Use of his/her/their

Question

i have gone through a engish e-book and noticed that a grammar point which says

someone lost their keys - wrong
someone lost his/her keys -right

Can anyone clarify the usage of his/her/their in a sentence?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

someone lost their keys - Completely acceptable and all but universal in spoken English
someone lost his/her keys - Preferred for formal written English unless 'his/her' is called for more than 2 or 3 times, in which case the sentence becomes too awkward and should be re-cast.

Philip · Answer

Hi, Mr. M!

There is a linguistic term for the process of using a word that exists where a word we need doesn't exist [someone has lost their keys]. It might be "substitution" but I don't think it's that easy. Do you know what it might be?

Mister Micawber · Answer

Not offhand, Philip, sorry. If I run across it, I'll let you know, and please do the same. Meanwhile, you can read about our [url=http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/linghebr/austheir.html#X1x]PRONOUN[/URL].

Anonymous · Answer

I don’t want to be too picky, but “a engish e-book” should be “an English e-book”, but that’s just me being too picky.

The correct answer depends, in part, on your age. Purists tend to be older. My schooling was in the 50's & 60's when grammar was actually taught. The "women's rights" movement greatly contributed to the decline of the simple and straightforward grammar in this case. Apparently, women didn’t feel female if the word “his” was used in the generic sense. It has gotten so bad that I am no longer surprised to hear, “When a mother is nursing their baby…” Does that need any explanation? Probably so! Mothers are usually female; so, the correct construction is, “When a mother is nursing her baby…”

The absolute, technically correct answer is, "Someone lost his keys." This is true because the actual *** of the person who lost the keys is irrelevant, and “his”, in this case, includes both males and females without distinction. The same grammatical construction exists in the Romantic languages as well. Unfortunately, too few Americans (none) study a second language anymore. If there is any mix of sexes in a group, or the *** is unknown or irrelevant, then the masculine form of the word should be used. When the group is all female, the feminine form is used. Trying to use both “his/her” is cumbersome and distracting, and it detracts from the speaker’s credibility.

Lastly, for those who are shocked by the use of the word “***”, you should know that people don’t have a gender; they have a ***—male or female. The police of the politically correct changed that in favor of being, well, politically correct. In Romantic languages, pens and pencils have a gender—el lápiz or la pluma, masculine and feminine, respectively. Let it be said that neither a pencil nor a pen has a ***.

Lastly, let me point out that not even the great feminista , Gloria Allred, says “their” in place of “his” or “her”; although, I have heard her dance all around that kind of construction.

Regards,

Bleslle

Mister Micawber · Answer

I think your whole post is you being too picky.

Englishmaven · Answer

The word "someone" is singular, you need a singular pronoun to refer to it. That's why you need his/her. Since "someone" is neither masculine nor feminine, you have to give both options. "Their" is plural, so it doesn't work.

Englishmaven · Answer

People can say that Bleslle is too picky, but the point is still tested on the SAT and the TOEFL, and it is still considered substandard. When we practice the wrong form, it starts to sound normal, and we don't know what sounds right anymore.

Mister Micawber · Answer

I guess I need to post this again for the prescriptivists lurking among us:

The alternative to the masculine generic with the longest and most distinguished history in English is the third-person plural pronoun. Recognized writers have used they, them, themselves, and their to refer to singular nouns such as one, a person, an individual, and each since the 1300s. For example, in 1759 the Earl of Chesterfield wrote, “If a person is born of a…gloomy temper…they cannot help it,” and, echoing this sentiment, W. M. Thackeray wrote in Vanity Fair in 1848, “A person can’t help their birth.”

Modern writers of note, from George Bernard Shaw to Anne Morrow Lindbergh, have also used this construction, in sentences such as To do a person in means to kill them and When you love someone you do not love them all the time. The practice is widespread and can be found in such mainstream publications as Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post, Discover, and Wall Street Journal.

The use of the plural pronoun to refer to a singular noun or pronoun is hardly restricted to writing, however. Its use is so common in speech as to go without being noticed. And it is a favorite among advertisers, as in the slogan In matters of taste, to each their own.

Anonymous · Answer

He lost his keys.
She lost her keys.
Some person lost his/their keys.

In traditional english the male pronoun was used if the gender was unknown. Some suppose that use of the male pronoun in that manner is sexist, and there is some tendency to subsitute the plural "their" for "his." I am not sure at this point which one I would go with. My guess is that for school work it would be better to go with the plural, and then accept the correction if the teacher doesn't like it.

Use of his/her/their

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