everyone looks like they are

Question

Everyone looks like they are enjoying the party.Everyone look like they are enjoying the party.Please tell me which sentence is the correct one.Thank you.

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

Everyone looks...

(Be aware that there are some people who will insist you say "looks as though" rather than "looks like." I'm not one of them.)

Yoong Liat · Answer

AnduyEveryone looks like they are enjoying the party.
Everyone look like they are enjoying the party.

Please tell me which sentence is the correct one.
Thank you.

Although 'everyone' means 'all the people', a singular verb has to be used.

Every apple is rotten.

Every one of the apples is rotten.

Every one of my friends is helpful.

Everyone is helpful.

Everybody is helpful.

As long as you see 'every' in a sentence the verb in such constructions has to be singular.

Philip · Answer

Yoong Liat
AnduyEveryone looks like they are enjoying the party.
Everyone look like they are enjoying the party.

Please tell me which sentence is the correct one.
Thank you.

Although 'everyone' means 'all the people', a singular verb has to be used.

Every apple is rotten.

Every one of the apples is rotten.

Every one of my friends is helpful.

Everyone is helpful.

Everybody is helpful.

As long as you see 'every' in a sentence the verb in such constructions has to be singular.

Correct. Assuming you are a teacher, I'm wondering if you have a way of explaining to your students what you have said here and then using a plural pronoun (they) to refer to the singular antecedent. I can't explain it to my own native logic.

Yoong Liat · Answer

Philip
Yoong Liat
AnduyEveryone looks like they are enjoying the party.
Everyone look like they are enjoying the party.

Please tell me which sentence is the correct one.
Thank you.

Although 'everyone' means 'all the people', a singular verb has to be used.

Every apple is rotten.

Every one of the apples is rotten.

Every one of my friends is helpful.

Everyone is helpful.

Everybody is helpful.

As long as you see 'every' in a sentence the verb in such constructions has to be singular.

Correct. Assuming you are a teacher, I'm wondering if you have a way of explaining to your students what you have said here and then using a plural pronoun (they) to refer to the singular antecedent. I can't explain it to my own native logic.

Could you give me an example of such a sentence so that I can hope to explain, using my non-native logic?

Anonymous · Answer

Yoong Liat
Could you give me an example of such a sentence so that I can hope to explain, using my non-native logic?

He was clearly asking you about this one:

Everyone looks like they are enjoying the party.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Can't we just say that because English lacks a non-gender-specific singular third-person personal pronoun (that applies to people - we don't like being called "it"), and because attempts to invents such a word have been unsuccessful, we sometimes use the plural form to avoid implying that the statement applies only to males or only to females. And when we use that plural from, the verb agrees with the plural pronoun. Although non-gender-specific singular third-person personal pronoun is quite a mouthful!

Yoong Liat · Answer

Anonymous
Yoong Liat
Could you give me an example of such a sentence so that I can hope to explain, using my non-native logic?

He was clearly asking you about this one:

Everyone looks like they are enjoying the party.

Strictly speaking, it should be Everyone looks like he or she is enjoying the party.

Here again the singular verb 'is' used.

However to be avoid mentioning the gender, in modern English, the sentence is rephrased as "Everyone looks like they are enjoying the party.

This is how I would explain the usage to my students.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Hi Yoong Liat - Absolutely, that's what the original poster was asking - but I think Philip was asking about the Everyone (singular)... their (plural).

Yoong Liat · Answer

Grammar Geek
Hi Yoong Liat - Absolutely, that's what the original poster was asking - but I think Philip was asking about the Everyone (singular)... their (plural).

Thanks, Barbara.

After posting my reply, I realised Anon was referring to Philip's question. That's why I erased the answer and posted another answer, which is in response to Philip's query.

When you had posted your reply to me, I was still typing my reply to Anon.

It is the same explanation as yours.

BarbaraPA · Answer

We're just too speedy!

everyone looks like they are

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