Questions tagged [genderless-pronouns]
Use this tag for questions about the use of pronouns with due regard for gender-neutral language.
39
questions
34
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7
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A "user" is "it" or "he/she"?
I'm not sure what is right and what not. I've searched on Google and could not find an answer to this. How should I write this:
I'm speaking about a user. It is the main problem.
The question is. ...
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12
votes
3
answers
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Grammatical number agreement in a complex phrase using singular "they"
Answering another question, I used the following phrase:
Your reader is [...], but they are a busy person.
I have two difficulties here:
In the first phrase, a reader, being singular noun, ...
- 8,125
11
votes
1
answer
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Can you refer to somebody using "they"?
In "The Troubles" of U2, there is this :
Somebody stepped inside your soul
Somebody stepped inside your soul
Little by little they robbed and stole
Till someone else was in control
What I ...
- 1,911
10
votes
6
answers
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Are some schools teaching "They" as genderless singular?
I've read this article in The Atlantic saying that in English schools in Europe, teachers have started teaching pupils the new "they" used as a gender-neutral or genderless singular he/she/it.
They ...
- 25.1k
9
votes
3
answers
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Is "singular they" widely used?
I often use singular they to keep my sentences gender neutral. Many of my friends (none of them are native speakers), however, consider this to be grammatically incorrect, and suggest me not to use it ...
- 1,219
9
votes
3
answers
415
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Singular they and gender neutrality
Gender neutrality seems like a tough nut in English. "One" seems very helpful, but since it's pretty difficult to phrase a right question regarding its usage because of the countless possible uses of ...
- 1,145
8
votes
1
answer
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Is there a gender-neutral pronoun that can replace “his” or “her”? [duplicate]
This post has two parts: (a) a question and (b) a proposal.
(a) Often, particularly while writing technical papers or user's manuals, I have come across a situation where I need to say:
A user ...
- 209
5
votes
4
answers
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Each person have or has? And about "it"?
Each person have or each person has?
And more: Each person have/has its own way to learn or each person have/has his own way to learn?
I'm asking this because I found some contradictions on the ...
5
votes
4
answers
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Gender neutral word for alumna/alumnus
1.I read in a grammar book that the gender neutral word for alumna/alumnus is "alum", but I couldn't find the word anywhere else.The word alum also means-a specific chemical compound.So is the usage ...
- 869
4
votes
5
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Anyone can find the answer himself vs. anyone can find the answer themselves: what reflexive pronoun should I use with anyone/anybody?
I am wondering which following form is correct:
Anyone can find the answer himself.
Anyone can find the answer themselves.
More generally, what reflexive pronoun should I use with anyone/anybody?
- 5,899
4
votes
2
answers
445
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Is it acceptable to use "he" as a neutral pronoun?
In Italian, when I am talking about an unknown person, I would use the third person singular, masculine. For example, I could say Chi ha rubato le chiavi alla ragazza è qualcuno che ha potuto ...
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4
votes
5
answers
9k
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Which pronoun best suits to "man" as human in general?
When "man" is used as a general pronoun for humans, which gender (female, or male) does it have? For example, how should the following statement be corrected?
Today’s man, besides the physical ...
- 2,298
3
votes
4
answers
801
views
Is referring to a specific definite person of KNOWN gender as "they" acceptable?
Egalitarianism and anti-sexism seem to be strict norms in English-speaking societies.
I think a majority of people advocate the use of they when referring to a specific definite person whose gender is ...
- 2,006
3
votes
2
answers
31k
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Why use "their" after "someone"?
"Someone has forgotten their book". Why can we use 'Their" and what's the difference if instead of "their" we use "his/her"?
- 3,674
3
votes
3
answers
293
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3rd person singular (he or she)
I see sentences with (he or she) like :
How to know if he or she is the best one for you?
Give a Person Power and He or She Will Show Interpersonal Sensitivity.
It's possible to use just one ...
- 339
3
votes
1
answer
231
views
Possessive noun for genderless word
I have a genderless word (a student), but I need to use the possessive pronoun for it. I think of four possibilities: their, his/her, her, and its.
When a student has a process, the student can ...
- 481
3
votes
2
answers
11k
views
"his or her own" vs. "their own"
Compare:
Everybody likes his or her own child. vs Everybody likes their own child.
Are both of these sentences natural to a native speaker? I want to mean the same thing in both of them. Can I ...
- 1,304
2
votes
1
answer
250
views
How to avoid gender dependent pronouns? [duplicate]
I have always problem with finding a suitable sentence to avoid a gender dependent pronoun. I know I can use "they" or "their", but if there were other options to totally omit them, I would prefer ...
- 8,909
1
vote
3
answers
17k
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How to address a person, whose gender is unknown, in the email body?
I usually start with 'Dear Sir/Madam' in emails when I don't know the gender of the recipient. However, when I have to reply, it seems awkward to use 'sir/madam'. Unfortunately, I am unfamiliar with ...
- 13
1
vote
1
answer
86
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Objective gender-neutral pronoun?
