Singular ‘they’ gets our vote

Anne-Marie Chisnall | April 18, 2015

Here at Write we’re in favour of singular ‘they’. We’re a bit surprised at all the hype whenever the topic comes up, especially in editing forums. Singular ‘they’ is nothing new, having been around since at least the time of Shakespeare. And it proves its worth in everyday business writing.

Ben Zimmer notes that at the American Copy Editors Society’s annual conference in Pittsburgh, the main obstacle to greater usage was reported to be copy editors who take this sort of ‘they’ out.

What are your thoughts on using ‘they’ in the singular?

Read Ben Zimmer’s article in The Wall Street Journal
Try one of our workshops on business writing
Get a copy of Write’s Style Guide to help your business writing

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