| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| AGREEMENT OF INDEFINITE PRONOUNS AND OTHER SINGULAR NOMINALS WITH VERBS AND OTHER PRONOUNS |
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| Indefinite pronouns often cause problems because they are not gender-specific. Traditionally, Edited English has demanded a generic masculine singular pronoun for subsequent reference: Everybody may put on his coat. Increasingly, however, all levels of speech except Oratorical and all written English except the most Formal employ a plural pronoun in order to avoid making the gender-specific choice among his, her, or its in this situation: Everybody may put on their coat[s]. The same problem arises with the relative and interrogative pronoun, who, which is neither gender- nor number-specific: Who has time these days to do their homework before dinner? A similar problem arises with singular nouns that can apply to either or both sexes, as in The individual in every instance will have to make up their own mind[s]. Use either singular or plural pronouns in all these instances, depending on which sound more natural or more precise, except in most Oratorical or Edited English, where you should use he or she or she or he, or use the masculine and feminine pronouns alternately, or shift the entire construction to the plural, using they or people. See also AGREEMENT; ANYBODY; HE; INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE; NOTIONAL AGREEMENT; SEXIST LANGUAGE; S/HE; THEY. | 1 |
| Note too that other singular nouns sometimes seem notionally to suggest more than one such thing; in this situation too Standard English frequently uses a plural pronoun for reference to a singular noun: The bow tie seems to be coming back; I see them almost everywhere I go. | 2 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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