Ladies, does it really still bother you when I use him or he when talking about people in general? I hear many of you using the term "guys" when talking to or about a group of females...
2007-12-18 23:32:04 · 12 answers · asked by Sleepyriggles 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
No, it doesn't bother me. I find that a lot of people use "they" instead of he/she or "them" instead of him/her.
2007-12-18 23:47:45 · answer #1 · answered by ☆skyblue 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think I would mind if I were female...but none of them that have answered so far have said it bothers them. So I guess it's not a big deal. I know that it sure doesn't make me happy when someone refers to me as ma'am...happens quite often on the phone and in drive thrus. Don't know why, since I have a relatively deep voice. Oh well.
2007-12-19 07:48:52 · answer #2 · answered by skeet monroe 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dropped that rule a while back but my college teacher resurrected it, saying it would be rude of me not to do that. I don't have a problem with using "him" in general, but other people might so to be on the safe side, stick with it unless someone gives you a method that saves you from typing that but is able to get your point across as well.
2007-12-19 07:57:38 · answer #3 · answered by ♪Libellule 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I still use him/her when referring to a person in general. "They" is also an option that many people use. The problem is that when you use only the masculine form, it really doesn't sound like you're referring to any person, regardless of what the grammar books say. In my dialect of English, "guys" is an acceptable form of address for multiple people, as is "you guys". It's a second-person plural form, similar to "y'all". So in that case, it doesn't just mean masculine.
2007-12-19 14:24:50 · answer #4 · answered by drshorty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's perfectly acceptable to use 'he' and 'him' as gender neutral third person pronouns. If people are really bothered by it that's their problem.
Using 'them' and 'they' instead is technically incorrect, but becoming common enough that very few people would notice or care in most situations.
2007-12-19 08:49:07 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have never minded! For goodness sakes we do know what gender we are don't we? Does someone saying he or him for the sake of brevity make us any less feminine? NO! Some women just need to get over it!
2007-12-19 07:37:08 · answer #6 · answered by michelledenay 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You should use He and Him because the entire human race is addressed in general by writing him and he.
2007-12-19 07:35:39 · answer #7 · answered by Scarlet Cars 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, it does not offend me. Using the masculine to refer to human kind in general is considered proper grammer.
2007-12-19 07:35:18 · answer #8 · answered by Invisigoth 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't mind it. No point being long-winded.
2007-12-20 11:30:27 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you still have to type "him/her." Or let's see...make that "her/him."
2007-12-19 07:41:13 · answer #10 · answered by Criss_Mousse 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