Editing Singular they (section)

===Usage guidance in British style guides===
<!--''A Dictionary of Modern English Usage'' (1926) -->
In the first edition of ''[[A Dictionary of Modern English Usage]]'' (published in 1926) use of the generic ''he'' is recommended.{{sfn|Fowler|Crystal |1926|p=392}} It is stated that singular ''they'' is disapproved of by grammarians. Numerous examples of its use by eminent writers in the past are given, but it is stated that "few good modern writers would flout [grammarians] so conspicuously as Fielding and Thackeray", whose sentences are described as having an "old-fashioned sound".{{sfn|Fowler|Crystal |1926|p=648}}

<!--''A Dictionary of Modern English Usage'' (1965) -->
The second edition, ''Fowler's Modern English Usage'' (edited by Sir [[Ernest Gowers]] and published in 1965) continues to recommend use of the generic ''he''; use of the singular ''they'' is called "the popular solution", which "sets the literary man's teeth on edge".{{sfn|Fowler|Crystal |1926|p=404}} It is stated that singular ''they'' is still disapproved of by grammarians but common in colloquial speech.{{sfn|Fowler|Gowers |1965|p=635}}

<!--''The New Fowler's Modern English Usage'' (1996) -->
According to the third edition, ''The New Fowler's Modern English Usage'' (edited by [[Robert Burchfield]] and published in 1996) singular ''they'' has not only been widely used by good writers for centuries, but is now generally accepted, except by some conservative grammarians, including the Fowler of 1926, who, it is argued, ignored the evidence:

{{blockquote|Over the centuries, writers of standing have used ''they'', ''their'', and ''them'' with anaphoric reference to a singular noun or pronoun, and the practice has continued in the 20C. to the point that, traditional grammarians aside, such constructions are hardly noticed any more or are not widely felt to lie in a prohibited zone. Fowler (1926) disliked the practice&nbsp;... and gave a number of unattributed "faulty' examples&nbsp;... The evidence presented in the ''OED'' points in another direction altogether.{{sfn|Fowler|Burchfield |1996|p=779}}}}

<!--''The Complete Plain Words'' (1973) -->
''[[The Complete Plain Words]]'' was originally written in 1948 by Ernest Gowers, a civil servant, in an attempt by the British civil service to improve "official English". A second edition, edited by Sir Bruce Fraser, was published in 1973. It refers to ''they'' or ''them'' as the "equivalent of a singular pronoun of common sex" as "common in speech and not unknown in serious writing " but "stigmatized by grammarians as usage grammatically indefensible. The book's advice for "official writers" (civil servants) is to avoid its use and not to be tempted by its "greater convenience", though "necessity may eventually force it into the category of accepted idiom".{{sfn|Gowers|Fraser |1973|p=140}}

<!--'' Plain Words'' (2014) -->
A new edition of ''[[Plain Words]]'', revised and updated by Gowers's great-granddaughter, Rebecca Gowers, was published in 2014.
It notes that singular ''they'' and ''them'' have become much more widespread since Gowers' original comments, but still finds it "safer" to treat a sentence like 'The reader may toss their book aside' as incorrect "in formal English", while rejecting even more strongly sentences like
{{blockindent|"There must be opportunity for the individual boy or girl to go as far as his keenness and ability will take him."{{sfn|Gowers|Gowers |2014|pp=210–213}}}}

<!--''The Times Style and Usage Guide'' (2003)-->
''The Times Style and Usage Guide'' (first published in 2003 by ''[[The Times]]'' of London) recommends avoiding sentences like
{{blockindent|"If someone loves animals, they should protect them."}}
by using a plural construction:
{{blockindent|"If people love animals, they should protect them."}}

<!--''The Cambridge Guide to English Usage'' (2004)-->
''[[The Cambridge Guide to English Usage]]'' (2004, [[Cambridge University Press]]) finds singular ''they'' "unremarkable":
{{blockquote|For those listening or reading, it has become unremarkable&nbsp;– an element of common usage.{{sfn|Peters|2004|p=538}}}}

It expresses several preferences.
* "Generic/universal ''their'' provides a gender-free pronoun, avoiding the exclusive ''his'' and the clumsy ''his/her''. It avoids gratuitous sexism and gives the statement broadest reference&nbsp;... ''They'', ''them'', ''their'' are now freely used in agreement with singular indefinite pronouns and determiners, those with universal implications such as any(one), every(one), no(one), as well as each and some(one), whose reference is often more individual&nbsp;..."{{sfn|Peters|2004|p=538}}

<!--''The Economist Style Guide'' (10th ed. 2012) -->
''[[The Economist]] Style Guide'' refers to the use of ''they'' in sentences like
{{blockindent|"We can't afford to squander anyone's talents, whatever colour their skin is."}}
as "scrambled syntax that people adopt because they cannot bring themselves to use a singular pronoun".{{sfn|Economist|2010|p=117}}

<!--''New Hart's Rules'' (2012)-->
''[[New Hart's Rules]]'' ([[Oxford University Press]], 2012) is aimed at those engaged in copy editing, and the emphasis is on the formal elements of presentation including punctuation and typeface, rather than on linguistic style, although&nbsp;– like ''The Chicago Manual of Style''&nbsp;– it makes occasional forays into matters of usage. It advises against use of the purportedly gender-neutral ''he'', and suggests cautious use of ''they'' where ''he or she'' presents problems.
{{blockquote|...&nbsp;it is now regarded&nbsp;... as old-fashioned or sexist to use ''he'' in reference to a person of unspecified sex, as in ''every child needs to know that he is loved.'' The alternative ''he or she'' is often preferred, and in formal contexts probably the best solution, but can become tiresome or long-winded when used frequently. Use of ''they'' in this sense (''everyone needs to feel that they matter'') is becoming generally accepted both in speech and in writing, especially where it occurs after an indefinite pronoun such as ''everyone'' or ''someone'', but should not be imposed by an editor if an author has used ''he or she'' consistently.{{sfn|New Hart's Rules|2012|p=27}}}}

<!--NIV Bible-->
The 2011 edition of the ''[[New International Version]] [[Bible]]'' uses singular ''they'' instead of the traditional ''he'' when translating pronouns that apply to both genders in the original Greek or Hebrew. This decision was based on research by a commission that studied modern English usage and determined that singular ''they'' (''them''/''their'') was by far the most common way that English-language speakers and writers today refer back to singular antecedents such as ''whoever'', ''anyone'', ''somebody'', ''a person'', ''no one'', and the like."{{sfn|Washington Post|2011}}

The British edition of ''[[The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing]]'', modified in some respects from the original US edition to conform to differences in culture and vocabulary, preserved the same recommendations, allowing singular ''they'' with semantically plural terms like "everyone" and indeterminate ones like "person", but recommending a rewrite to avoid.{{sfn|Miller|Swift|1995|pp=57–58}}