How do you refer to someone whose gender is unknown?
Table of Contents
How do you refer to someone whose gender is unknown?
In contemporary English the use of “they” as the third person pronoun is recommended when the gender is unknown or the statement should be gender neutral. Such use of “they” is also referred to as “singular they”.
Can I refer to anyone as they?
Yes. They can be used as a singular pronoun for a person of indeterminate gender, for a person without a binary gender or a person whose gender you don’t know yet. They has been used in this way since the 1300’s and was used like that by people like Shakespeare and Jane Austen.
What pronoun do you use for an unknown person?
Writers should use the singular “they” in two main cases: (a) when referring to a generic person whose gender is unknown or irrelevant to the context and (b) when referring to a specific, known person who uses “they” as their pronoun.
What pronouns do you use if you are unsure?
If you don’t know a person’s pronouns Usually it’s safe to use they/them/theirs unless that person tells you otherwise. Try to introduce yourself with your own pronouns so that everyone you meet knows that you’re a safe space and that you won’t assume a person’s pronouns.
Why would you refer to a person as they?
Why use the singular “they”? When readers see a gendered pronoun, they make assumptions about the gender of the person being described (Gastil, 1990; Moulton et al., 1978). APA advocates for the singular “they” because it is inclusive of all people and helps writers avoid making assumptions about gender.
What does the pronoun they refer to?
The use of the singular “they” to refer to an individual has a long history in English literature, and has also recently been more explicitly included in modern dictionaries and styles guides both as appropriate when referring to an individual whose gender is unknown, but also for referring to an individual who wishes …
What are the correct gender pronouns?
What are some commonly used gender pronouns? She, her, and hers and he, him, and his are the most commonly used pronouns….Here are a few you might hear:
- They, them, theirs (Xena ate their food because they were hungry).
- Ze, hir (Xena ate hir food because ze was hungry).
- Just my name, please!
What are acceptable pronouns?
Here’s the full list… Personal Pronouns / Subject Pronouns. You already know subject pronouns, even if you didn’t know that’s what they were called. Object Pronouns. Object pronouns are used as the object of a verb or a preposition. Possessive Pronouns. Reflexive Pronouns. Intensive Pronouns. Indefinite Pronouns. Demonstrative Pronouns. Interrogative Pronouns. Relative Pronouns.
What are some commonly used pronouns?
She/her/hers
What does Ze, Zir, and Zem mean?
The Brief: Ze, zir, and zem are variations of gender-neutral third person pronouns. Ze – pronounced “zee” -and its variations: zir, zem, and zeir, are gender-neutral pronouns that can be used to refer to people who are non-binary, genderfluid, genderqueer, trans, and/or don’t identify with the gender binary.
What is an appropriate pronoun?
In the first sentence, footwear makes some singular, so it is the pronoun that agrees. In the second sentence, shoes, a plural noun, has all the power. Some becomes plural too, and them is the appropriate pronoun for agreement.