From the previous thread, I got left behind (not like the movie):

re: #16 Charles Johnson

I’m finding it difficult to get used to using “them” and “their” instead of gendered pronouns when a person isn’t identified.

My inner grammar nazi gets upset about misusing a plural word every time I try.

re: #192 Anymouse 🌹🎃

Fear not, “they” as a singular pronoun has always been correct. It is only the outsized influence of a couple of grammarians in the XVIII Century claiming “they” cannot be singular because a plural pronoun can’t take a singular antecedent.

They forgot about “you.” By the XVIII Century, “thou” was long gone from English usage.

“They” as a singular pronoun is documented all the way back to 1375.

From the original grammar Nazis, the Oxford English Dictionary:

A brief history of singular ‘they’

Additionally, even at the time those grammarians in the XVIII Century received pushback from everyday speakers, writers, &c.