diff --git a/lib/utils/entity-text.js b/lib/utils/entity-text.js
--- a/lib/utils/entity-text.js
+++ b/lib/utils/entity-text.js
@@ -5,7 +5,12 @@
 
 import { threadNoun } from '../shared/thread-utils';
 import { stringForUser } from '../shared/user-utils';
-import { threadTypes, type ThreadType } from '../types/thread-types';
+import {
+  threadTypes,
+  type ThreadType,
+  type RawThreadInfo,
+  type ThreadInfo,
+} from '../types/thread-types';
 
 type UserEntity = {
   +type: 'user',
@@ -47,10 +52,10 @@
 
 // ET is a JS tag function used in template literals, eg. ET`something`
 // It allows you to compose raw text and "entities" together
-function ET(
+const entityTextFunction = (
   strings: $ReadOnlyArray<string>,
   ...entities: $ReadOnlyArray<EntityTextComponent | EntityText>
-): EntityText {
+) => {
   const result = [];
   for (let i = 0; i < strings.length; i++) {
     const str = strings[i];
@@ -68,7 +73,112 @@
     }
   }
   return result;
-}
+};
+
+// defaults to shortName
+type EntityTextThreadInput =
+  | {
+      +display: 'uiName',
+      +threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
+    }
+  | {
+      +display?: 'shortName',
+      +threadInfo: ThreadInfo | RawThreadInfo,
+      +possessive?: ?boolean,
+    }
+  | {
+      +display: 'alwaysDisplayShortName',
+      +threadInfo: ThreadInfo | RawThreadInfo,
+      +possessive?: ?boolean,
+    }
+  | {
+      +display: 'alwaysDisplayShortName',
+      +threadID: string,
+      +possessive?: ?boolean,
+    };
+entityTextFunction.thread = (input: EntityTextThreadInput) => {
+  if (input.display === 'uiName') {
+    const { threadInfo } = input;
+    return {
+      type: 'thread',
+      id: threadInfo.id,
+      name: threadInfo.name,
+      display: 'uiName',
+      uiName: threadInfo.uiName,
+    };
+  }
+  if (input.display === 'alwaysDisplayShortName' && input.threadID) {
+    const { threadID, possessive } = input;
+    return {
+      type: 'thread',
+      id: threadID,
+      name: undefined,
+      display: 'shortName',
+      threadType: undefined,
+      alwaysDisplayShortName: true,
+      possessive,
+    };
+  } else if (input.display === 'alwaysDisplayShortName' && input.threadInfo) {
+    const { threadInfo, possessive } = input;
+    return {
+      type: 'thread',
+      id: threadInfo.id,
+      name: threadInfo.name,
+      display: 'shortName',
+      threadType: threadInfo.type,
+      alwaysDisplayShortName: true,
+      possessive,
+    };
+  } else if (input.display === 'shortName' || !input.display) {
+    const { threadInfo, possessive } = input;
+    return {
+      type: 'thread',
+      id: threadInfo.id,
+      name: threadInfo.name,
+      display: 'shortName',
+      threadType: threadInfo.type,
+      possessive,
+    };
+  }
+  invariant(
+    false,
+    `ET.thread passed unexpected display type: ${input.display}`,
+  );
+};
+
+type EntityTextUserInput = {
+  +userInfo: {
+    +id: string,
+    +username?: ?string,
+    +isViewer?: ?boolean,
+    ...
+  },
+  +possessive?: ?boolean,
+};
+entityTextFunction.user = (input: EntityTextUserInput) => ({
+  type: 'user',
+  id: input.userInfo.id,
+  username: input.userInfo.username,
+  isViewer: input.userInfo.isViewer,
+  possessive: input.possessive,
+});
+
+type EntityTextColorInput = { +hex: string };
+entityTextFunction.color = (input: EntityTextColorInput) => ({
+  type: 'color',
+  hex: input.hex,
+});
+
+type EntityTextFunction = ((
+  strings: $ReadOnlyArray<string>,
+  ...entities: $ReadOnlyArray<EntityTextComponent | EntityText>
+) => EntityText) & {
+  +thread: EntityTextThreadInput => ThreadEntity,
+  +user: EntityTextUserInput => UserEntity,
+  +color: EntityTextColorInput => ColorEntity,
+  ...
+};
+const ET: EntityTextFunction = entityTextFunction;
 
 type MakePossessiveInput = { +str: string, +isViewer?: ?boolean };
 function makePossessive(input: MakePossessiveInput) {
@@ -84,10 +194,11 @@
   if (entity.display === 'uiName') {
     name = userGeneratedName ? userGeneratedName : entity.uiName;
   } else if (entity.display === 'shortName') {
+    const threadType = entity.threadType ?? threadTypes.PERSONAL;
     name =
       userGeneratedName && !entity.alwaysDisplayShortName
         ? userGeneratedName
-        : threadNoun(entity.threadType ?? threadTypes.PERSONAL);
+        : `this ${threadNoun(threadType)}`;
     if (entity.possessive) {
       name = makePossessive({ str: name });
     }