usmbguest5318
Gold Member
Insofar as I'm having an unusually beneficent moment, I'll even help you out OP-er....Nobody's making anyone use any damn pronouns. The use of a given pronoun, particularly a personal pronoun, is driven by the rules of grammar, and those rules exist to facilitate clear, efficient, and effective communication. Period. Chose the pronoun that doesn't confuse one's audience -- i.e., make rational and members of the audience who mastered the language in which one speaks/writes not wonder of whom one is speaking/writing -- and one be just fine.My confusion is this, if we are made to use certain pronouns then surely that is an infringement on basic human rights?
Yes. You're missing the fact that pronoun choice is a matter of grammar not human rights. Stop trying to make pronoun choice be something it isn't (or stop paying any mind to folks who are, if it be that you aren't among the folks doing so), and you'll be just fine.I missing the point or is the argument for neutrality genuinely that flawed?
- "She" and "her" are the personal pronouns used to refer to females. If you look at a person or their image and they look like a female to you, refer to them as "she" or "her" if you are not of a mind to refer to her by name.
- "He" and "him" are the personal pronouns used to refer to females. If you look at a person or their image and they look like a male to you, refer to them as "he" or "him" if you are not of a mind to refer to him by name. (A key thing to notice about the possessive versions of personal pronouns is that they don't take an apostrophe.)
- There are also possessive versions of the gender specific personal pronouns. They are "hers" and "his."
- Lastly, there are the non-gender specific personal pronouns. They are "you," "your," "yours," "I," "me," "my," "mine," "we," "us," "our," "ours," "they," "them," "their," and "theirs."
- When one is unsure whether the person under consideration/discussion is male or female, one may refer to them using descriptive phrases like "the person who...," "the individual with...," etc. There are, of course, other ways of handling uncertainty such as that which I've described, but insofar as you're struggling with basic personal pronoun choice and how and why one might choose one or the other personal pronoun, I think, for now, it's best that you go with the very simplest and most reliably accurate phrasings.
Oh, my. I was obliquely ribbing you before, but now I see you truly do have material reading comprehension difficulties.Ye that is officially retarded. Them and they can't be singular so that alone is enough to make me laugh.
Lastly, there are the non-gender specific personal pronouns. They are "you," "your," "yours," "I," "me," "my," "mine," "we," "us," "our," "ours," "they," "them," "their," and "theirs."
- Pronouns overall
- Personal pronouns
- Personal pronouns and possessives
- Impersonal pronouns
One thing to which you should pay close attention is that some pronouns take on different meanings and play different roles. Context gleaned through careful reading is the most effective way to determine which role a pronoun plays at any given appearance. As one's reading comprehension skills improve, it becomes ever easier to accurately suss such things. Practice makes perfect. Good luck.