I agree with the agreement in number approach, but there are instances of singular “they” going back many years:
Are We Too Casual?
- Thread starter Buzz Saw
- Start date
- Status
I agree with the agreement in number approach, but there are instances of singular “they” going back many years:
Any 9th grade English teacher of the 20th century would have failed HIS or HER student for using “to each their own” in an essay, on a test, etc. I understand, however, in these times people are confused.
I genuinely think we’re intentionally shown the worst kinds of people in media to keep us hating our neighbours rather than our leaders. It has been my experience that the vast majority of people I interact with any given day are decent, good people, and that people who hold views other than mine are rarely, if ever, the brainless monsters they’re portrayed as within echo chambers.
Plenty of people who run contrary to that, but I think its an order of magnitude more rare in person than you would expect engaging with folks online. At the end of the day, I couldn’t care less who votes for who or what my neighbor thinks about X hot button issue, and I think that’s pretty common out in the real world, despite the best efforts of some very rich people.
And I live in the capital city of my country, where politics is about as present as it gets.
Weird hill to die on. It's a simple, commonly used phrase and correcting the "their" in it is akin to correcting someone who says "Have your cake and eat it too" when it technically should be "eat your cake and have it too". You are plucking feathers for a personal agitation.
Starting to look like Gettysburg in this thread.
Blue, pink, purple and green hair. Ugh!
My wife and I were in Las Vegas last week. There was an elderly lady (70ish) wearing a blue dress with the same color blue hair. My first thought was the Charmin toilet paper bears.
My wife and I were in Las Vegas last week. There was an elderly lady (70ish) wearing a blue dress with the same color blue hair. My first thought was the Charmin toilet paper bears.
Common usage is simply that, common usage. Common usage is not, despite poorly educated/trained instructors/teachers grading of papers and such. Common usage may, over time, become "correct". It's they way language evolves I suppose. Words mean something! Often, they no longer mean what they did and, often enough, mean different things to different things in different parts of the world. An example; Rubber in GB versus the US. But, they may both mean rubber, except when they do not. It's all in the context. The OED always includes archaic (what we older people may consider correct) and the new. Hence, why lexicology and etymology are so stimulating a study.
Want to see it more often? Go to Walmart after 6pm.
It is, and so is "to each their own". Both are proper. English has its little quirks.
You're joking. Unless of course, proper English has been agreed upon by what, a new younger generation. Hell, as a grammar teacher, I found it difficult enough for students to understand the usage and application of subject and object pronouns. This is getting a bit too much. But, "To each his own..."
I'm having unpleasant flashbacks to junior high English class and that special kind of torture known as diagramming a sentence. Yikes! 
I don't remember much about school but I remember I did well. It's all kind of...... hazy if you get my drift.I'm having unpleasant flashbacks to junior high English class and that special kind of torture known as diagramming a sentence. Yikes!
One of my wife’s friends is a grade school English teacher and admitted to me that she doesn’t know how to properly use semicolons, much less teach others how. She just skips it. Tax dollars at work.
I’m convinced semicolons are a scam perpetuated by Big KeyboardOne of my wife’s friends is a grade school English teacher and admitted to me that she doesn’t know how to properly use semicolons, much less teach others how. She just skips it. Tax dollars at work.
to pad out the number of keysAnd they insult the proper colon to boot by making it the shift key function.I’m convinced semicolons are a scam perpetuated by Big Keyboard
The purple/blue hair is so played out. It’s like a code to inform people how unique and edgy they are, only those wearing it are actually boring dime-a-dozen uninspired dolts mostly.
I do understand the usage of semicolons and colons. Over time I learned how to not only explain them to students but to also ensure they could use them correctly. On forums, I am less precise with my grammar - I blame it on my thumbs.One of my wife’s friends is a grade school English teacher and admitted to me that she doesn’t know how to properly use semicolons, much less teach others how. She just skips it. Tax dollars at work.
Here's an example in case anyone is interested.
Independent Clause; conjunctive adverb being used as a conjunction, In the dependent clause.
My mother bought me a car; however, I bought a car on Monday.
Independent clauses are combinations of subjects and predicates that can stand as a complete thought.
In the example above, mother is the subject and bought is the predicate in the first part of the sentence and I is the subject and bought is the predicate in the last part of the sentence. The two parts each could stand as a complete thought if spoken by themselves.
My mother bought me a car.
I bought a car on Monday.
One way to join two Independent Clauses is as in the example with the semicolon.
It's been awhile, but I think that is the gist of it.
Last edited:
- Status