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along with + they

English translation: he, not they

21:54 Mar 6, 2016
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Social Sciences - Linguistics
English term or phrase: along with + they
They or he in this context? the author several times wrote they.

Along with his brother, they graduated from the high school in 1910 (meaning he and his brother)
izabela28
Local time: 22:40
Selected answer:he, not they
Explanation:
In the sentence as posted:
Along with his brother, they graduated from the high school in 1910
'they' should - indeed, MUST - be replaced by 'he', if you want to conform to the basic rules of (UK) English grammar:
Along with his brother, HE graduated from the high school in 1910

On a side-note, I suspect that the ST was written by a non-native (or, at least, non-UK) user of English. In the UK we would drop 'the' before 'high school' in this sentence. Incorrect (or unconventional) use of the definitive article is a common sign of non-nativeness.
Selected response from:

Jennifer Levey
Chile
Local time: 16:40
Grading comment
thanks
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +7No.
philgoddard
5 +2he, not they
Jennifer Levey
4Like his brother, he also graduated in .....
Ellen Kraus


Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +7
No.


Explanation:
It's wrong.
The only case in which it would be correct is if someone else graduated along with him and his brother.

philgoddard
United States
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Jennifer Levey: Oliver and I will need a LOT of convincing before we upgrade our comments to a 'neutral', An 'agree' is beyond your reach, I fear.
44 mins
  -> Well, Oliver didn't need much convincing - he's withdrawn his comment.
agree  Charles Davis: I am bemused by the preceding comments. We are asked whether "they" is right. You say No, unless someone else is involved apart from him and his brother. You are right, obviously. I trust you are suitably chastened by Robin's disapproval :)
1 hr
  -> Thanks for being the voice of reason, Charles. I find the above comments bizarre.
agree  Cilian O'Tuama: 'They' is wrong (as are CL5 answers in almost all cases).
3 hrs
  -> Thank you!
agree  Jessica Burlacu: I agree. Considering that this sentence is about 2 people, "they" is incorrect in this context and "he" is correct. It's a common error.
4 hrs
agree  acetran
5 hrs
agree  Yasutomo Kanazawa: An eye-opener!
7 hrs
agree  Tony M: Although your explanation and headword answer are less than totally crystal clear, I had no difficulty in under standing that you were answering Asker's question, which although expressed oddly, is basically "Is 'they' OK here?" — answer "No"
9 hrs
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: with Tony.
12 hrs
agree  Victoria Britten
12 hrs
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24 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Like his brother, he also graduated in .....


Explanation:
the original is grammatically incorrect I would say

Ellen Kraus
Austria
Local time: 22:40
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Andrew Bramhall: No, the grammar is fine; as is ' like his brother', though maybe not the best option here;
1 min
neutral  Cilian O'Tuama: This is perhaps a better approach/solution, but doesn't answer the Q
3 hrs
neutral  philgoddard: "Like...also" is a tautology.
3 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
he, not they


Explanation:
In the sentence as posted:
Along with his brother, they graduated from the high school in 1910
'they' should - indeed, MUST - be replaced by 'he', if you want to conform to the basic rules of (UK) English grammar:
Along with his brother, HE graduated from the high school in 1910

On a side-note, I suspect that the ST was written by a non-native (or, at least, non-UK) user of English. In the UK we would drop 'the' before 'high school' in this sentence. Incorrect (or unconventional) use of the definitive article is a common sign of non-nativeness.

Jennifer Levey
Chile
Local time: 16:40
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 23
Grading comment
thanks

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Charles Davis: This is what Phil said. // The question term is "along with + they" and the first sentence below is "They or he in this context?". So the asker wants to know whether "they" is right. Phil says "No". And you agree with him. And yet you post a "disagree".
20 mins
  -> Your comment under Phil's answer "We are asked whether "they" is right.", is wrong. Asker has not asked if "they" is right; the choice between he/they was left open for discussion. And I most certainly disagree with most of what Phil has written here.
agree  Tony M: Though the use of the definite article might be fine, if some specific high school has been mentioned previously. / I do think Asker makes it perfectly clear that they have a doubt as to the source text's repeated use of 'they'.
8 hrs
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: just "he" as headword
11 hrs
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