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ShaNap Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Singular or Plural ??
Hey ...
Maybe someone can help me here?
This is my question:
I think there is a problem in the next paragraph:
"...They question how memories can be transported over time and space to someone else. For skeptics, the answer is simple: they can't. If a person looked hard enough, they say, they could find plenty of evidence to support "recollections" of past lives."
Do you think that "they could find" is wrong because "they" relates to "a person" (singular)?
I've been told that it is okay, and that in American English you may use the language in that way in order to create gender-ambiguity.
Thanks!
Maybe someone can help me here?
This is my question:
I think there is a problem in the next paragraph:
"...They question how memories can be transported over time and space to someone else. For skeptics, the answer is simple: they can't. If a person looked hard enough, they say, they could find plenty of evidence to support "recollections" of past lives."
Do you think that "they could find" is wrong because "they" relates to "a person" (singular)?
I've been told that it is okay, and that in American English you may use the language in that way in order to create gender-ambiguity.
Thanks!
Top answer
"he" is grammatically correct. "they" is supposed to cover "he or she", therefore it is also accepted. But in practice, you're split between "he", "he or she" and "they".
- "he" is grammatically correct.
- "they" is supposed to cover "he or she", therefore it is also accepted.
- But in practice, you're split between "he", "he or she" and "they".
- I believe that no matter which one you choose, there'll always be someone complaining.
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2 Answers
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"he" is grammatically correct.
"they" is supposed to cover "he or she", therefore it is also accepted.
But in practice, you're split between "he", "he or she" and "they". I believe that no matter which one you choose, there'll always be someone complaining.
"they" is supposed to cover "he or she", therefore it is also accepted.
But in practice, you're split between "he", "he or she" and "they". I believe that no matter which one you choose, there'll always be someone complaining.
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