: Underline? the entire phrase "prospect...generous versions". We suggested simple fixes. Yes. Ben Jolivet writes: Last week I wrote my first singular “they” and then cried myself to sleep.

Which of the following sentences is incorrect: A) It’s enough to drive anyone out of his senses. – Anthony Apr 1 '17 at 8:29. I think that it contains a mistake because them is used to replace child.

Could another explanation be that Returns Department is genderless and therefore we can use "them" (as in "Someone is at the door, please show them in.")? “It’s enough to drive anyone out of their senses” was written by the celebrated playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw. It should have been "him or her", or the beginning of the sentence should have referred to any "children" that misbehave. We do recommend that sentences be rewritten to avoid singular they where possible, but it may not always be possible when dealing with gender issues (see 2019’s Word of the Year Is Inclusive Not Divisive). There are people who identify as “they”. So 'them'(also meaning 'more than one") is the correct answer. With dread. Still have questions? The pilots vowed to use legal means to FIGHT that situation, mentioned above, and not 'airlines' or 'less generous versions'. What is the definition of a person that is a “redneck”. So “they” would not be addressing just one person, but every person in a group. You don't say "these are my underwear" without adding a final -s to the word as you do with words like trousers, glasses, shoes, etc. As language is always evolving, always changing, I’m disappointed this was not part of your examination of singular “they.” I see both men and women wearing “they, them, theirs” buttons to identify their chosen pronouns. And if it were "version" that's when you'd use "it", I think the pronoun antecedent is little ambiguous according to the answers provided, The subject or the antecedent is actually the situation i.e. Your email address will not be published. Singular they has two uses: specific and generic (“Pronouns”). The word "Underwear" itself is singular, so what you mean is that the USE of the word may be plural or singular. What is a person who likes things done a certain way called? I teach business English, and I am seeing the use of “they” as singular more and more.

Bruce Hayes writes: We mentioned in the opening paragraph that this was installment two of three about the singular they, and that the third article would include “modern arguments for its use.” Even so, several readers felt strongly enough to write in addressing gender issues, which had not yet been covered. From what I understand "him" is singular and can be both masculine and neuter. But in addition, more people are declaring their gender as non-binary. That article looked at careless mismatches of the normally plural pronoun they with a singular antecedent. It is not up to me or any other hardcore grammarians (my people!) Thanks for this topic, because it’s interested me for years in my job as a technical writer. So do we recommend the singular they? The most “impressive credential” is that people use they/them pronouns to identify themselves. For example, consider this sentence: Tell the next caller they can redeem the winning code themselves. While most of our site should function with out, we recommend turning it back on for a better experience. because them is referring back to the less generous VERSIONS, which is a plural noun. 2019’s Word of the Year Is Inclusive Not Divisive. What happened to grammar rules? Still have questions? There are people who identify as a non-binary gender who prefer to use the pronouns they/them to refer to themselves. Thank you for addressing this! The dictionary has long been the standard “go to” for correct spelling and usage.

No, them/they/their should only be used with animate subjects or objects of the verb. I say, let’s roll with “they” and make life easier. If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.

:) u already have the answer, it s correct. You are right that it is incorrect, but you will see it used more and more often to bypass the issue of gender. Remembering Jane Straus | May 18, 1954—February 25, 2011. Patrice Sayre writes: Specific Use The MLA advises writers to always follow the personal pronouns of individuals they write about. It is found in the works of many great writers.”, • British editor Tom Freeman: “Singular ‘they’ is over 600 years old, going back into Middle English. Great writers have used it, including Chaucer, Shakespeare, Swift, Fielding, Austen, Defoe, Byron, Thackeray and Shaw.”, • The American Heritage Dictionary: “Writers who choose to use they with a singular antecedent should rest assured that they are in good company—even if a fair number of traditionalists still wince at the usage.”, • The irascible Tom Chivers, writing in London’s daily Telegraph: “If someone tells you that singular ‘they’ is wrong, you can firmly tell them to go to hell.”. Use of “they” and “their” is becoming preferred in some circles, in order to avoid gender assumptions. The "less generous versions". The antecedent is "less generous versions." Embattled Felicity Huffman wants her passport back, Trump and Biden clash on lockdowns in final debate, Ex-49ers star gets 15 years to life in rape conviction, Questions swirl after pope's bombshell endorsement, As cold weather nears, millions could have power shut off, COVID-19 superspreader events have experts worried, No black sheep here: Pistachio is a green (yes, green) puppy, Bowden: I wanted to live so I could vote for Trump, Snowden granted permanent residency in Russia, Documents in Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein case unsealed. C) It’s enough to drive anyone out of their senses. Yes, "them" is plural ("it" is singular). Thus, you will rarely see the singular they in our blog posts. But high school children don't like to be called children these days. The sentence should have been written: "If your child misbehaves on the band trip, you will have to drive to Dallas to pick him up."

I cannot understand why some of your other answerers feel the urge to rewrite it into less comprehensible form! Them is plural. Material created by Jane Straus and GrammarBook.com. What do you use instead? Elise Matatall writes: The sentence should have been written: "If your child misbehaves on the band trip, you will have to drive to Dallas to pick him up." It is correct, because it's speaking to parents as a whole, rather than just one person.

These folks expressly request being referred to as “they” rather than “he” or “she.” So to me, the evidence is overwhelming that we need a gender-neutral pronoun, and “they” is the closest thing we’ve got.

And the use of “he” or “him” to indicate a collection group is equally hurtful to a lot of folks. We’ve always needed a gender-neutral pronoun in English, and “they” is used informally that way all the time. Copyright by Jane Straus/GrammarBook.com. Native English speakers, could you please help me with these issues? Becuz them is always talking about more than 1 person. It really helps to know how “they” should be used in formal writing. so since "versions" is plural ur talking about more than one. The title of our first newsletter this month was How Did They Get In Here?

B) It’s enough to drive anyone out of his or her senses. Actually you want to use " it" because it is referring back to the subject " airline" which is singular. Anastasia A. writes:

What they are going to fight are proposed changes to their pension plans. there seems to be some issues with using him in these times if increased awareness of the need for gender equality. That sounds wrong since we know it's just one person. Get your answers by asking now. Jane writes: If not could you please explain in detail why.

With dread. From what I understand "him" is singular and can be both masculine and neuter. It's quite hard to explain, but 'them' is correct. Nouns like this include: trousers, jeans, glasses, savings, thanks, steps, stairs, customs, congratulations, tropics, wages, spectacles, outskirts, goods, wits Titles of Books, Plays, Articles, etc. In this era of horrific gender stereotypes, I would absolutely expect, and insist, that language continue to evolve or at least be flexible enough to meet human needs. Most traditionalists would consider B the best sentence (despite the clunky his or her), although they would reluctantly accept A also. In the past we would probably have restructured the sentence to read: "If any children misbehave on the band trip, their parents will have to drive to Dallas to pick them up.". Quotation Marks. Many dictionaries are “descriptive” in nature (i.e., they describe how words are being used), while many people may prefer a more “prescriptive” approach. Is it racist to say that someone is russian? them is never used as a singular word. I’d appreciate hearing your discussion of this use.