## [The singular “they” is gaining acceptance](/en/blogue-blog/singular-they-eng) Posted on October 23, 2017 Written by [Gael Spivak (About the author)](/en/blogue-blog/singular-they-eng#auteur-author), Editors Canada ![](/sites/default/files/singular-they_376x250.png) Everyone knows that in English, third-person singular pronouns are “he,” “she,” “one” and “it.” We’ve moved past the notion that the male pronouns can stand in for all humans. But that leaves us with constructions like the one below, right? “Everyone should take his or her books.” Well, actually, no. If you do some digging into the history of English usage, you’ll discover that the rule about male pronouns being used to stand in for male and female was an invention of Victorian grammarians. And that it used to be common to use “they” when referring to a person whose gender you didn’t know. As James Harbeck points out in his [blog post called “they”](https://sesquiotic.wordpress.com/2010/09/26/they/), “… for centuries, English speakers used ‘they’ for gender-indeterminate third person singular, and no one complained.” Even Shakespeare used it. ## Things changed in the 1700s Harbeck goes into a bit of detail, if you want to read more about how this imposed rule came about. Not surprisingly, it was influenced by beliefs, not by speaking and writing patterns that people commonly use. ## But singular “they” has stood its ground In fact, the singular “they” now has 2 uses: - One is for referring to people when you’re not sure of their gender and you don’t want to use “he” Example: “Everyone should take their books.” - The other is for referring to people who don’t identify with “he” or “she” as a gender Example: “Chris should take their books.” There are some fancy names for the two uses, but they can be hard to remember, especially if you aren’t into that aspect of grammar. Gretchen McCulloch, a linguist, sums it up nicely, saying that the two types of singular “they” are specific and nonspecific. She gave examples in a tweet, quoted below: “Nonspecific singular they: ‘someone left their umbrella’ Specific singular they: ‘Alex left their umbrella’" ## Here’s what people are doing now The “rule” that “they” can’t be used in the singular is deeply rooted in people’s minds. So are editors, linguists and style guides saying anything about it? Yes, they are, and they’re certainly saying a lot. It’s been a hot topic among language professionals for some time, and it really peaked in recent years. Here are some of the most significant announcements. - The American Dialect Society declared the singular “they” its [Word of the Year in 2015](http://www.americandialect.org/2015-word-of-the-year-is-singular-they); in 2020, they deemed it to be [the Word of the Decade]() for 2010 to 2019 - The [Associated Press](https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2017/ap-style-change-singular-they-is-acceptable-in-limited-cases/) allows “they” as a singular pronoun when a writer is referring to people who don’t use gendered pronouns - The [American Psychological Association](https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/grammar/singular-they), [Modern Languages Association](https://style.mla.org/using-singular-they/) and *[The Chicago Manual of Style](https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/help-tools/what-s-new.html)* (see changes made to sections 5.51 and 5.266) now endorse using both specific and generic singular “they” - The [Government of Canada](https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/legis-redact/legistics/p1p15.html) says that gender-specific language should not be used in legislation and offers the singular “they” as one option to avoid this ## But it looks funny You’ll run into people who say that it’s incorrect or it looks funny or they don’t like it. No one is saying we have to use it. But saying someone can’t or shouldn’t use it is wrong. ## Learn more Read up on the history of the singular “they” and the discussions language professionals are having about it so that you can decide what you’ll do (and what you’ll say to people who still say it’s wrong to use). I’ve compiled the following list: [Over 100 articles on the singular “they” (DOC)](https://bit.ly/3k7g7vc) And if you’ve found any other resources on the topic, feel free to share them in the comments below. ## Disclaimer The opinions expressed in posts and comments published on the Our Languages blog are solely those of the authors and commenters and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Language Portal of Canada. - [Leave a comment](#article-comments) - [Read the comments (8) ](#comments) ## Get to know Gael Spivak ![](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/gael_spivak.png?itok=Zu5hh4ZT) ### Gael Spivak Gael Spivak works in communications for the federal government. She specializes in plain language writing and editing. She’s a former president of the Editors' Association of Canada and the current chair of the Localization and Implementation Committee (for the ISO plain language standard), [International Plain Language Federation](http://iplfederation.org/). You can: - [follow Gael Spivak on LinkedIn(Sign-in to LinkedIn required)](https://ca.linkedin.com/in/gaelspivak) - [follow Gael Spivak on X(Sign-in to X required)](https://x.com/Piglita) ## More posts by Gael Spivak - [Readability formulas, programs and tools: Do they work for plain language?](/en/blogue-blog/readability-formulas-eng) - [The ISO plain language standard: For most languages and cultures, and for all sectors](/en/blogue-blog/iso-langage-simple-plain-language-eng) - [Using unbiased language: It’s not a slippery slope](/en/blogue-blog/unbiased-language-not-a-slippery-slope-eng) ## Search by related themes Looking for more blog posts on the same themes? Click on the links below to see all the posts on the Our Languages blog that relate to the theme you selected. 