The proper way to use ‘y’all’

Each region of the United States has—to an extent—its own accent and local vocabulary, but the South’s use of y’all seems to stir up strong emotions amongst those both for and against its use.

Some people argue that it sounds redneck, while others believe it’s useful, a blog post from The Economist says. The post advocates using y’all, and suggests a few pointers on how to start incorporating the phrase into your conversations.

Want to give it a try? Here’s what you need to know:

Y’all is a plural form of you

Y’all is a contraction of you all. While it’s not incorrect to say you all, most Southerners use the contraction.