Freelance writers may encounter US editors for print or online publications who refuse to accept the singular they. Non US writers may find this issue puzzling, as the singular they is accepted in Britain and elsewhere. What makes the issue even more confusing is that there is much disagreement even within the US and there seems to be little historical evidence to make the argument against usage compelling.
What is the Singular They?
The singular they refers to those occasions when the pronoun “they” is used with an indefinite singular antecedent such as everybody, everyone, anybody, anyone, whoever, or with singular nouns which are not gender specific such as person, student, child, user, worker, etc.
Here are some examples of use of the singular they:
- Everyone has the right to their own opinions.
- Each child should bring their books.
- If a worker is late, they will be reprimanded.
The Singular They – Right or Wrong?
There are differences of opinion and no definitive answer to this question. In general, in English usage in the British Isles, the singular they is and always has been, throughout the long history of English Literature, perfectly acceptable. The Cambridge Guide to English Usage (2004, p.538) says of the use of the singular or generic they:
“It avoids gratuitous sexism and gives the statement broadest reference....They, them, their are now freely used in agreement with singular indefinite pronouns and determiners, those with universal implications such as any(one), every(one), no(one), as well as each and some(one), whose reference is often more individual....For those listening or reading, it has become unremarkable--an element of common usage.”
The Chicago Manual of Style
In America, there seems to be general confusion, exemplified by The Chicago Manual of Style which, in the fourteenth edition, endorsed the usage of the singular they, only to remove the reference and retreat to a non-committal stance on the usage in the fifteenth edition.
The Oxford Dictionary
“Ask Oxford” The Oxford Dictionary online advice service takes a similarly equivocal stance:
This is not a new problem, or a new solution. 'A person can't help their birth', wrote Thackeray in Vanity Fair (1848), and even Shakespeare produced the line 'Every one to rest themselves betake' (in Lucrece), which pedants would reject as logically ungrammatical.
Dictionary Definitions of “They”
Dictionaries are generally a sound guide to definition, understanding and usage and Merriam Webster, Random House, in the US and Chambers in the UK all confirm the usage of they with an indefinite singular antecedent.
Random House notes:
– Usage. Long before the use of generic HE was condemned as sexist, the pronouns, THEY, and THEM were used in educated speech and in all but the most formal writing to refer to indefinite pronouns and to singular nouns of general personal reference probably because such nouns are often not felt to be exclusively singular. Such use is not a recent development, nor is it a mark of ignorance.
Dealing With Editors
Freelance writers will inevitably encounter editors who refuse to allow the use of the singular they. Often, replacing they, them, themselves, or their, with “he or she”, “him or her”, “himself or herself” and “his or her”, would lead to clumsy writing. However, there is little point in trying to argue the case.
The most simple solution is, wherever possible make the antecedent plural, e.g. Shakespeare, when encountering such an editor would have been advised to compromise by changing “God send every one their heart's desire!” to “God send all people their heart's desire!”
Read more about the history of the generic or singular they, or find out more about the basics of freelance writing,
Janice Hally - Janice Hally has written more than 300 broadcast hours of prime-time TV drama in the UK, as well as fiction and non-fiction books.