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By submitting a comment, you permanently waive your moral rights, which means that you give the Government of Canada permission to use, reproduce, edit and share your comment royalty-free, in whole or in part, in any manner it chooses. You also confirm that nothing in your comment infringes third party rights (for example, the use of a text from a third party without his or her permission). Join in the conversation and share your comments! You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Your name **(required)** Email address (Example: yourname@domain.com) Comment **(required)** Submit Leave this field blank ## Comments Comments are displayed in the language they were submitted. Read comments Submitted by Manpreet Singh Brar on September 7, 2023, at 13:36 In the conclusion people came to know about the genders singular and plurals like [ he, she ] before this invention, everyone call each other they. - [Reply](/en/comment/reply/node/69566/comment/4359) Submitted by Sharon Stewart on October 23, 2017, at 17:04 I'm an editor who endorses what Gael says. I use the epicene "they" whenever I can (I'm educating clients about it, too). I like the categories here: nonspecific and specific. - [Reply](/en/comment/reply/node/69566/comment/5271) In reply to [I'm an editor who endorses](/en/comment/5271#comment-5271) by Sharon Stewart Submitted by Gael Spivak on October 23, 2017, at 18:18 Sharon, you can see Gretchen's tweet here: https://twitter.com/GretchenAMcC/status/846751862552494080 - [Reply](/en/comment/reply/node/69566/comment/5272) Submitted by Desmond Fisher on November 17, 2017, at 10:22 Apparently the New York Times is still living in the past: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/16/opinion/french-sexism-grammar-everybo.... - [Reply](/en/comment/reply/node/69566/comment/5274) Submitted by Rex Button on March 22, 2018, at 15:17 In “Chris should take their books”, is the possessive 'their' meant to refer to Chris, or to a separate possessor? I guess context would lend clarity but I must say, I'd have a very hard time accepting the former sense. - [Reply](/en/comment/reply/node/69566/comment/5315) In reply to [In “Chris should take their](/en/comment/5315#comment-5315) by Rex Button Submitted by Our Languages blog on March 26, 2018, at 11:04 Thank you for your question! Yes, that’s right, in the example “Chris should take their books,” the possessive “their” refers to Chris. The example is illustrating how to refer to a person who doesn’t identify as either male or female and therefore prefers the gender-neutral “they” to “he” or “she.” But as you have recognized, there’s a strong risk of confusion from this use of singular “they.” So if the context does not provide enough clarity, the Language Portal would recommend using another solution to avoid “he” or “she”: repeat the person’s name; for example, “Chris brought Chris’s books.” This solution will be repetitious, but it will accommodate the wishes of the non-binary person without creating confusion. - [Reply](/en/comment/reply/node/69566/comment/5318) In reply to [In “Chris should take their](/en/comment/5315#comment-5315) by Rex Button Submitted by Masha Davidović on February 16, 2022, at 9:23 For the record, the same confusion is entirely possible in the sentence "Chris should take his books" - there is nothing in the sentence itself to clarify whether "his books" is referring to Chris's own books or to the books of somebody else whose pronoun is "he". The potential confusion engendered by "they" in the first sentence is not at all different in kind; the only evident difference is that the possible separate possessor might be of any gender or plural. In either case, though, context is decisive and further elucidation may be unavoidable. - [Reply](/en/comment/reply/node/69566/comment/5718) Submitted by Maninderjit Singh on September 6, 2023, at 22:27 The people who can't be identified by he or she, can be identified by "they". - [Reply](/en/comment/reply/node/69566/comment/5892) ## Related links - [Our Languages blog archives](/en/blogue-blog-archives) - [Write a post for the Our Languages blog](/en/blogue-blog/contribute-contribuer) - [Editorial policy for the Our Languages blog](/en/blogue-blog/politique-policy-eng) - [The Golden Quill: An initiative of the Our Languages blog](/en/blogue-blog/plume-dor-golden-quill-eng) - [Our Languages blog](/en/blogue-blog-index) (home page) - [Contact the Language Portal of Canada](/en/apropos-about-eng#a8) - 110440 views - [Join in the conversation and share your comments!](/en/blogue-blog/singular-they-eng#comment-form "Share your thoughts and opinions.") Language English