Thank you, Harold. Judy Evans jaye@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx -----Original Message----- From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Harold Hungerford Sent: 07 May 2004 03:37 To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: grades & kleenex What you're not understanding is that "they" is being used as a replacement for "he" or "she" as a third person singular, in an attempt to avoid the implicit sex bias of "he" (usually) or the clumsiness of "he or she." It has become de facto a third person singular in certain contexts, usually when an "every" is in the neighborhood. Example: "Every child went out to play. Then they came back in . . ." or "Everyone should get out their kleenex now." Once upon a time "you" referred only to two or more persons. Once upon a time there was a pronoun "wit" which referred to two, and only two, persons. Once upon a time (Chaucer's) the standard object case form of "they" was "hem" and the possessive was "her," which also functioned as the possessive of "she." Once upon a time (Chaucer's again) the nominative case of today's "it" was "hit" in standard upper-class English. The pronoun system in English has changed with glacial slowness, but it has changed despite the efforts of pedants. Harold Hungerford Professor Emeritus of English > Could you provide an example of the acceptable use [of "they"] you have in mind? What is he/she if not third person singular? And if it is replaced in a second iteration in a sentence with "they," I would say there is a problem of agreement. What am I not understanding? David Ritchie Portland, Oregon Heureux qui, comme Ulysse, a fait un beau voyage . . . (Joachim du Bellay, 1522-1560) ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html