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What is the proper use of the words they, you, we, and one? Did i had to put these words in the previous setence in quotations ?

Can i used them to generalized ourselves?

For example in these sentence:

1. We need to avoid problems with bad peolple (does "we" mean all society including myself?).

2. One is responsible for his own mistaeks (the same thing. Does "one" mean people in general?).

3.They should do something about this high crime in the city (Do i need to establish who is "they" before using it?).

4. You must work and go to school to succeed (referring to people in general. this what people should to succeed. is this correct?).

please help me. i been struggling with this. i am afraid to speak afraid to make these mistakes.

And PLEASE correct any grammar fallacies.

Yankee · Accepted Answer

ARCHI
What is the proper use of the words they, you, we and one? Did I have to put these words in the previous sentence in quotations? You can put them in quotes or you can italicize them.

Can I used them to generalized ourselves? Can I use them to talk about all of us in general?

For example in these sentences:

1. We need to avoid problems with bad peolple (does "we" mean all society including myself?). It depends on the context. 'We' basically means 'you and I' and in the sentence 'we' could mean 'all of us everywhere'.

2. One is responsible for his own mistakes (the same thing. Does "one" mean people in general?). Yes, you can use the word 'one' to refer to something that is true about or applies to all people in general, but in American English, this usage of 'one' tends to sound overly formal.

3.They should do something about this high crime in the city (Do I need to establish who is "they" is before using it?). Not necessarily. 'They' can be used to mean 'somebody' and in your sentence the implication is 'they' = 'somebody who has the power to do something'.

4. You must work and go to school to succeed (Referring to people in general, this what people should do to succeed. Is this correct?). Yes, 'you' can be used similarly to 'one'.

Please help me. I have been struggling with this. I am afraid to speak because I am afraid of making ~~to make~~ these mistakes.

And PLEASE correct any grammar errors/mistakes ~~fallacies~~.

You shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes. Making mistakes is a normal part of the learning process. It is far better to say something with a few mistakes than to say nothing at all. And it is usually the case that even if you make some mistakes in English, people will understand you anyway.

Doll · Answer

1 and 2 have the general meaning but I am skeptical about 3 and 4.You should make an explanation after or before these sentences.

Rita_malicia · Answer

0hi Archi , 02br
02br
00i think the first and second one are correct, the first talking about society in general, the second is also about people in general, the third one is little bit not obvious but surely the meaning can be either "the Police" or the Governement" Ect...... it's better here to specify but your sentence is acceptable also if u dont wanna point a certain Administation and only generalize.However, the third forth one is not a general statement but rather a personal adressing, here it shows that u are adressing only one person ....And plz one Advise dont be asshamed or blocked or whatever we are all hear to learn and share ideas and be corrected we are called learners for we are learning if it wasnt the case we were called Native speakers 05000 so cheer up and iam waiting your turn to correct me also ....051010id211id2

New2grammar · Answer

0I have no problem with the forth sentence. I agree with Amy that it can be used to refer to people and I believe that the word 'you' makes your audience feel closer to you. For example,02br
02br
00"You can't be everything others want you to be! It's just not possible"0-

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