someone/them

[bread]

The dictionary says that "fall out" means "to argue with someone and stop being friendly with them".

Why don't we say him/her instead of them?
Doesn't someone mean only one person?

By the way, should I put the period before the close quotation mark?

Thanks!

 

[bread]

The dictionary says that "fall out" means "to argue with someone and stop being friendly with them".

Why don't we say him/her instead of them?
Doesn't someone mean only one person?

By the way, should I put the period before the close quotation mark?

Thanks!

 

[Tdol]

Many use 'them' for a single person when we don't know whether it is a man or a woman. Some use 'him' and other 'him or her'. It's a matter of preference. I'd use 'them' in that example.;-)

 

[Tdol]

Many use 'them' for a single person when we don't know whether it is a man or a woman. Some use 'him' and other 'him or her'. It's a matter of preference. I'd use 'them' in that example.;-)

 

[MikeNewYork]

The dictionary says that "fall out" means "to argue with someone and stop being friendly with them".

Why don't we say him/her instead of them?
Doesn't someone mean only one person?

By the way, should I put the period before the close quotation mark?

Thanks!

Hmmm. Which dictionary?

There are differing opinions about using a plural pronoun in a singular use when the gender is unknown. It is widely accepted in informal English, but I am surprised that you found it in a dictionary. I would have used "that person" in that sentence.

The enclosure of periods in quotation marks is also debatable. I would accept you sentence as is. Others in AE would insist that all periods must go inside quotation marks.

 

[MikeNewYork]

The dictionary says that "fall out" means "to argue with someone and stop being friendly with them".

Why don't we say him/her instead of them?
Doesn't someone mean only one person?

By the way, should I put the period before the close quotation mark?

Thanks!

Hmmm. Which dictionary?

There are differing opinions about using a plural pronoun in a singular use when the gender is unknown. It is widely accepted in informal English, but I am surprised that you found it in a dictionary. I would have used "that person" in that sentence.

The enclosure of periods in quotation marks is also debatable. I would accept you sentence as is. Others in AE would insist that all periods must go inside quotation marks.

 

[bread]

The dictionary says that "fall out" means "to argue with someone and stop being friendly with them".

Why don't we say him/her instead of them?
Doesn't someone mean only one person?

By the way, should I put the period before the close quotation mark?

Thanks!

Hmmm. Which dictionary?

There are differing opinions about using a plural pronoun in a singular use when the gender is unknown. It is widely accepted in informal English, but I am surprised that you found it in a dictionary. I would have used "that person" in that sentence.

The enclosure of periods in quotation marks is also debatable. I would accept you sentence as is. Others in AE would insist that all periods must go inside quotation marks.

it's a Cambridge dictionary...

Thanks!

 

[bread]

The dictionary says that "fall out" means "to argue with someone and stop being friendly with them".

Why don't we say him/her instead of them?
Doesn't someone mean only one person?

By the way, should I put the period before the close quotation mark?

Thanks!

Hmmm. Which dictionary?

There are differing opinions about using a plural pronoun in a singular use when the gender is unknown. It is widely accepted in informal English, but I am surprised that you found it in a dictionary. I would have used "that person" in that sentence.

The enclosure of periods in quotation marks is also debatable. I would accept you sentence as is. Others in AE would insist that all periods must go inside quotation marks.

it's a Cambridge dictionary...

Thanks!

 

[Tdol]

The punctuation is different in this area. In British English, we put punctuation outside if it seems to belong to the sentence not the quote, as here. Cambridge is, of course, a British dictionary. ;-)

 

[Tdol]

The punctuation is different in this area. In British English, we put punctuation outside if it seems to belong to the sentence not the quote, as here. Cambridge is, of course, a British dictionary. ;-)

 

[MikeNewYork]

The dictionary says that "fall out" means "to argue with someone and stop being friendly with them".

Why don't we say him/her instead of them?
Doesn't someone mean only one person?

By the way, should I put the period before the close quotation mark?

Thanks!

Hmmm. Which dictionary?

There are differing opinions about using a plural pronoun in a singular use when the gender is unknown. It is widely accepted in informal English, but I am surprised that you found it in a dictionary. I would have used "that person" in that sentence.

The enclosure of periods in quotation marks is also debatable. I would accept you sentence as is. Others in AE would insist that all periods must go inside quotation marks.

it's a Cambridge dictionary...

Thanks!

Ah! OK. Cambridge is a good company. Some its resources lean toward the informal. :wink:

 

[MikeNewYork]

The dictionary says that "fall out" means "to argue with someone and stop being friendly with them".

Why don't we say him/her instead of them?
Doesn't someone mean only one person?

By the way, should I put the period before the close quotation mark?

Thanks!

Hmmm. Which dictionary?

There are differing opinions about using a plural pronoun in a singular use when the gender is unknown. It is widely accepted in informal English, but I am surprised that you found it in a dictionary. I would have used "that person" in that sentence.

The enclosure of periods in quotation marks is also debatable. I would accept you sentence as is. Others in AE would insist that all periods must go inside quotation marks.

it's a Cambridge dictionary...

Thanks!

Ah! OK. Cambridge is a good company. Some its resources lean toward the informal. :wink: