Can They and Them Be Singular?
The use of a singular they sparks a lot of debate in both the political and linguistics worlds. Many grammar police believe using they as a singular pronoun is grammatically incorrect.
Well, even if you push politics aside, there’s one thing that cannot be denied: The use of singular they has been around for a long, long time.
- The use of singular they can be found as far back as the late 1300s.
- In the modern world, the singular they is already accepted by several major style guides.
- Singular they is especially useful when the sex or gender of the antecedent is unspecified (e.g., “Somebody left their bag at the store. I hope they come back for it.”), and it not only makes sentences less clunky but also more inclusive.
Below we’ll go over the history of they, them, and their being used as singular pronouns and their place in modern English.
Table of contents
They, them, and their as singular pronouns
To understand the use of they, them, and their as singular pronouns, you must first understand what pronouns are.
Pronouns replace nouns or noun phrases so that you don’t have to keep repeating them. There are many types of pronouns, but here we are specifically talking about personal pronouns, which take the place of the speaker or whoever (or whatever) the speaker is referring to. Pronouns can also carry information about points of view, singular or plural numbers, and more.
Marcus ran track in high school, and he still likes to run for fun as an adult. [He refers to Marcus]
Sometimes, though, the gender or sex of the noun being replaced (also called the antecedent) is unknown. Let’s dissect the following example sentence where the sex or gender of the antecedent isn’t specified.
There are several alternatives to the singular them, as you can see in the examples below, but there are issues with both. The first alternative isn’t inclusive, and the second is too wordy and clunky. Therefore, the best pronoun to use is them.
Each new hire got a welcome package delivered to him or her.
So it seems like the best and most concise option would be to use them as a singular pronoun, but maybe you’re writing in an extremely formal context or for your new boss, and you aren’t sure what their (see how it’s useful here?) take is on singular they. In that case, you can restructure the sentence and use plural they by making the subject plural, too.
Using singular they today
They, them, and their as singular pronouns go beyond just being grammatically correct and concise. In today’s world, there is an increasing number of people who identify outside the gender binary. In other words, they don’t identify as either male or female. These people don’t feel comfortable with he/him or she/her pronouns and opt-out for other choices. A popular choice is they/them as their personal pronouns.
In the development of non-binary gender identities, themself is replacing themselves in some contexts, but it is still considered to be nonstandard.
When it comes to English grammar rules, sometimes it’s best to keep an open mind because language is constantly evolving and adapting. Trying to stick to the “old ways” of doing something is sure to drive anyone crazy.
Everyone seems pretty content with using the “singular you,” right? Well, you replaced thou, thee, and thy in the seventeenth century and was met with similar resistance. Can you imagine if we still used thou, thee, and thy today?
Just as humans evolve, so do languages. That’s why using a multilingual and intelligent text editor like LanguageTool is incredibly useful. Not only can it correct spelling and grammar mistakes in more than 20 languages, but it can also provide stylistic improvements and help you keep up with language change.
