4 ms·
As I am sure you are aware, "he" is the correct English way to refer to someone of unknown sex. (Though to be honest, I have been trying to switch to using "th
by lliiffee 17y ago
As I am sure you are aware, "he" is the correct English way to refer to someone of unknown sex. (Though to be honest, I have been trying to switch to using "they")
- idlewords 17y agoYou're thinking of indefinite pronouns ("If anyone wants to borrow this book, he can come to my office"). This is a different case - you're talking about a specific person whose sex you don't happen to know. 'The author' would have worked fine.
- lliiffee 17y ago"I saw someone in the distance. He was riding a horse." Wrong?
- mmt 17y agoI don't like "they" because it's ambiguous. I have been trying to switch to using "it."
- Avenger42 17y agoI thought "they" was incorrect because it's plural. "He or she" is the way I was taught.
- lliiffee 17y agoLanguage evolves. We can help it along! (I probably wouldn't do it in a formal document.)