It vs. They

'It' and 'they' are both personal pronouns. If you want to know what are their uses and functions under different circumstances, don't waste another second!

How to use "It" and "They" in English

What are their main differences?

'It' and 'they' are both personal pronouns in English. Their most obvious difference is that 'it' is a singular pronoun, and 'they' is a plural one.

'They'

'They' is a subject pronoun used to refer to two or more people or things that have already been mentioned or are already known about. We can use 'they' to refer to:

  • People
  • Animals
  • Non-human but living things (like plants, reefs etc.)
  • Non-human and non-living things (books, chairs, etc.)

Let us take a look at some exampels:

They don't like to be discriminated.

I hope they come back soon.

Plural-Only Nouns

For nouns that always come in plural but they are actually one thing, for instance, pants, glasses, trousers, etc. do not use it. You should use 'they.'

I bought a pair of pants. They're black.

Tip!

Although, using 'it' for these special nouns is considered wrong, but you might hear someone saying a sentence like:

I bought a pair of pants. It's black.

It is grammatically wrong, but used anyway.

Collective Nouns

If you want to refer to company names like Microsoft or Mcdonald's, you might think, that since companies are made up of more than one person, the correct choice is 'they'. But it can go either way. Compare these sentence:

McDonald's have added a new snack to their menu. They're advertising it nonstop.

When referring to a collective noun by 'they' we are referring to the people working in there.

McDonald's has added a new snack to its menu. It's advertising it nonstop.

When referring to a collective noun by 'it' we are referring to the company or organization as a unit.

Now, look at these examples:

I found a great restaurant. They have the best sushi.

Here, we want to mention the people working there.

I found a great restaurant. It has the best sushi.

Here, we are referring to the restaurant as a single entity.

Singular 'They'

Nowadays, due to the new revolutionary awareness about gender, in modern English, if we want to refer to only one person, but we do not want to or don’t know the gender, instead of using 'he/she' or 's(he)' or 'he or she', we simply can use 'they'.

Every child deserves an education. They must have a chance to follow their dreams.

'It'

'It' is both a subject pronoun and an object pronoun. We can use 'it' to refer to:

  • A Non-human but living thing (like plant, tree, etc.)
  • A Non-human and non-living thing (book, chair, etc.)

Referring to One Thing

If you want to refer to only one thing, do not use 'they'. Use 'it'.

I watched Lord of the Rings movies several time. They are my favorite.

She loves ice cream. It's her favorite dessert.

Subject and Object

'It' can be used as the subject or objectt of a verb when the real subject or object is later in the sentence.

It's a shame you couldn't come. (it as a subject)

I found it hard to concentrate. (it as an object)

Dummy Subject

'It' can also be used as a dummy subject of a sentence when you are talking about the weather, the time, the distance, etc.

Is it still raining?

Comments

Loading recaptcha
  • linkedin
  • linkedin
  • facebook
  • facebook
  • email

You might also like

She vs. He

As you might've known already, 'he' and 'she' are the only gender-specific personal pronouns in the English language. Here, we'll explain them in more detail.

She and I vs. She and Me

What is the difference between 'she and I' and 'she and me'? Can we use both options? Or none of them is correct? Let's find out!

It vs. This

'It' and 'this' are both pronouns, but they are not synonymous. Here, we will discuss their similarities and differences.

It vs. Them

'It' and 'They' are both pronouns, but what is the difference between 'it' and 'they'? Here we will discuss the differences and similarities between the two.

He vs. They

What should we choose when we do not want to be explicit about gender specificity? Well, in this lesson, you will learn about the new pronoun in English!

She vs. They

In writing academically or speaking formally, it is important that you don’t distinguish between genders. Here we will learn how!

download langeek app for free