Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site amdahl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!sun!amdahl!gam From: gam@amdahl.UUCP (gam) Newsgroups: net.women,net.nlang Subject: Re: 'they' as third person singular indefinate sex pronoun Message-ID: <920@amdahl.UUCP> Date: Sat, 12-Jan-85 17:00:10 EST Article-I.D.: amdahl.920 Posted: Sat Jan 12 17:00:10 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 15-Jan-85 01:01:05 EST References: <488@mhuxt.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: Blue Mouse Trailer Resort, Hellmouth, CA Lines: 17 Xref: watmath net.women:4079 net.nlang:2399 > > I've been following the discussion here about the use of 'they' instead > of 'he' as a third person singular indefinate sex pronoun, and as I was > writing an article recently, I needed just such a pronoun. I thought: > "What the heck, let's try out this 'they' word."; and did. The results > were less than satisfying. This is the phrase I ended up with: > "is anonymous; if they finds out where I live, will > they come bomb my house?" This has a more serious error: you want it to be subjunctive. " is anonymous; if they were to find out where I live, would they bomb my house?" Not so bad, is it? -- Gordon A. Moffett ...!{ihnp4,hplabs,sun}!amdahl!gam