Gender-inclusive writing: Use the singular “they”

On this page

• Introduction
• Guidelines for using “they” as a singular pronoun
• Difference between generic “they” and specific “they”
• Historical context
• Note about “he or she”
• Additional information

Introduction

In traditional English grammar, there’s no third-person singular pronoun that is gender-neutral. This creates challenges for writing in a gender-inclusive way, particularly when you aren’t sure of the gender of the person being referred to.

A long-established solution is the use of “they” and its forms (“them,” “their,” “theirs,” “themselves”) as singular pronouns. Although “they” is most often used as a plural pronoun, there is near-consensus among language authorities today that it can and should be used as a singular pronoun in formal writing.

In many cases, substituting a singular “they” for the gendered pronouns “he,” “she” and “he or she” is the easiest and most effective technique for making a sentence gender-inclusive.

Examples of gendered sentences and their inclusive solutions

Gendered sentence	Inclusive solution
If any participant still has concerns, he or she should speak to the facilitator after the group meeting.	If any participant still has concerns, they should speak to the facilitator after the group meeting.
Every subscriber will have had the monthly newsletter delivered to her.	Every subscriber will have had the monthly newsletter delivered to them.
Everyone should bring his or her access card.	Everyone should bring their access card.
Each presenter should bring 30 copies of his paper to the conference.	Each presenter should bring 30 copies of their paper to the conference.
We are asking everyone to double-check that the certificate he or she has received is actually his or hers.	We are asking everyone to double-check that the certificate they have received is actually theirs.
An introvert usually needs a lot of time to himself or herself.	An introvert usually needs a lot of time to themselves [or themself].

Guidelines for using “they” as a singular pronoun

Even when “they” is used in the singular, verbs that follow it should always be plural (for example, “are” rather than “is”; “have” rather than “has”).

Example of a gendered sentence and an inclusive solution

Gendered sentence	Inclusive solution
Over the course of a work day, a manager will find that she has to deal with a lot of unexpected situations.	Over the course of a work day, a manager will find that they have to deal with a lot of unexpected situations.

There is no situation in English when it would be correct to write “they is” or “they has,” and that does not change as we expand our use of the singular “they” in formal writing.

It should also be noted that the singular “they” has two possible reflexive forms: “themselves” (the standard form) and “themself”. Although “themself” is not yet in widespread use and is labelled non-standard in most dictionaries, it has been approved for use by some major style manuals.

Sometimes, especially when you have more than one noun in a sentence, the singular “they” can make the sentence ambiguous. Consider this example:

Example of a gendered sentence and an inclusive solution

Gendered sentence	Inclusive but unclear solution
If a person cannot carry out essential duties, he must be reassigned.	If a person cannot carry out essential duties, they must be reassigned.

What must be reassigned? The duties or the person?

And sometimes, the problem of ambiguity exists in the sentence from the beginning. While the singular “they” can make the unclear sentence inclusive, you still have to deal with the separate problem of ambiguity. Consider this example:

Example of a gendered sentence and an inclusive solution

Gendered and unclear sentence	Inclusive and unclear solution
If a dispute arises between the client and the service provider, he or she must notify the board in writing.	If a dispute arises between the client and the service provider, they must notify the board in writing.

The two sentences above with the singular “they” are gender-inclusive, but they still have problems with clarity. In such sentences, the meaning might be clear from the context, so “they” might still be a useable solution. But for any writing where greater accuracy is needed, a different gender-inclusive technique should be considered:

Examples of gendered sentences and inclusive solutions

Gendered sentence	Inclusive but unclear solution	Inclusive and clear solution
If a person cannot carry out essential duties, he must be reassigned.	If a person cannot carry out essential duties, they must be reassigned.	A person who cannot carry out essential duties must be reassigned.
When a dispute arises between the client and the service provider, he or she must notify the board in writing.	When a dispute arises between the client and the service provider, they must notify the board in writing.	When a dispute arises between the client and the service provider, the client must notify the board in writing.

Difference between generic “they” and specific “they”

In the examples in this article, we’ve been using the pronoun “they” to be inclusive in situations where gender is unclear or unknown. This is sometimes called the generic use of “they,” and it’s valuable for gender-inclusive and clear writing in general.

But the singular “they” is also used as the chosen pronoun by many individuals who don’t identify with the pronouns “he” or “she,” especially by individuals who are non-binary. This is sometimes called the specific use of the singular “they.” Although the two usages follow the same grammatical rules, they’re distinct and employed for different reasons and in different contexts.

For more discussion of the specific use of the singular “they,” please see the article Gender-inclusive writing: Guidelines for writing to or about non-binary individuals.

Historical context

The singular “they” has a long history in written English. It has been used by many of the most recognized writers in the English language: Chaucer, Shakespeare, Swift, Byron, Austen, Wilde, Auden.

The use of the singular “they” began to be discouraged in the late 1700s by language authorities who favoured the use of “he” as the default pronoun of choice.

In recent years, the singular “they” has regained almost all of its acceptability, although this process is still ongoing. Most English-language style guides today recommend the use of the singular “they” as the most straightforward technique for gender-inclusive writing.

Note about “he or she”

At one time, many writers fell back on the construction “he or she” as a more inclusive alternative to the default “he.” Today, however, almost all style guides recommend against the use of “he or she,” which is often awkward to integrate into more complex sentences and which is not inclusive of individuals who do not identify with either pronoun.

Additional information

• Inclusive writing – Guidelines and resources
• Inclusive writing: Glossary
• Gender-inclusive writing: Guidelines for writing to or about non-binary individuals
• Personal pronouns
• The singular “they” is gaining acceptance