Tarser
New member
- Joined
- May 7, 2014
- Member Type
- Interested in Language
- Native Language
- English
- Home Country
- UK
- Current Location
- UK
Hello,
I am new to this forum and would like to know the legitimacy or otherwise of sentences like this:
'Make sure your child is wearing their coat'
I absolutely hate it, even though I have heard justifications for it. How can it be acceptable for a singular person to become a 'they'? It is horrible! I refuse to write it and would always write:
'Make sure your child is wearing his or her coat'
Just saying 'his' does seem a bit old fashioned and 'sexist', but I would still prefer the sexist version to the modern abomination!
Even if great writers of the past have used it, I still say it's wrong. I can't see how this has become so acceptable that it's used on government forms and letters home from my children's school.
I am new to this forum and would like to know the legitimacy or otherwise of sentences like this:
'Make sure your child is wearing their coat'
I absolutely hate it, even though I have heard justifications for it. How can it be acceptable for a singular person to become a 'they'? It is horrible! I refuse to write it and would always write:
'Make sure your child is wearing his or her coat'
Just saying 'his' does seem a bit old fashioned and 'sexist', but I would still prefer the sexist version to the modern abomination!
Even if great writers of the past have used it, I still say it's wrong. I can't see how this has become so acceptable that it's used on government forms and letters home from my children's school.