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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Help with word

Should it be 'salary or salaries' in this sentence due to the use of 'their'?

Has everyone received their 'salary/salaries'?

I think 'salary' makes more sense and works better here. Do you agree?

Thanks
  

Top answer

I agree with you. It's really not "their" but "his/her salary" - that's the way that I see this. The use of PC language has made things a bit difficult, despite all the good intentions.

— Xerxes

  • I agree with you.
  • It's really not "their" but "his/her salary" - that's the way that I see this.
  • The use of PC language has made things a bit difficult, despite all the good intentions.
  • Before you could just say "has everyone received his salary"?
  • Now you either say "his/her" or "their", which is the case in your example.
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11 Answers
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I agree with you. It's really not "their" but "his/her salary" - that's the way that I see this. The use of PC language has made things a bit difficult, despite all the good intentions. Before you could just say "has everyone received his salary"? Now you either say "his/her" or "their", which is the case in your example.
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I am beginning to second-guess myself. Upon further reflection, actually, I seem to favour "salaries" no less than "salary". There are a number of salaries (presumably everyone has a different one) and not one salary for all. Frankly, I would just say:
"Has everyone received their pay?"
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Xerxes I am beginning to second-guess myself. Upon further reflection, actually, I seem to favour "salaries" no less than "salary". There are a number of salaries (presumably everyone has a different one) and not one salary for all. Frankly, I would just say:"Has everyone received their pay?"
Thanks for your response. I can see why you changed your mind and no
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AnonymousDo you agree?
No. The word "pay" is uncountable. You can have salaries, but you can't have "pays" (NB: I am not referring to the verb - he pays, she pays - only to the noun). It's always "pay" in that context.
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Xerxes AnonymousDo you agree?No. The word "pay" is uncountable. You can have salaries, but you can't have "pays" (NB: I am not referring to the verb - he pays, she pays - only to the noun). It's always "pay" in that context.
Yes, you are right. I missed that and got confused. You can only say 'pay' when referring to money (salary)!

But what about the
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Yes, I would say so. If I only had that choice of either/or (and not "pay"), I would probably go with "salaries".
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If you want to know whether anyone has told me how much I will earn this year, you can ask if I received my salary.
if you want to know whether I have received my pay for the month, you can ask if I have received my pay.

(Xerxes, it's a common misconception that the unisex "their" is response to "political correctness." It's not. It predates the illogical use of "he" to refer to eith
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BarbaraPA(Xerxes, it's a common misconception that the unisex "their" is response to "political correctness." It's not. It predates the illogical use of "he" to refer to either gender that came to be in the mid 1800s. Read literature preceding that time and you'll find "their" all over the place.)
I stand corrected, then.
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BarbaraPAIf you want to know whether anyone has told me how much I will earn this year, you can ask if I received my salary.if you want to know whether I have received my pay for the month, you can ask if I have received my pay. (Xerxes, it's a common misconception that the unisex "their" is response to "political correctness." It's not. It predates the illogical use of "
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I'd use the singular.
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