English Grammar
THEY
Using the non-gender pronoun ‘they’ when referring to a person in the singular.
In English, when the gender is known, we use the pronouns ‘he’ or
‘him’ to refer to a man and
‘she’ or ‘her’ to refer to a woman.
For the same reason the gender-free pronoun ‘their’ is used to replace his/her.
For example :
For example :
“It’s enough to drive anyone out of their senses.”
- GB Shaw, Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant (1898)”
However it should be noted that some traditional grammarians still consider this usage to be unacceptable in formal writing. So when writing in a very formal context it might be advisable to reword the text in order to avoid this, but in any other register it is perfectly acceptable.
- “If Mr. Brown calls while I’m out, tell him to call back later.”
- “If the lady calls while I’m out, tell her to call back later.”
- “If anyone calls while I’m out, tell him to call back later.”
For the same reason the gender-free pronoun ‘their’ is used to replace his/her.
- “Someone said that they saw a man running away with the suitcase.”
- “Each person was asked what they wanted for lunch.”
- “If anyone calls while I’m out, tell them to call back later.”
- “I’m looking for the owner of this phone to give it back to them.”
- "The person who called didn't leave their name."
- “Oh, someone has dropped their key. I’ll leave it at the reception.”
- "Any parent would be worried about their child given the circumstances."
For example :
- Can you tell someone’s character from what they wear?
- → What can you tell about people from what they wear/from their clothes?
For example :
- If a patient has a problem, he or she should speak to his or her doctor.
“It’s enough to drive anyone out of their senses.”
- GB Shaw, Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant (1898)”
However it should be noted that some traditional grammarians still consider this usage to be unacceptable in formal writing. So when writing in a very formal context it might be advisable to reword the text in order to avoid this, but in any other register it is perfectly acceptable.