3
votes
Accepted
What does ‘they’ refer to?
The quote is in fact two sentences:
When people need to know things they need to know. When they don't, lie through your teeth and feel good about it.
Yes, "they" refers to "people.&...
- 10.2k
3
votes
Accepted
Is it an error to use "it" to refer to two different things in one compound sentence?
Context is everything. The simple answer to this question is no, it's not always and automatically an error to use the same pronoun word twice in one sentence to refer to different antecedents. But ...
- 10.2k
2
votes
When "you" is the subject of a question
Yes. The word "I" refers to the speaker. The word "we" can refer to either the speaker and the listener, or the speaker and some third parties. The word "you", refers ...
- 203k
2
votes
When ask about someone's gender, can I say "Is it a man or a woman ?"
This is poorly expressed and contextually very unlikely.
Mike says he is waiting for his dad's friend. There are plenty of natural follow-on questions: "How long have you been waiting?" ...
- 203k
1
vote
When ask about someone's gender, can I say "Is it a man or a woman ?"
Yes, this is completely normal and idiomatic usage.
Some similar and related examples:
Who's at the door? - It's our new neighbour.
I'm having problems with one of my students. - Is it Charlie again?...
- 389
1
vote
If you say ..., does <that><it> mean ...?
There's no significant difference in meaning.
Both pronouns simply stand for a thing that has been identified. The difference is that "that" calls a little more attention to the specific ...
- 10.2k
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