##  [Gender-inclusive writing: Use an article](/writing-tips-plus/gender-inclusive-writing-use-an-article)

## Avertissement

Cet article porte sur une question propre à l’anglais, et est donc offert uniquement dans cette langue.

Pour obtenir de l’information sur l’écriture inclusive en français, veuillez consulter la page [Écriture inclusive – Lignes directrices et ressources](/fr/cles-de-la-redaction/ecriture-inclusive-lignes-directrices-ressources).

## Section: Inclusive writing

Go to the main page of this section: [Inclusive writing – Guidelines and resources](inclusive-writing-guidelines-resources).

## On this page

- [Introduction](#introduction)
- [Guidelines for using an article](#guidelines-using-article)
- [Additional information](#additional-information)

## Introduction

Sometimes you can easily make a sentence [gender-inclusive](/en/writing-tips-plus/inclusive-writing-glossary#def-gender-inclusive) by using an article instead of a pronoun. Try replacing the personal pronoun with a definite article (“the”) or an indefinite article (“a” or “an”).

Examples of gendered sentences and inclusive solutions
| Gendered sentence | Inclusive solution | If a self-employed individual makes a claim for special benefits, **his** benefit level will be based on eligible earnings from self-employment and employment as an employee. | If a self-employed individual makes a claim for special benefits, **the** benefit level will be based on eligible earnings from self-employment and employment as an employee. |
|---|---|---|---|
| A passport can be refused if an applicant is found to have made false statements on **his or her** passport application. | A passport can be refused if an applicant is found to have made false statements on **the** passport application. |
| A band chief must submit **his or her** governance improvement plan for band council review | A band chief must submit **a** governance improvement plan for band council review. |

## Guidelines for using an article

You can’t use articles to replace the words “he” or “she,” but you can often use them to replace the words “his” or “her.” If your sentence is short and simple, you may not need to use [gendered](/en/writing-tips-plus/inclusive-writing-glossary#def-gendered) pronouns to communicate your intended meaning; you can try using “a” or “the.” But read the sentence back carefully to make sure it doesn’t sound ambiguous or unnatural.

## Additional information

- [Inclusive writing – Guidelines and resources](inclusive-writing-guidelines-resources)
- [Inclusive writing: Glossary](inclusive-writing-glossary)

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- [Business communication](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A453#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results)
- [Inclusive writing](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A457#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results)

## Liens connexes

- [Writing Tips Plus](/fr/writing-tips-plus/index-fra) (page d’accueil)
- [Outils d’aide à la rédaction](/fr/outils-tools/index-fra)
- [Navigateur linguistique](/fr/navigateur-navigator) (permet de trouver rapidement des conseils linguistiques)
- [TERMIUM Plus®](http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-fra.html?lang=fra)