Posted by Guamo at 1:46am Jan 27 '10I admit that I occasionally read the NY Times grammar blog. So what if I'm a grammar nerd.
Anyways, one correction today is correcting the use of a singular possessive, "their" when the sentence required a singular possessive, "he or she."
I know that sometimes on the interwebs, "hir" is used as a genderless possessive, but I've heard from many people that "their" is actually acceptable to use. It is used in casual conversation when no better option is available, suggesting that most people are comfortable using the word in this capacity. Evidently, it has also been used in the past by such authors as Chaucer and Jane Austen.
What are your opinions? Is "their" an acceptable singular possessive?
Anyways, one correction today is correcting the use of a singular possessive, "their" when the sentence required a singular possessive, "he or she."
I know that sometimes on the interwebs, "hir" is used as a genderless possessive, but I've heard from many people that "their" is actually acceptable to use. It is used in casual conversation when no better option is available, suggesting that most people are comfortable using the word in this capacity. Evidently, it has also been used in the past by such authors as Chaucer and Jane Austen.
What are your opinions? Is "their" an acceptable singular possessive?
Grammar thread: Singular possessive? - Guamo