What pronoun goes with the word 'person'? She, he, they?

Question

An example would be, "In a person's lifetime, ____ are faced with..." Is it acceptable for 'they' to go in the blank?

Answer 1

Some will say not, but grammatically "they" is perfectly fine.

What you're asking about is which pronoun can be used as a "generic", that is, when you want to refer to an individual, but NOT indicate the gender. The answer is -- you have some choices, and you should try to pick one that communicates clearly and does not sound awkward.. The basic options are "he", "they" or "one".

Unfortunately, man do not recognize this. They tell you "they" is not possible, because it's a "plural" form. But by the same logic "he" MUST be "masculine".!

In fact, since the 1300s (Middle English) many authors have used a generic "they/their" in these constructions. This is just about the same age as the generic use of the masculine form.

Sure, many grammarians fuss at this as inaccurate and assume it is a recent corruption. But the dates show that it is not a new thing, and numerous examples from the finest authors through the past 6+ centuries prove it is hardly ignorant.

For the history, a list of such authors and many examples (esp. from Jane Austen, about whom the page was written), as well as material from the Oxford English Dictionary, see the sections of the article "Jane Austen and other famous authors violate what everyone learned in their English class" beginning with:
http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/linghebr/austheir.html#X1a

So how do you choose? A key factor is whether the form you're thinking of using will cause confusion. In the construction you list it is crystal clear that "they" refers to an individual. That is, there is NO confusion. So feel free to use it. Of course, if you KNOW your audience will include people who fuss about grammar and do not know that "they" can be generic, you might want to consider "he". ('One" is a possibility, but I find it awkward unless it "leads off" or in "stock expressions", e.g. 'One never knows. .. ")

Answer 2

English lacks the impersonal pronoun. It can be used but is awkward and just doesn't work.

First off, you are mixing plurality in your example. Person is singular while the conjugation "are" would more properly be used for plural.

change "person" to "Tom."
In Tom's lifetime he are faced with...

See? Doesnt' work. To answer the general question, change the "person" to Tom.
In Tom's lifetime he was faced with...
Or Tina

As a general rule english grammar allows the writer to use his own gender in this situation.

Answer 3

I would say "he or she." Or you can try to find a way to phrase it so that pronoun is not necessary. But since it is a singular noun, it goes with a singular pronoun.

Answer 4

No, no, no, and definitely NO!
That is a very common mistake.
Generally speaking, it is fine to go with the masculine case here... In a person's life, he...

However, if that offends some feminist bone in your body, it is also OK to say, in a person's life, he or she...

Personally, I get tired of "he or she." I have no problem sticking with the masculine and saying "he."

"They" goes with a plural antecedent, and "he, she, it" go with a singular antecedent.

Answer 5

No they-- he or she is the correct answer. And don't write he/she. The correct sentence would be "In a person's lifetime, he or she faces..."

Answer 6

well, it'd be "in a person's lifetime, one is faced with. . .

A person might feel that he is . . .

he

Answer 7

This is one of my pet peeves. It used to be normal to select "he" (because "he" was considered universal), until political correctness came along. Then, for a long time, we had to say (and hear) "he or she". For some of us, it became easier to say "one", but it could get pretty ridiculous -- "one should mind one's Ps and one's Qs if one wants to find oneself comfortable in one's social circle. " (Please disregard the content of that sentence -- I don't believe it, I just wrote it for the example.)

Finally, everyone just caved in and though there's no case agreement, you hear "they" or "them" everywhere. In TV commercials, something like, "Show your child that you love them."

Like fingernails on a blackboard!

Answer 8

it must be singular, because "a person" is singular.

"one" is a very good choice here.

in a person's lifetime, one is faced with...

Answer 9

the english teacher is right

Answer 10

I agree with "faoi shíocháin"...