Natalie,

By all means, keep the grammar questions coming.  They remain one of the most interesting and important rationales for a list like this.

Good writers have used "their" with singular antecedents for several hundred years.  Semantically the relationship between plural and generic or non-specific is very close, and the boundary between the two tends to be hazy.  This gives rise not just to the "their" problem but also to questions of whether to treat a noun ending in -s as a plural or a singular generic or abstract, like "politics" or "graphics".  Compare 

The graphics in this book *is/are brilliant.
Graphics is/*are a demanding profession.

but

The politics in this book ?is/?are brilliant.
Politics is/*are a demanding profession.

His politics is/are why he wasn't appointed to the bench.

But you raise precisely the write question:  how will standardized test writers decide the question.

Herb




-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar on behalf of Natalie Gerber
Sent: Tue 9/25/2007 11:41 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: more teaching questions on grammar
 
Dear all,
 
Thanks to everyone who so kindly responded to my questions on count vs. noncount nouns. Please let me know if you would prefer that ongoing teaching questions not be directed to the list; I am teaching grammar for the first time, and I remain very grateful for the chance to vet questions here.
 
My new question involves the use of "they" or "their" with singular nouns to avoid gender bias; e.g., Each student should leave their assignment with the techer.
 
Obviously, recasting the noun as plural is the most elegant solution. However, Longman and many other authorities, including _Chicago Manual of Style_, accept the use of they and their, but Hacker's _Rules for Writers_ rails against it, preferring the awkward phrasing of "he or she" or "his or hers."
 
Here's my question: I side with the use of the plural pronoun, but I don't know whether or not standardized tests on grammar and usage disagree. Does anyone know whether the new SAT grammar section and essay penalize for this usage?
 
Thanks,
Natalie Gerber
SUNY Fredonia

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