By Mary Morel
The singular they has been used several hundred years by fine writers such as Geoffrey Chaucer, John Milton, Jane Austen and Oscar Wilde
The generic ‘he’ is unacceptable in writing these days, but ‘he/she’ or ‘h/she’ looks ugly.
Although the singular they is acceptable it can sometimes look clumsy.
When an employee enters the data, they must remember to save it.
Other ways of working around this problem:
Use the plural
When employees enter the data, they must remember to save it.
Use the second person
When you enter the data, remember to save it.
The Canberra Society of Editors has written a good article on this topic.
Read my blog on the singular they.
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