Indefinite Pronoun agreement with independent clauses

Question

Consider the following examples;1. Anyone in the class could have read the passage for the blind students before leaving the class. But they didn't do it.2. Anyone can write his or her name but they can't explain it.When a pronoun refers to a subject that is in one independent clause and the pronoun is in another independent clause (like example # 1) then does the pronoun has to be singular. Does this rules applies for all indefinite pronouns (somebody, anybody, all, none, someone etc)Does the above mentioned rule also applies when the subject, indefinite pronoun, is a part of an independent clause while the other pronoun is in the dependent clause (like example # 2)? GB

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Dependent clause, independent clause, separate sentence, separate paragraph-- the pronoun must agree in person, gender and number with the noun to which it refers. This is a simple rule.

The only problem that remains is what to use for a third person neutral gender singular pronoun.

Grammarian-bot · Answer

Mister MicawberDependent clause, independent clause, separate sentence, separate paragraph-- the pronoun must agree in person, gender and number with the noun to which it refers. This is a simple rule.

The only problem that remains is what to use for a third person neutral gender singular pronoun.

Consider the following two examples;

1. Anoyone can write his or her (not their) name in English.

2. Anyone in the class could have read the passage for the blind students before leaving the class. But they didn't do it.

Well the simple one rule for every situation that you described doesn't seem to work in the above examples. When the idefinite pronoun and its cooresponding pronoun are in the same clause then the indefinite pronoun takes a singular pronoun. But if the indefinite pronoun is in an independent clause , then it takes a plural pronoun in the next clause.

What I want to know is that does this rule applies for all indefinite pronouns.

GB

Mister Micawber · Answer

The only problem that remains is what to use for a third person neutral gender singular pronoun.

Please see .

FRANKLY SPEAKING · Answer

I got you
thanks

CalifJim · Answer

When a pronoun refers to a subject that is in one independent clause and the pronoun is in another independent clause (like example # 1) then does the pronoun has to be singular. Does this rules applies for all indefinite pronouns (somebody, anybody, all, none, someone etc)

Does the above mentioned rule also applies when the subject, indefinite pronoun, is a part of an independent clause while the other pronoun is in the dependent clause (like example # 2)?

_____

You need to be more careful, GB!!!

(Both occurrences of they are in independent clauses, by the way, so I don't see the distinction you're trying to make.)

CJ

Grammarian-bot · Answer

Alright, I again made a mistake. Well .... then consider the folowing example.

Everyone in the class cannot tell the meaning of his or her name because they are not singers.

Now.. is this sentence correct.

GB

Mister Micawber · Answer

Point 1: It is not a matter of 'correctness'. They is commonly used for singular of unknown or mixed gender; it is today, however, frowned upon in formal English.

Point 2: Your sentence commits a further error of style-- inconsistency of number and/or register. Irrespective (for the moment) of how we feel about they, it is preferred in careful writing to choose between:

Everyone in the class cannot tell the meaning of his or her name because s/he is not a singer.
Everyone in the class cannot tell the meaning of their names because they are not singers.

One simple and popular solution, by the way, is to recast in the plural:

All of the students in the class cannot tell the meaning of their names because they are not singers.

PS: Whatever does this sentence mean?

Indefinite Pronoun agreement with independent clauses

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