"He/she/it instead of "they"

[Rachel Adams]

Hello.

I started a new thread because the topic is not the same. Isn't it better to use "they" instead of "he" or "she" and when I have two sentences with "this" and "it" which should I use first?

1. "If a member of my family was diagnosed with cancer, I think it would be better to tell him or her about *this*. He has a right to know about *it*."
I think the second sentence is better.
2. "If a member of my family is diagnosed with cancer, I think it would be better to tell them about *it/that.*They have a right to know about *this.*
I didn't use "this" in the second example's first sentence because I used it in the sentence that follows it."
I am sorry I cannot use bold or italics.

 

[Tarheel]

If you insist on using that form then I suggest that you use it.

 

[GoesStation]

Only "it" works in both sentences.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Only "it" works in both sentences.

And "they" is better than using "he" or "she", isn't it?

 

[GoesStation]

And "they" is better than using "he" or "she", isn't it?

You mean "them", right? I prefer it over "him or her", but some people don't accept "them" as a singular pronoun. They would presumably prefer "him or her" or, more likely, would advise you to rewrite the sentence to avoid the problem.

 

[Rachel Adams]

You mean "them", right? I prefer it over "him or her", but some people don't accept "them" as a singular pronoun. They would presumably prefer "him or her" or, more likely, would advise you to rewrite the sentence to avoid the problem.

Yes, sorry. I meant "them". The difference between "it/this/that" is the hardest one. Sometimes all the three are correct sometimes not.

 

[Tarheel]

Yes, sorry. I meant "them". The difference between "it/this/that" is the hardest one. Sometimes all [STRIKE]the[/STRIKE] three are correct, sometimes not.

 

[Rachel Adams]

What's wrong with "all the three"?

 

[Tarheel]

We say:

all three

Not:

all the three

 

[YAMATO2201]

Yes, sorry. I meant "them". The difference between "it/this/that" is the hardest one. Sometimes all [STRIKE]the[/STRIKE] three are correct, sometimes not.

Is the following version correct?

Sometimes all three are correct, and sometimes not.

 

[Tarheel]

Is the following version correct?

Sometimes all three are correct, and sometimes not.

Yes, there are times when all three are possible. (Not at the same time, of course. )

 

[Rover_KE]

Students and learners can be advised to confidently use 'they' rather than 'he or she', and 'them' instead of 'him or her'. It's just fine in modern English, and those who don't like it can find their own solution as it's their own problem.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hello.

I started a new thread because the topic is not the same. Isn't it better to use "they" instead of "he" or "she"?

Do you mean in examples 2 and 3 below?

And when I have two sentences with "this" and "it" which should I use first?

It depends on the sentence.

1. "If a member of my family were diagnosed with cancer, I think it would be good to tell him or her about it. People have a right to know [STRIKE]about *it*[/STRIKE]."
I think the second sentence is better.

The sentences were too repetitious, so I changed the second one.

2. "If a member of my family is diagnosed with cancer, I think it would be good to tell him or her about it. People have a right to know. [STRIKE]about *this.*[/STRIKE]

I didn't use "this" in the second example's first sentence because I used it in the sentence that follows it."

It didn't belong in either sentence.

I am sorry I cannot use bold or italics.

Thanks for telling us. Now I know and won't mention it again!

Sometimes it's hard to accept that English has a lot of gray areas. Your struggle with it, this, and that is an excellent example.

 

[Tarheel]

1. "If a member of my family was diagnosed with cancer, I think it would be best to tell him. He has a right to know."

I agree.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Students and learners can be advised to confidently use 'they' rather than 'he or she', and 'them' instead of 'him or her'. It's just fine in modern English, and those who don't like it can find their own solution as it's their own problem.

Exactly. My own policy: When it's easy to rephrase, I do. When it's not, I use they.

I figure, what the hell, my dad's not listening.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hello.

I started a new thread because the topic is not the same. Isn't it better to use "they" instead of "he" or "she" and when I have two sentences with "this" and "it" which should I use first?

1. "If a member of my family was diagnosed with cancer, I think it would be better to tell him or her about *this*. He has a right to know about *it*."
I think the second sentence is better.
2. "If a member of my family is diagnosed with cancer, I think it would be better to tell them about *it/that.*They have a right to know about *this.*
I didn't use "this" in the second example's first sentence because I used it in the sentence that follows it."
I am sorry I cannot use bold or italics.

Use them or him or her or her and him. Don't use just him unless you only mean males. Good English is gender-neutral.

 

[Tdol]

And "they" is better than using "he" or "she", isn't it?

I think so- others disagree, but I think using he has an obvious flaw and typing out he or she endlessly is a waste of life. Also, once you start on he or she, you have to be consistent- when people using one, they often don't manage to use it correctly throughout a text.