grammar : showing or indicating no more than one thing a special kind of clothing that is worn by all the members of a group or organization (such as an army or team)

a television show, radio show, etc., that is one part of a series John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. Over time, you will build a strong understanding of when and how to use different pronouns. The next time you are watching films or listening to everyday discussions in English, pay careful attention to how speakers use the second-person plural pronouns. On writing tests, for example, you would probably not want to use y’all or you guys. He adds that you guys likely comes from America.įor now, you should be very careful about using any pronouns other than you. Bauer suggests that youse likely comes from Ireland, “although it is also found in parts of Scotland and the north of England.” In a paper on New Zealand English, Laurie Bauer notes that some speakers use a second-person plural form youse, as well as other forms such as youse guys and you guys. When you listen to English speakers from around the world, you will hear slightly different second-person plural pronoun usage. The opinion story described the decline of youse in America and noted that you guys and y’all have risen to take the place of youse. “Hey you guys, what are you all looking at?”Īnother second-person plural pronoun, youse, is also used in America, but such usage is growing increasingly rare, a 2017 opinion story in the Chicago Tribune suggests. The video notes that a speaker might greet two or more people by saying the following:īut please note that the video also makes fun of the difference between y’all and you guys, which we will explore in detail in a future report. A video called The Many Meanings of “Y’all” explores the many uses of the term. In some parts of the United States, speakers use the term y’all as the second-person plural. One student might tell two or more other students:

Schoolchildren are getting out of control. Note that both speakers used the term you guys to show that they were speaking to several people. Think back to the words you heard at the beginning of this report: In everyday speech, Americans have several other ways they show the difference between the second-person singular and the second-person plural. If the same lawyer were speaking to a group of people, he or she might say: I need both of you to sign this document. Imagine a lawyer needs two people to sign a document. Sometimes they use both of you when speaking to two people sometimes they use all of you or some of you when speaking to groups. Speakers of American English have many ways to show the difference between second-person singular and second-person plural. How do they show if they are already speaking to one person or more than one person, especially in everyday discussions?Įnglish speakers around the world have different ways that they deal with this problem, as we will see. You might wonder how English speakers deal with speaking to others. You is both the singular and plural form. The third-person pronoun also has its singular and plural forms.īut the second-person pronouns are a little unusual. In English grammar, we often describe pronouns in terms of person and number. Think of words such as I, you, we, and they. Personal pronouns are among the first pronouns you learn in English. In this Everyday Grammar, we will explore second-person plural pronouns in American English and other kinds of English. Today’s report is not about police, criminals, or funny shows.

Ny times y all youse you guys