They. He or She. Do not use they when the antecedent is a distributive expression such as each,
each one, everybody, every one, many a man. Use the singular pronoun.
Every one of us knows they are fallible. Every one of us knows he is fallible.
Everyone in the community, whether they
are a member of the Association or not, is
invited to attend.
Everyone in the community, whether he is a
member of the Association or not, is invited
to attend.
A similar fault is the use of the plural pronoun with the antecedent anybody, somebody, someone,
the intention being either to avoid the awkward he or she or to avoid committing oneself to one or
the other. Some bashful speakers even say, "A friend of mine told me that they...."
The use of he as a pronoun for nouns embracing both genders is a simple, practical convention
rooted in the beginnings of the English language. Currently, however, many writers find the use of
the generic he or his to rename indefinite antecedents limiting or offensive. Substituting he or she
in its place is the logical thing to do if it works. But it often doesn't work, if only because repetition
makes it sound boring or silly.
Consider these strategies to avoid an awkward overuse of he or she or an unintentional emphasis
on the masculine:
Use the plural rather than the singular.
The writer must address his readers' concerns.
Writers must address their readers' concerns.
Eliminate the pronoun altogether.
The writer must address his readers' concerns.
The writer must address readers' concerns.
Substitute the second person for the third person.
The writer must address his readers' As a writer, you must address your readers'
concerns. concerns.
No one need fear to use he if common sense supports it. If you think she is a handy substitute for
he, try it and see what happens. Alternatively, put all controversial nouns in the plural and avoid the
choice of sex altogether, although you may find your prose sounding general and diffuse as a result.