[log in to unmask] on 06/24/98 07:34:07 PM

Please respond to [log in to unmask]

T



 "Have we really begun to accept a plural pronoun for a singular antecedent
to establish gender neutrality, avoid using more than one pronoun (e.g.
*his or her*), or avoid making all our antecedents plural?"

I certainly hope so; it seems a perfectly reasonable solution
to the problem, and one that comman usage has already
 come to, as far as I can see.

"As a writing teacher, I often find myself forcing my students to struggle
with this frustrating question."

Not a bad idea to have them face the problem and weigh the
different solutions. But "his or her" is usually a failure
to solve it, in my view.

Ted Johnson
Chicago