it is raining! .... no sex, then use plural!

bye bye and happy Easter (smile)

[HamburgEnglish]

P.S. I think Amy was the closest if not correct !!!

[nessie]

Hi HamburgEnglish ,
Thanks for your idea
Do you mean people use "they who" instead of "she who/he who" to avoid causing sexism? But do you agree that this usage is applied only in proverbial or literary cases?

Regards
Nessie

P.S: Your nickname sounds special Are you English?

[MrPedantic]

I would agree that Amy is right; but I wouldn't agree that "They" in:

1. They who arrive early will get the best selection of seats.

is a case of "they" for "him/her".

"Best selection of" here premodifies "seats", and refers to a group of seats. Thus the context is of several people, not one.

All the best,

MrP

[Molly]

[HamburgEnglish]

Hi Molly

It depends totally on situation ... It is not incorrect to say THEY, but it may sound a little strange in some situations.

For example:

You make a mistake at work and you say to your boss ...

Praise be unto Thee, O Mr Johnson. Forgive me for my mistake, let me keep my job ! (smile)

By the way, Mr Johnson is the boss!

Oh yes and while I think about it, have you see the Darth Vader sketch on YouTube? It is so funny I nearly peed myself! Go to YouTube and type in "Darth vader Canteen", choose the LEGO character version..

Do you know who I am? (laughing)

bye bye ...

Rob

[HamburgEnglish]

Also a good point Mr P. But still does not omit the use of THEY because it could mean a single person getting seats, or a single person completing this action many times and then the seat they get is plural. Remember, the sentence is written in the context of the present simple (nowadays, fact,)

[Molly]

[MrPedantic]

[nessie]

Too much argument now (+_+). So in summary, "they who..." is only used in proverbial or literary cases?

Many thanks
Nessie

[Molly]

[MrPedantic]

Hello Nessie,

[Molly]