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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

"we" as singular?

0Is it substandard to use "we" when one is really referring to a singular subject? ("each of us"02br
02br
00(1) We always marry the one we love.02br
02br
00(2) We all have something we are ashamed of.02br
02br
00Can anyone provide a reliable reference?02br
02br
00Thanks.0-
  

Top answer

0Hi,02br 02br 01font 00Is it substandard to use "we" when one is really referring to a singular subject? 02font 02br 02br 00These sound acceptable to me. I'd hesitate to say that 'we' is referring to a singular subject here.

— Clive

  • 0Hi,02br 02br 01font 00Is it substandard to use "we" when one is really referring to a singular subject?
  • 02font 02br 02br 00These sound acceptable to me.
  • I'd hesitate to say that 'we' is referring to a singular subject here.
  • 02br 02br 01font 00Can anyone provide a reliable reference?
  • 02br 02br 00Best wishes, Clive0-
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8 Answers
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0Hi,02br
02br
01font00Is it substandard to use "we" when one is really referring to a singular subject? ("each of us"02font02br
02br
01font00(1) We always marry the one we love.02font02br
02br
01font00(2) We all have something we are ash
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0I think you're missing some subleties here.02br
02br
00IN the first example "the one" is definitely singular02br
02br
00IN the second example, "something" is definitely singular02br
02br
00"we" are not all marrying the same "one"02br
02br
00"we" are not all ashamed of the same "something"02br
02br
0
0
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0It is a common construction and not considered sub-standard.0-
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0 My knowledge of the English language might be limited but I can't find any problem with the sentences given.02br
00For example, in the first case, we could say that there is a "one" for every single element constituting the group "we".02br
00The examples given do not display any case of "we" as singular, as you call it. In each sentence, "we" has a plural meaning.
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0 It's me again. I've just noticed mistakes in one of my sentences. The correct question would be : could 01b00anyone 02b00tell me what the English phrase01b00 is 02b00for this "Nous de Majesté". Shame on me.0-
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0Hi,02br
02br
00It's called " the royal 'we' ". Queen Victoria is said to have famously remarked '01i00We 02i00are not amused'.02br
02br
00Best wishes, Clive0-
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0 Thanks a lot.0-
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0 And Margaret Thatcher took a lot of stick for announcing 'We are a grandmother!'. 0-
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