Another grammar question - use of "their" instead of the more cumbersome "his or her"

[ELaurie]

I've noticed that the plural pronoun "their" used with a singular pronoun such as "everyone" has become increasingly commonplace, even in printed media.

 

I find myself using "their" incorrectly in casual conversation sometimes as well, because saying "his or her" sounds too formal and more stilted, or as if I'm bending over backwards to be politically correct, although that's not necessarily my intent.

 

I want to model correct grammar for my dc, without rearing them to be grammar nerds :tongue_smilie: WWYD?

[Veritaserum]

In speech I use one or the other ("he" or "she"). In print I'll type s/he. "Their" is plural so I do not use it when speaking about an individual person

 

My degree is in linguistics. We had debates about this in class. A nice solution would be to create a new third person singular gender-neutral pronoun aside from "it".

[Michelle T]

but until that happens, I use "their" instead of "his or her".

 

I'm not bothered by its being grammatically incorrect. English has always changed to suit the times.

Michelle T

[Plaid Dad]

A nice solution would be to create a new third person singular gender-neutral pronoun aside from "it".

 

How about "one"?

 

In my editing classes, we were taught to avoid the he/she problem by using plural constructions:

 

Instead of "If a student wants to go to the bathroom, he or she must get a hall pass" the suggested form is "Students who want to go to the bathroom must get a hall pass".

[joannqn]

I do as the spanish do and use the masculine pronoun. It drives my daughter batty because she insists this baby I'm carrying is a girl and until I know otherwise, I use "he".

[Ellie]

I say teach your dc correctly. It isn't all that cumbersome; we're just not used to hearing it. And if at some point it bothers any of them because of the supposed sexist nature of using "him" teach them to rewrite the sentence so that they can use plural pronouns.

 

I have no qualms about using masculine pronouns when the gender of the subject noun is unknown. It is how English is. There is not going to be a gender-neutral pronoun, and using "he" is much easier and, imho, less confusing to write "s/he."

Edited February 6, 2009 by Ellie

[Ellie]

How about "one"?

That can be very awkward, and most people do it incorrectly such that it's just annoying.

 

In my editing classes, we were taught to avoid the he/she problem by using plural constructions:

 

Instead of "If a student wants to go to the bathroom, he or she must get a hall pass" the suggested form is "Students who want to go to the bathroom must get a hall pass".

I think that's a better option (although in your example, wouldn't it be "hall passes"? because isn't there more than one hall pass? Just askin'.:D )

[Jean in Newcastle]

How about "one"?

 

In my editing classes, we were taught to avoid the he/she problem by using plural constructions:

 

Instead of "If a student wants to go to the bathroom, he or she must get a hall pass" the suggested form is "Students who want to go to the bathroom must get a hall pass".

 

I use "their" interchangeably with one - as a plural construction. But I tend to use "their" more often in spoken communication. And I use "one" in written communication esp. if it is of a more formal nature. In formal writing, one should be more aware of the language one is using!:D

[Chris in VA]

Using "their" for a singular pronoun is one of my pet peeves. :D

I like Plaid Dad's solution, and I also use both "he" and "one," depending on the circumstances.

[LizzyBee]

I think that's a better option (although in your example, wouldn't it be "hall passes"? because isn't there more than one hall pass? Just askin'.:D )

 

Maybe if they go as a group, they can share one pass. But then, that would only apply to the girls. ;)