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From: joe@fluke.UUCP (Joe Kelsey)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: "Their" as a substitute for his/her
Message-ID: <2065@vax4.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-Jan-85 14:17:31 EST
Article-I.D.: vax4.2065
Posted: Fri Jan 11 14:17:31 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 13-Jan-85 06:44:42 EST
References: <1315@dciem.UUCP> <643@bunker.UUCP> <1914@sun.uucp> <401@hou2e.UUCP> <1108@teddy.UUCP>
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
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Did everyone miss the article <788@amdahl.UUCP>, in which gam cites the
Oxford English Dictionary as explicitly condoning the use of they, them
and their as singular generic pronouns?  His article was very well
written and I found it quit enlightening.  I plan to save it to use
whenever anyone challenges my use of they, them, or their as singualr
generics.  Also, I can't help but point this error out:
_________________________________
From: mlf@teddy.UUCP (Matt L. Fichtenbaum)
   If you don't believe that, then try using "they" instead of "he" or "she:"

	"Everyone should sit down when they arrives."

since "arrives" has a singular subject (he/she, from "everyone").
_________________________________
In this sentence, "arrive" has a plural subject, "they".  "Everyone" is
the subject of the verb "should sit".

/Joe