[Grammar] Him or Them

[alvask]

1. The blinding flashlight beam lets you disorient the attacker and deprive him of the ability to see.
2.The blinding flashlight beam lets you disorient the attacker and deprive them of the ability to see.

Which of the above is correct and why?

 

[bhaisahab]

They are both grammatically correct.

 

[tedmc]

The blinding flashlight beam lets you disorient the attacker and deprive him of the ability to see.

When you say "blinding", isn't "deprive him of the ability to see" redundant?

 

[bhaisahab]

I suppose you could omit "blinding", but it's fine as it is.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Many people would use "them" there, but many of us don't prefer the use of the plural pronoun for a a singular. I would use him/her or recast the sentence in the plural to avoid the issue. "The blinding flashlight beam lets you disorient attackers and deprive them of the ability to see."

 

[Tarheel]

Perhaps:

The blinding flashlight beam disorients attackers and lets you escape unharmed.

 

[MikeNewYork]

That works.