Michelle Cha Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

Please check out the grammar in the sentence.

"Unconfirmed news reports of a hypothesis make consumers feel betrayed when it is /they are challenged later on."


This is a sentence I compose. I wonder whether to write 'it is' or 'they are'. It or they refer to hypothesis in the sentence.

The reason I ask this question is that I have come across many examples of using 'it' instead of 'they' in texts even though they indicate plural nouns obviously. Is it ugly to use a pronoun 'they' to represent repeated plural nouns in a text?

Thanks in advance.

  

Top answer

" Use 'it is' if you wish to refer to 'hypothesis'; use 'they are' if you wish to refer to 'reports'. Michelle Cha I have come across many examples of using 'it' instead of 'they' in texts even though they indicate plural nouns obviously Could you share a few of those with us? Be sure to include the complete sentences.

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1 Answers
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Michelle Cha"Unconfirmed news reports of a hypothesis make consumers feel betrayed when it is /they are challenged later on."

Use 'it is' if you wish to refer to 'hypothesis'; use 'they are' if you wish to refer to 'reports'.

Michelle ChaI have come across many examples of using 'it' instead of 'they' in texts even though they in