Ewe, yew or you

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Grammarist

A ewe is a female sheep. The word ewe is derived from the Old English word eowu, which means female sheep.

A yew is an evergreen tree or bush, it is a coniferous tree or bush of the genus Taxus. Yews have long, flat needles and berries, which are poisonous. The word yew may refer to the wood of this type of tree or bush or to the tree or bush itself. Certain types of yews are very long-lived, the Fortingall Yew is estimated to be between 3,000 and 9,000 years old, perhaps making it the oldest living thing in Europe. The word yew is derived from the Old English words īw and ēow.

You is a pronoun that refers to the person or people one is speaking to. You may be used as a singular pronoun or a plural pronoun. The word you is one of the one thousand most commonly used words in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. You comes from the Old English word eow.

Examples

The hapless ewe, a resident of Kiama Public School’s agricultural yard, became lodged in a low-lying tree fork overnight Friday. (The North Queensland Register)

Mrs Townsend said each ewe cost about $150, the lambs about $80 after they were born, and the three hoggets were worth about $90 each. (The New Zealand Herald)

A 4,112-year-old yew tree that was recently discovered in the northern province of Zonguldak is set to be declared a “natural monument” and opened to tourism. (The Hurriyet Daily News)

But if, today, you turn aside from St John’s Hill, close to that summit, in to a small enclosed space beside the road and take in the sight of the ancient yew before you, its limbs spreading out wide and close to the ground above scattered headstones, then look ahead towards the sheer drop into the expanse of the vale, you do catch a sense of the local magic and feel you are indeed in a special place. (The Guardian)

Do you ever wonder what the boss really thinks about you? (The Wall Street Journal)

Every country has its own regulations and you cannot force Switzerland to do what you want. (The Hindu)