Okay, all you English teachers and writers, here’s a topic that will create instant mayhem! If you were writing the following sentence, what pronoun would you put in the blank:
The manager of a fast-food restaurant should always be aware of ___________ responsibility to provide a pleasant environment for the customers. The choices are (a) his, (b) her, (c) his or her, (d) their.
I’m testing the waters here to see if there’s any agreement and look forward to your responses. It will also be helpful if you comment briefly about why you chose your answer.
Stay tuned for more explanation as to how we — and the English language — got into such a quandary.
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You have hit on one of my pet peeves in writing — ‘to be or not to be’ PC! I learned whatever grammar skills I might have back in the prehistoric days when it was perfectly acceptable to use the masculine pronoun when gender was indefinite. These days I absolutely refuse to use the convoluted option (c). I often opt for option (d), but the plural pronoun grates on my nerves every time I settle for it. If I’m in a mellow mood, I will simply reconstruct the sentence to eliminate the need for a pronoun. If I’m feeling a bit perverse — and I often am — I will use the masculine form regardless of how many squeals of outrage it will generate. 😉
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Thanks for your input, Jay. I too learned to use the masculine pronoun when gender was indefinite and still feel comfortable with it — don’t even think of squealing with outrage. But if I have a choice between his or her and their, I’ll choose the latter every time! Look for more comments in my post for today, Oct. 12.
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