‘Everyone do their best in challenging situations‘ or ‘Everyone does their best in challenging situations.’ Which one of the sentences is correct? “Everyone” is a singular indefinite pronoun, so it requires a singular verb. The correct form to use with “everyone” is “does.”
For example:
- Everyone does their best in challenging situations. (Correct)
- Everyone do their best in challenging situations. (Wrong)
- Everyone does their part in contributing to the success of the project. (Correct)
- Everyone do their part in contributing to the success of the project. (Wrong)
- Everyone does their part in contributing to the community. (Correct)
- Everyone do their part in contributing to the community. (Wrong)
- Everyone does their best work when motivated. (Correct)
- Everyone do their best work when motivated. (Wrong)
Explanation
Using the word “everyone” as a singular indefinite pronoun can sometimes lead to confusion. It might seem as though it refers to multiple people, but grammatically, it’s treated as a singular entity. In English, when “everyone” is the subject of a sentence, it takes a singular verb. This applies to various contexts:
- Everyone does their part in contributing to the conference’s success.
- Everyone is bringing their dish to the potluck dinner.
- Everyone needs to submit their forms by the end of the day.
Using “does” instead of “do” can often be a point of grammar that requires adjustment since it might sound counterintuitive when referring to a group. But in proper English grammar, “everyone” takes a singular verb.
If there’s a need to avoid the gender-neutral “their” in formal writing, some rephrasing might be needed. For instance:
- Everyone does his or her best in such situations.
This change maintains the singular form, though it might sound more formal or less fluid. Using “their” as a singular gender-neutral pronoun has become widely accepted in modern English.
