Pronouns refering to jobs

#1 08-Jan-2004, 16:53

When sb asks me the question: " What is a nurse?" can I start my answer with the pronoun "it" as in " It is a person who takes care of patients"?
What about the phrase: " What does a nurse do?" should I start with " it, she, he or they?"
Thanks,
Victor

**RonBee** · #2 08-Jan-2004, 17:57

Q: What is a nurse?
A: A nurse is a person who takes care of patients.

Q: What does a nurse do?
A: A nurse dispenses medicines, monitors a patient's vital signs, aids patients in their recovery, etc.

:)

**Tdol** · #3 09-Jan-2004, 18:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by vdos2

When sb asks me the question: " What is a nurse?" can I start my answer with the pronoun "it" as in " It is a person who takes care of patients"?
What about the phrase: " What does a nurse do?" should I start with " it, she, he or they?"
Thanks,
Victor

It depends on you- traditionalists use 'he' for such cases, but in a case like 'nurse', they might use 'she' in keeping with the image of the profession. Others use 'he or she', which I find clumsy. I use 'they'. ;-0

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