MSGID: 1:153/716.0 c789b824   
   REPLY: 2:221/6.0 5c74df40   
   CHRS: IBMPC 2   
   Hi, Alexander!  Recently you wrote in a message to All:   
      
    AK>  -----Beginning of the citation-----   
    AK>     "Why would a king be talking with a shepherd?" the   
    AK>  boy asked, awed and embarrassed.   
    AK>     "For several reasons.  But let's say that the most   
    AK>  important is that you have succeeded in discovering   
    AK>  your Personal Legend."   
    AK>     The boy didn't know what a person's "Personal Legend"   
    AK>  was.  "It's what you have always wanted to accomplish.   
    AK>  Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal   
    AK>  Legend is.   
    AK>  ----- The end of the citation -----   
      
    AK>  What about the last sentence?   
      
    AK>  Should it be "Everyone, when he is young, knows"   
      
      
            In formal English, yes.   
      
      
      
    AK>  or "All people, when they are young know..."   
      
      
            With the addition of a comma after "young", this would be correct.  It   
    doesn't have quite the same impact from a stylistic POV, however....  :-)   
      
      
      
    AK>  If we use "they", we imply many people? IMHO, it is   
    AK>  incompatible "are" and "knows".   
      
      
            Native speakers often find the grammar confusing because "every" seems   
    to imply "many"... but what matters is that "one" (or whatever else comes   
   right after "every") is singular.  The CBC lightens up its ads for a new series   
    named CORONER by saying "Every body has a story".  In the 20th century we had   
   various songs with lines such as   
      
                  Everybody loves a baby   
      
                  Everything is beautiful, in its own way   
      
   ... and I've just discovered umpteen variations on   
      
                  Every good man needs a good woman.   
      
      
            Everyone knows (!) what to do re subject/verb agreement here.  As soon   
    as personal pronouns are introduced, however, the situation is more complex.    
   I think what you're seeing is that novels written during the last 50 years may   
   be aimed at a different audience than older works.  Using "they" to refer to   
   males & females alike... regardless of number... is the popular choice   
   nowadays.  :-Q   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
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