If they is to be used in this way, it is a good idea to give a brief explanation (e.g., “Casey prefers the pronoun ‘they’”) so that readers do not feel confused. Indeed, some transgender or gender non-conforming individuals may specifically ask to be referred to as they. The American Dialect Society drew attention to this fact by recognizing the gender-neutral, singular they as the “ word of the year” for 2015 and has also noted its acceptance by the Washington Post style guide.Īs APA blog writer Chelsea Lee points out, researchers in gender studies may object to the binary way of thinking that underlies the phrase he or she. In casual conversation, you would sound perfectly natural saying “Somebody forgot their coat.” Linguists point out that the pronoun they is, in fact, a third person singular form widely used in colloquial English when a person’s gender is unknown or simply unspecified, tracing the usage back several centuries (Grey, 2015). Contemporary Perspectives: Singular they vs. This is explained in further detail below. He or she is the phrase currently recommended by APA and The Chicago Manual of Style when avoidance strategies are insufficient. This phrase explicitly acknowledges the possibility of either a male or female person as the referent. As a result of feminist objections, however, since the 1960s and 1970s, writers have increasingly used the phrase he or she. This resulted in sentences such as “Every lawyer should bring his briefcase,” as mentioned above.

The idea was that the generic he could represent either a male or female person. Past generations were taught to default to the masculine pronoun he, called the “generic” or “neutral” he.

This article explains the background of the issue as well as current perspectives. For example, it is common to see sentences like “Every lawyer should bring his briefcase.” Contemporary style guides and editors tend to recommend he or she, although they is quite common, especially in informal contexts and spoken conversation.

Older texts are likely to use “ he” in such instances. You might also want to refer to each individual in a large group that consists of both men and women. If the respondent’s gender is not reported, should you call the person he or she? Would the pronoun they suffice in this context, even though they is usually described as the third person plural? Other times, you may wish to write abstractly about someone or anyone. For example, consider that you wish to quote an anonymous survey respondent in your research article. This poses a problem in several scenarios.

What are your pronouns