by Barbara McNichol

Grammatically speaking, disagreements show up in writing constantly. Some sources including Associated Press (AP) style guide give the green light to using one disagreement: the plural pronoun “they” with a singular noun. A recent AP statement noted:

They, them, their … In stories about people who identify as neither male nor female or ask not to be referred to as he/she/him/her: Use the person’s name in place of a pronoun, or otherwise reword the sentence, whenever possible. If they/them/their use is essential, explain in the text that the person prefers a gender-neutral pronoun. Be sure that the phrasing does not imply more than one person …:

Grammarians ask why would this be necessary? Doesn’t correctness matter above all else—especially when easy fixes are available?

Consider these noun/pronoun disagreements and the ways to correct them:

Noun/pronoun use that doesn’t agree:

“We want the school board to do their job.”

Revised to create agreement:

“We want the school board to do its job.”
“We want school board members to do their jobs.”

Noun/pronoun use that doesn’t agree:

“Your reader can peruse your book at their leisure.”

Revised to make them agree:

“Your readers can peruse your book at their leisure.”
“Your reader can peruse your book at his or her leisure.”

To keep agreements in place, apply these suggestions:

• State the person’s name or write “This person ….” instead of a pronoun.
• If the gender is unknown, using “his or her” or “he or she” or “s/he” works fine.
• Change singular to plural in a sentence. However, if plural doesn’t cut it, alternate the use of “he” and “she” in a section when the subject changes. In a book I recently edited about raising a baby, the author applied this technique beautifully.

Do you agree or disagree with my conclusions? Please weigh in. Given our changing language, would you side with AP’s suggestion or my advice to put accuracy first in your writing? Share your opinion below.

Bonus: Request an explanatory Pronoun Use Chart so you can see at a glance which pronouns to use where in a sentence.