Frequently Asked Questions
Grammar
Is it acceptable to use they instead of he or she? |
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The English language unfortunately lacks a simple singular pronoun which does not specify gender. Various people have suggested new words to fill this gap, but none of them has caught on, or (frankly) is ever likely to: it is not practical to try to change such a basic element of the language by sheer will.
However, children and adults alike naturally find the obvious solution to this conundrum: rather than using the formal and awkward formula 'he or she', they simply use they, especially after words such as anyone and no one which are strictly singular but often imply a reference to more than one person.
This is not a new problem, or a new solution. 'A person can't help their birth', wrote Thackeray in Vanity Fair (1848), and even Shakespeare produced the line 'Every one to rest themselves betake' (in Lucrece), which pedants would reject as logically ungrammatical.
If you do not find this usage acceptable, there are alternatives. You could resort to the awkward 'he or she' formula, or to the practice of writing 'he' when you mean 'he or she' (which many people find objectionable), or to recasting all your sentences to avoid the problem!
Other questions in this section:How do I know when to put an apostrophe in it's?
If someone is doing a master's degree in the arts is it an MA or a MA?
In the sentence 'It is raining' what is 'it'?
Is 'agenda' singular or plural?
Is 'data' singular or plural?
Is it acceptable to use 'they' instead of 'he' or 'she'?
Should I use a singular or a plural verb with collective nouns such as 'government', 'committee', and 'family'?
Should I write 'a number of people is' or 'a number of people are'?
What are the plurals of 'octopus', 'hippopotamus', 'syllabus'?
What is a split infinitive, and why should I avoid using one?
What is the word for 'the whole is greater than the sum of the parts'?
When should I use 'less', and when should I use 'fewer'?
Which is correct: 'a hotel' or 'an hotel'?
Which is correct: 'a person was laid on the table' or 'a person was lain on the table'?
Which is correct: 'my friend and me' or 'my friend and I'?
Which is the correct spelling: 'oriented' or 'orientated'?
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