1.108 USAGE NOTE

Sometimes, you may not want to specify whether a person you are talking about is male or female.

One way of doing this is to use 'they' or 'them'. This use is very common after indefinite pronouns such as 'someone' or 'anyone'. These are explained in paragraphs 1.127 to 1.140. Note that the plural form of the verb is always used after 'they', even when it refers to only one person.

• If anyone wants to be a child minder, they must attend a course.
• If I think someone may take an overdose, I will spend hours talking to them.

Another way is to use 'he or she' instead of 'they', and 'him or her' instead of 'them'. This is often used in formal or written English.

• 'Would a young person be able to get a job in Europe?' 'That would depend on which country he or she wanted to go to'.
• The student should feel that the essay belongs to him or her.

Some people consider it wrong to use 'they' and 'them' to refer to one person. It is, however, clumsy to repeat 'he or she' and 'him or her'. When you want to make a general statement you can avoid this problem by using a plural noun instead of a singular noun.

For example, instead of saying 'As soon as a child goes to school he or she is taught to read', you could say 'As soon as children go to school they are taught to read'.

Some people use 'he' and 'him' in general statements or after indefinite pronouns, but many people object to this use because it suggests that the person being referred to is male.