# Predict changes in English grammar/usage over the next 100 years

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predict-changes-in-english-grammar-usage-over-the-next-100-years/506522>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 15, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predict-changes-in-english-grammar-usage-over-the-next-100-years/506522 "2009-08-15T15:09:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Red\_Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@Red\_Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Skeezix)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predict-changes-in-english-grammar-usage-over-the-next-100-years/506522/61 "2009-08-26T14:36:28Z")

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[QUOTE=Cisco]

What is it?

[/QUOTE]

You is both singular and plural.

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**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predict-changes-in-english-grammar-usage-over-the-next-100-years/506522/62 "2009-08-26T14:54:22Z")

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> [@Red\_Skeezix](#):
>
> You is both singular and plural.

Ehh…I don’t know. You is both singular and plural, ok…

But there is some room for confusion if you are talking to a group of people and you say ‘you’ ; there is a good chance that they will think you are talking to someone in particular. Ya’ll is actually quite useful.

But don’t mind me, because I also think ‘she be on the west side’ is a great sentence that should lose the stigma attached to it. Won’t happen though, because people that don’t know how to use it correctly always mess it all up, even when they are trying to mock the usage of it.

And it seems impossible to me to teach one how to use it correctly.

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**Author:** ![StaudtCJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@StaudtCJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StaudtCJ)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predict-changes-in-english-grammar-usage-over-the-next-100-years/506522/63 "2009-08-26T23:28:30Z")

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I think we’re going to lose the word probably, in favor or probly or prolly. _shudder_ It’s already happening.

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