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Ask for help > them or her -him?
them or her -him?
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Pretty3
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them or her -him?
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Hi,
I read this sentence in a student �s book :
What do you think a person�s clothes can tell us about them ?
Whey is them used in this question instead of him- her ?
Or it is a mistake ??
Regards
:)
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27 Jan 2013
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cunliffe
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It �s not technically correct, but it is used more and more. I think we have to accept it! |
27 Jan 2013
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MoodyMoody
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(Mumble, mumble) years ago when I was in school learning English grammar, I was taught to use "he" or "him" as a pronoun if I didn �t know the gender of the singular person. Many women, especially feminists, didn �t like that and said you should use "he or she" or "him or her" instead. Most people thought that was awkward and convoluted, so few people used both pronouns. Instead, people (not grammarians) started to use "they" and "them" as singular indeterminate gender pronouns. The usage is very widespread, but grammarians have not adopted the practice yet, on either side of the Atlantic as far as I know. But it is only a matter of time. In ten or twenty years, "they" and "them" will probably be standard in this usage.
By the way, for one person, the possessive is "person �s," not "persons �." "Persons �" is the plural possessive. |
27 Jan 2013
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Pretty3
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thanks a lot for your explanation.
p.s. I edited the possessive . |
27 Jan 2013
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mariec
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It should be" a person�s clothes" (singular ) then I�d use him /her
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27 Jan 2013
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MarionG
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true story: When my husband wrote his Master �s thesis (on music therapy - NOT English) in the US in the mid 80 �s, he consistently used �hir � whenever his/him/her would have been appropriate..
Needless to say, it didn �t catch on... |
27 Jan 2013
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MoodyMoody
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About the only feminist neologism to English that has caught on as far as I know is "Ms." for a woman whose marital status is indeterminate or unimportant. It is close to the other forms (Miss and Mrs.) but not exactly the same, and it serves a real purpose. Other neologisms such as your husband �s "hir" just didn �t catch on.
Obviously I don �t include adaptations such as salesperson or mail carrier in this sweeping statement. Perhaps I should, but they aren �t completely new as far as I �m concerned. |
27 Jan 2013
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yanogator
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An interesting bit about "Ms" is that it was originally written without a period, because it isn �t an abbreviation of anything. Now it is standardly written as "Ms." Bruce |
27 Jan 2013
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douglas
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I know when writing for the military I used to use "them" in order to keep the document gender neutral. Languages change, and I think this is a good chnage. |
28 Jan 2013
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