英语语法：51 Generic Singular Pronouns

Grammar Girl here.

Today's topic is generic¹ personal pronouns.  Nolan in Victoria, British Columbia, asked the following question:

Just  wondering about whether to use she or he in terms of giving examples. Since she was written out of the literature for many, many years, some authors have decided² to use she exclusively to make their examples, whereas others maintain that he is the generic personal [pronoun] in the English language.

To be clear, the problem Nolan is talking about is that nobody really knows what pronoun to use anymore when talking about a person of unknown gender³. Let's say you're writing a sentence that starts  "When a student succeeds …" At this point there's enormous confusion about whether you should proceed with "he should thank his teacher," "she should thank her teacher," "he or she should thank his or her teacher," or something else.

Taryn from Evansville, David from New Jersey⁴, and a listener named Gina also asked about this problem, and I think Betty summed it up best by saying, “He or she seems too awkward, he seems sexist, and one seems archaic⁵.” I would add that exclusively using she also seems sexist, the hybrid⁶ s/he seems silly and awkward, and switching between he and she is downright confusing to readers. A listener named Bryan called switching between he and she “whiplash grammar,” which I loved. Then there's the solution that everyone loves to hate—using the personal pronoun they, which breaks the rule that you don't use a plural⁷ pronoun with a singular antecedent. Another Bryan from Nashville and a listener named Jimmy both wrote in after I used they with a singular antecedent in this way in episode 15. They wrote in to say that it's a cop-out.

Honestly, I don't think there is a perfect solution, and I've been avoiding the question because I know that no matter what I say I'm going to make someone angry.  But then Ken⁸ from Denver wrote in literally* pleading for help. He had obviously spent a lot of time looking through the Chicago Manual of Style and had concluded that their answer is “My, that's a toughie. Try to avoid it.” I agree that an answer like that is unhelpful,  so I decided to muster⁹ up some courage and try to do better.

First, some of you might disagree that using he is sexist; but even if you disagree, you should still at least consider the alternatives because all of the major style guides that I checked recommend against using he in a generic way. (I specifically checked MLA, APA, and Chicago, and I know I have seen it in others.)

When I am confronted with this problem, I first take the Chicago route and ask if there is any way to avoid the problem. Usually this involves simply making the original noun plural. You could say, "When students [plural] succeed, they should thank their teacher." Sometimes more extensive rewriting is required, and if necessary, I'll do it. I would rewrite a whole page if it meant I could avoid the problem.

Rewriting is almost always possible, but if it isn't, then you have to make a choice.

If I'm writing a formal document, I'll use he or she. For example, he or she accidentally knocked over a water bottle. Admittedly, it's a little awkward, but if you're already using formal language, I don't think it's too distracting. (This is also the solution recommended by The American Heritage College Dictionary.)

I will state for the record that I am a firm believer that someday they will be the acceptable choice for this situation. English currently lacks a word that fits the bill, and many people are already either mistakenly or purposefully using they as a singular generic personal pronoun; so it seems logical that rules will eventually move in that direction.

Nevertheless, it takes a bold, confident, and possibly reckless person to use they with a singular antecedent today. I could almost feel people's blood pressure rising as I started to imply that it is OK to use they.

The thing is, if you are a respected editor in charge of writing a style guide for your entire organization, you can get away with making it acceptable to use they with a singular antecedent. I would even encourage you to do so, and there are a variety of credible¹⁰ references that will back you up (1,2,3) including the Random¹¹ House Dictionary and Fowler's Modern English Usage. You would be in the company of revered¹² authors such as Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll, and Shakespeare. But, if you are responsible to superiors, there's a good chance that at least one of them will think you are careless or ignorant if you use they with a singular antecedent. When I'm writing for a client who doesn't have a style guide, I always, always use he or she.

And that brings me to an important point: everyone who hires writers or assigns writing needs to have a styleguide entry on this topic. Writers can waste a lot of time trying to decide what to do (especially in organizations where people collaborate¹³ on documents), and it is better to have one single style that some people don't agree with than to have different writers doing different things so that company documents are all willy-nilly. You don't want readers to end up thinking it's a disorganized, clueless company.

So here's the bottom line: Rewrite your sentences to avoid the problem. If that's not possible, check to see if the people you are writing for have a style guide. If not, use he or she if you want to play it safe, or use they if you feel bold and are prepared to defend yourself.

That's all. I know people have strong opinions about this topic, so I've put up a poll on the Grammar Girl website at quickanddirtytips.com where you can vote for the solution that you prefer when you need a generic singular personal pronoun.

Also, I have another Mark Phillips book to give away, and the winner is an English teacher named Elnora. This week, the book I'm giving away is The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder, and it will also be available for sale on the Grammar Girl website. 

And people have been calling in asking about topics that I've already covered, so I want to remind you that there is a list of all the old episodes in the sidebar at the Grammar Girl website at QuickAndDirtyTips.com, including when to use the words affect and effect.

Thank you for listening, and thank you to Steve Thornton for help preparing the transcript¹⁴. You can e-mail a comment or question to .... Finally, Warner wrote in this week to chide¹⁵ me for saying “O” for the numeral zero in my phone number, and I vow¹⁶ to change. The call in line is 206-338-GIRL (4475).

 

1 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

4 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

5 archaic   

adj.(语言、词汇等)古代的，已不通用的

参考例句：

• The company does some things in archaic ways,such as not using computers for bookkeeping.这个公司有些做法陈旧，如记账不使用电脑。
• Shaanxi is one of the Chinese archaic civilized origins which has a long history.陕西省是中国古代文明发祥之一，有悠久的历史。

6 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

7 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

8 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

9 muster   

v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册

参考例句：

• Go and muster all the men you can find.去集合所有你能找到的人。
• I had to muster my courage up to ask him that question.我必须鼓起勇气向他问那个问题。

10 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

11 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

12 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

13 collaborate   

vi.协作，合作；协调

参考例句：

• The work gets done more quickly when we collaborate.我们一旦合作，工作做起来就更快了。
• I would ask you to collaborate with us in this work.我们愿意请你们在这项工作中和我们合作。

14 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

15 chide   

v.叱责；谴责

参考例句：

• However,they will chide you if you try to speak French.然而，如果你试图讲法语，就会遭到他们的责骂。
• He thereupon privately chide his wife for her forwardness in the matter.于是他私下责备他的妻子，因为她对这种事热心。

16 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。