In Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement the antecedent told you which pronoun to use. Sometimes it doesn’t: “Each student should bring ___ notebook.” The student could be anyone. Writers have four good choices here:
- Singular they: “Each student should bring their notebook.”
- He or she: “Each student should bring his or her notebook.”
- A plural rewrite: “Students should bring their notebooks.”
- A rewrite with no pronoun: “Each student should bring a notebook.”
Singular they is old. The Oxford English Dictionary’s earliest example of they for an unknown person dates from about 1375. Some grammarians of the 1700s objected to it and recommended he, and schools taught that for a long time. Today the guides differ: APA (7th edition), MLA (9th edition) and Chicago (18th edition) accept singular they; the AP Stylebook allows it in limited cases, when other wording would be awkward; and some teachers and editors still prefer a rewrite.
Key idea
Why it works
Worked example: Three ways to write it
- Singular they: “… they can wait in the lobby.”
- He or she: “… he or she can wait in the lobby.”
- Plural rewrite: “Visitors who arrive early can wait in the lobby.”
Answer: All three are standard. Choose by your guide, and by what reads best.
Worked example: The verb with singular they
- Singular they keeps its plural verb forms, the way you does when you talk to one person (“you are”).
Answer: … and they are waiting for an answer.
Common mistake