The Singular Form of "They"

[mshonle]

In writing, I prefer to use the term "he or she" if the section of the paper doesn't require too many usages. Used sparingly, it feels inclusive and natural. No one in their right mind uses the "gender neutral he" anymore; and it's just as jarring to see the "gender neutral she

Comments

[djmitche]

I remember being very upset in my humanities class when the prof claimed that "they" was already an acceptable gender-neutral (but not gender-free) third-person singular pronoun. To this day, this is the first example I think of for the active evolution of language. That's not to say I like it :)

[mshonle]

What's the difference between gender neutral and gender free?

[djmitche]

"he/she" is gender-neutral (makes no statement about gender)
"it" is gender-free (indicates definitively that there is no gender)

[ministerofinfo]

And for the gloriously impersonal tone version:
"I forget who was on the chair, but it was being twirled by the other... One was pushed above the center of gravity and (that one) fell!"