ShmoopTube
Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.
Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos
English Videos 1712 videos
This video explains the difference between affect and effect and provide tips for remembering which is which and when to use each one. If you suffe...
Want even more deets on Question Marks? Click here to review. Or take a look at our entire grammar section for all the goods.
They as Singular Pronoun––Is It Okay? 767 Views
Share It!
Description:
Want even more deets on "they" as a singular pronoun? Click here to review. Or take a look at our entire grammar section for al the goods.
Transcript
- 00:00
They as a singular pronoun a la Shmoop.
- 00:02
When a random teenager of unknown gender gets into a fender-bender and suddenly fears the
- 00:07
wrath of a parent... ...he
- 00:09
should prepare to beg for mercy.
- 00:12
Or is it she should prepare to beg for mercy Or is it they should
Full Transcript
- 00:16
prepare to beg for mercy Argh Too many options MERCY Here's the deal.
- 00:20
In grammar pairing a plural pronoun with a singular antecedent is a big no-no.
- 00:24
So our random teenager of unknown gender... ...who
- 00:27
really should not have been driving and eating tacos at the same time... ...should
- 00:31
never have anything to do with the plural pronoun they.
- 00:34
The problem is that using anything other than they feels weird.
- 00:38
For example we could say Random Teenager had the presence of mind to call his
- 00:42
parents after the wreck... ...but
- 00:44
we don't know that our random teenager is a guy.
- 00:48
In this case using his seems sexist.
- 00:50
Or what if we said Random teenager left the accident with nothing more than a
- 00:55
bump on his or her head.
- 00:57
Using his or her doesn't just sound weird but also complicated.
- 01:01
When you end up in this situation stuck with a singular antecedent of unknown gender
- 01:05
here's what you should do... ...avoid
- 01:07
the problem entirely by transforming that singular noun... ...into
- 01:10
a plural noun.
- 01:12
Say you have the sentence When a teenager gets in a wreck he or she
- 01:17
should call 911 immediately.
- 01:19
That sounds awkward so let's avoid the problem.
- 01:22
When teenagers get in wrecks they should call 911 immediately.
- 01:25
Or say you have the sentence When a police officer sees someone in trouble he
- 01:29
should drop that jelly donut and help.
- 01:32
That's sexism rearing its ugly head again so let's avoid the problem.
- 01:36
When police officers see someone in trouble they should drop their jelly donuts and help.
- 01:40
Maybe someday everyone will be on board with using they with a singular antecedent.
- 01:44
After all lots of folks already use they as a singular gender-neutral pronoun whether they
- 01:48
mean to or not.
- 01:50
However if your English teacher isn't in the they-is-okay camp... ...you
- 01:54
should do everything you can to avoid using they with a singular antecedent... ...and
- 01:58
going forward Random Teenager should avoid driving while eating. NOTE end of file
Related Videos
This video explains the difference between affect and effect and provide tips for remembering which is which and when to use each one. If you suffe...
Want even more deets on Question Marks? Click here to review. Or take a look at our entire grammar section for all the goods.
Want even more deets on Your vs. You're? Click here to review. Or take a look at our entire grammar section for all the goods.
What’s the difference between its and it’s (spoiler alert: it’s more than just an apostrophe). This video covers the use of both of these wor...