The “They”s Have It

I’m something of a stickler when it comes to English grammar and usage. Whenever I see a misplaced apostrophe or the incorrect “their/they’re/there” in a sentence, I cringe a little.

So it surprised me a bit that I didn’t have a more negative reaction to Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year: the singular “they.” Of course, in ordinary speech, for some time now people have been using the word “they” to refer to either one or more people without regard to noun-pronoun agreement. But using it in writing was always taboo.

This led to difficulties such as having to use the awkward “he/she” or “he or she” when the subject was of unspecified gender. And many people just used “he” without regard to the sexist nature of assuming that human equals male. So it’s a bit of a relief to me that style manuals will most likely be updated to allow for the singular “they.”

There’s another reason that “they” was chosen as the Word of the Year by Merriam-Webster. “They” is often the preferred pronoun for gender nonconforming individuals. So the dictionary makers are right in choosing it as a significant movement in the English language.

There will be those who object to this modern use of the word “they,” whether because they are grammar purists or because they object to the normalization of LGBTQ matters. But as Benjamin Dreyer points out in The Washington Post, “Language is here to serve those of us, all of us, who use it, and when one’s perhaps unconsidered thoughts as to what is correct run smack into the honor we owe another person, one can only hope that it’s honor that wins out.” (“Language is here to serve all of us. Merriam-Webster’s word of the year shows that,” Benjamin Dreyer, Washington Post, Dec. 16, 2019)

So if a person wants to use the singular “they” in their writing, they should definitely do it.

The Cranky Grammarian: Getting Possessive

Every English teacher (or former English teacher) has a few pet peeves when it comes to spelling, usage, and grammar. One of mine is the incorrect spelling or punctuation of possessive pronouns.

At the top of the list has to be the mistaken addition of an apostrophe to the possessive pronoun “its.”  “It’s” is a contraction for the words “It is” while “its” is a pronoun meaning, “belonging to it.” I wish I had a dollar for every time I have seen “it’s” used incorrectly in signs, essays, and even published work.

I understand the mistake. After all, for most singular nouns, to form a possessive, you would add an apostrophe “s,” as in “Mary’s son,” “the man’s wallet,” and “for Pete’s sake.” So it’s an honest mistake to misuse the apostrophe with the possessive of “it.”

A good rule of thumb is that there is no punctuation in any of the possessive pronouns – “my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, their, theirs, our, ours, its.”

While we are on the subject of “their,” the interchanging of the three homophones, “their, there, and they’re” also drives me crazy. Check out the following sentence:

“They’re not happy that their mother was the one to drive them there.”

“They’re” is a contraction meaning “they are.” “Their” is a possessive pronoun meaning, “belonging to them.” “There” refers to place and should be easy to remember if you notice that the word “here,” also referring to place, can be found within the word “there.”

A big problem with homophones is that spell check doesn’t notice if you are using the wrong word. So writers beware. Remember that some spelling and usage can be tricky. Slow down, proofread, and use each word in its proper form.