He/she/it

He is a man.

navitasanWhich is correct:

1-I have a new co-worker. It is a man.

2-I have a new co-worker. He is a man.

They both are, at the same time, okay and somewhat odd.

I would say 'I have a new co-worker, (who is) a man.'

Although people are usually referred to as 'he' or 'she', there are times that a person is very naturally referred to as 'it'. A good example is the following.



There is a knock on the door and A goes to see who's there.

B. Who is it? (B is not going to say something like 'Who is he or she?' or 'Who are they?')

A. It's the paper boy. ('He is the p

The answering-the-door/telephone use of 'it' are fixed phrases.
Between navi's choices, only #2 works. #1 could be uttered only by a devout misandronist.

There is also the fixed phrase:
"It's a boy!"

"It's a girl!"

Mister MicawberThe answering-the-door/telephone use of 'it' are fixed phrases.

Yes, and similar fixed phrases are used in many situations.

A. The new manager has been chosen.
B. Who is it?
A. It's Mary.

The above sounds much more natural to me, and I'm sure