| December 2004 | Vol. 9 Issue 7 |
It's a common mistake arising from good intentions: you want to use gender-neutral pronouns, so you write "their," "they," and "them" instead of "his," "he," and "him."
There's just one problem: "their," "they," and "them" are plural pronouns and should not be used with singular subjects or objects.
Unacceptable examples
When a person gets their license they should know better.
When a customer comes in employees should talk to them immediately.
"Person" and "customer" are singular. "Their," "they," and "them" are plural.
Gender-neutral solutions
Make subjects/objects and verbs plural:
When people get their licenses they should know better.
When customers come in employees should talk to them immediately.
Use both pronouns
When a person gets his or her license he or she should know better.
When a customer comes in employees should talk to him or her immediately.
Address the reader directly
When you get your license you should know better.
When you come in employees should talk to you immediately.
Visit our archive for past Grammar Traps.
Kevin Leigh Smith, kevlsmith@purdue.edu