Graffiti Graffiti Graffiti (both singular and plural; the singular "graffito" is very rare in English except in archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and it has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire. In modern times, paint (particularly spray paint) and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner's permission is considered defacement and vandalism,
Singular they presumption about the sex of the person referred to", as in One explanation given for some uses of "they" referring to a singular antecedent is "notional agreement", when the antecedent is seen as semantically plural: In other words, in the Shakespeare quotation "a mother" is syntactically singular but stands for all mothers, and in the Shaw quotation "no man" is syntactically singular (demonstrated by taking the singular form "goes") but is semantically plural ("all" go [to kill] not to be killed), hence idiomatically requiring "they". Such use, which goes back a long way, includes examples where the sex is known,