One would be evaluated based on:
1. what one does.
2. what is available to ----.
Some use "her" for the blank above. I want a gender-neutral pronoun. Can I simply use "one" again?
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1
vote
2
answers
672
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What pronoun should i use if i want to indicate something in general
When I want to use “the” definite article to refer to things in general like:
The cow is a useful animal; pronoun ...
The doctor works in hospital; pronoun ...
The lion is the king of the ...
- 3,037
1
vote
1
answer
2k
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clarification on using pronoun his/him against context [closed]
In this android application, in pronoun test, they have a question
If anyone calls,tell ___________ that I'll be back in half an hour
option 1 : his/her
option 2 : him/her
option 3 :...
- 187
1
vote
1
answer
224
views
Plural pronoun for singular (collective) noun and instead of him/her?
For example: The government is being flayed for their abysmal performance.
Is this sentence correct? Can we use singular verb "is" and plural "their" simultaneously?
Also, can we use they/them ...
- 347
1
vote
1
answer
195
views
The usage of "she" and "her" in neutral cases
I am reading an article now and facing some strange usage of pronouns:
An agent’s probabilities are defined by her willingness to place or accept any bets she believes to be favorable to her on the ...
- 13
1
vote
1
answer
308
views
Are "one" and "one's" used correctly in these two sentences?
Is the following paragraph correct in a formal English article? Or there is a better way to write it? My doubt is about one and one's. Are they used in the paragraph correctly?
Thanks
One also can ...
Alek
1
vote
1
answer
557
views
Gender free accusative/possessive nouns [duplicate]
If you do not want to differentiate gender of a person being referred to, for instance in public or legal notices, why is there no single word for the following word pairs?
(he,she), (him,her), {his,...
- 384
0
votes
4
answers
10k
views
Why do people use they/them pronoun for a single person?
I see a lot of people using they/them pronoun on their twitter handles. And when I googled about it, I have come to know that it is a Gender-neutral pronouns.
However, isn't it wrong to use words ...
- 262
0
votes
3
answers
183
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"You will be the President himself." — The noun "President" is not someone but something. Then why is "itself" not used instead of "himself"?
the textbook "the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language", page 1497 (the link):
(1) You will be the President himself.
Am I right that "himself" means the gender of the subject ...
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0
votes
1
answer
55
views
English pronoun for Person as a subject [closed]
what pronoun substitutes the noun -person- for this sentence, please:
ie: when a person sees something, x[the person] should call the police.
- 41
0
votes
1
answer
3k
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Everyone, he/she/it?
Is there a possibility to form the following sentence "gender-independent" in English?
Everybody sees, what he/she wants to see.
What can I use instead of he/she? Additionally: How can I give this ...
user44064
0
votes
1
answer
35
views
Missing Part of Speech? Gender Neutral third person pronoun [duplicate]
Is there a gender neutral third person pronoun in English? Say I wanted to tell someone to "forward the email to him/her". Is there a word to replace "him/her" if the gender is unknown? Perhaps "them"?...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
386
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There is no singular, gender-neutral collective pronoun. (from Quora) [duplicate]
From Quora by C Stuart Hardwick (Award-Winning Sci-fi Author) from Houston, TX
Many people would say "Everyone should save their questions until the end", but this is widely regarded as wrong. The ...
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0
votes
3
answers
93
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using their in this case
Is it okay to use their in this case:
If one is driving a smelly car, it is most likely that their hygiene
is horrible.
Well, their is definitely plural, and one is singular, so I think it ...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
198
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The use of "he" as a gender neutral pronoun on a formal writing
I made the following composition.
It was meant to be a formal writing.
Most proponents of euthanasia say that it is allowed only when the patient is willing to receive it.
However, when the ...
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0
votes
1
answer
79
views
if he/she reasonably believe -- no "s"?
Example with a context:
In the United States, stand-your-ground law is a law that authorizes a person to protect and defend one's own life and limb against threat or perceived threat, and states ...
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0
votes
2
answers
229
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Collective 'they' for singular subject: socio-linguistic impact [closed]
As an introduction to my question, this is a more-than-useful reference:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/he-or-she-versus-they
In my days I was taught (English as a foreign language) that, ...
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votes
1
answer
76
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Combining generic "one", "he" or "they" in a convoluted sentence [duplicate]
What is the best and what is acceptable from the following sentences?
If one finds oneself in a situation where one's own life is at stake, one should think of oneself first.
If one finds himself in ...
- 1,589
-1
votes
1
answer
75
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Is it ok to use "the" instead of "his" or "her" as in "The child learns from the mother"? [closed]
In a long paper, I'd like to avoid using gendered pronouns referring to a person, an individual, a child, a parent. "His" and "her" seem hard to get rid of by rephrasing as they ...
- 135
-2
votes
1
answer
2k
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Somebody is knocking at the door, aren't they?
Though the use of plural pronoun is grammatical for the indefinite pronouns such as somebody, someone, anyone etc., it sounds meaningless to me. For example, somebody is knocking at the door. I know ...
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