This is a portion of a recent Facebook screen I encountered. The picture is adorable. The spacing if off a bit, but the error regarding the pronoun agreement is the one with which I take issue. "A child," which is the antecedent, is singular. "They" is plural. It is incorrect to use a singular antecedent and plural pronoun together. One should be changed. If the writer wanted to keep "a child," then he should use he/she, he, or she. As I have written in previous posts, I understand why writers use they, their, or them in place of singular pronouns such as she, he , her , or him. The plural pronouns are not gender-specific, are less offensive, and are not as cumbersome as writing the his/her or him/her combinations.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Facebook World Vision
This is a portion of a recent Facebook screen I encountered. The picture is adorable. The spacing if off a bit, but the error regarding the pronoun agreement is the one with which I take issue. "A child," which is the antecedent, is singular. "They" is plural. It is incorrect to use a singular antecedent and plural pronoun together. One should be changed. If the writer wanted to keep "a child," then he should use he/she, he, or she. As I have written in previous posts, I understand why writers use they, their, or them in place of singular pronouns such as she, he , her , or him. The plural pronouns are not gender-specific, are less offensive, and are not as cumbersome as writing the his/her or him/her combinations.
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