NaNoWriMo!
rohina:
Quote from: Renatus on 2005 October 03, 15:10:01
Oh yeah, this just occured to me - using 'their' to mean one person, while not traditionally correct, is becoming more common and less seen as an error. Since English lacks a decent non-gendered pronoun that still means a person, and the use of 'one' can end up sounding convoluted and pretentious, people have shifted to using 'their' instead. Some editors and whatnot will get tetchy over it, but it's becoming more and more acceptable. So dizzy-two was not completely out of the grammar ballpark. :P
Using "their" after a noun like "everyone" is becoming more acceptable, but "their" after "a person" or other clearly singular word is still defined as an error by most college/university English departments.
Hook:
What dizzy-two *should* have written was:
"A good writer can do that standing on HIS head."
Unless you'd rather he used one of the made-up abortions that the overly-liberal, overly politically correct college/university English departments has foisted upon us all. I've been using "their" as a non-gender-specific pronoun ever since I first saw that other crap in print. Mostly just to prove I could use non-gender-specific words without totally butchering the English language.
Gawd, don't you just LOVE pedantic bullshit?
Hook
Myrddin:
As a writing "hobbyist" and an avid reader, I'm a little ashamed I have never heard of this before! Thank you for mentioning it on here.
I have no comment on the grammar vs. good writer issue as I am far from an expert on the subject. The way I handle writing though is to write from the gut first and edit out any grammar issues second. And always have a proof-reader; if you made the mistake once you will likely not pick it up as an error in future drafts. To fall back on a writing cliche to further prove my non-expertise, I was always told that you have to know the rules before you can break them. Well, I guess I did have a grammar comment lol!
kim:
none of which really matters that much in nano. except maybe the part about stapling the pages together, something to think about while waiting to register. 50,000 words that more or less make sense and at least point toward the telling of a story, or a sincere intention to do so. critical approval and publishing are only concerns if you choose to make them such.
rohina:
Quote from: Hook on 2005 October 03, 23:40:12
What dizzy-two *should* have written was:
"A good writer can do that standing on HIS head."
Unless you'd rather he used one of the made-up abortions that the overly-liberal, overly politically correct college/university English departments has foisted upon us all. I've been using "their" as a non-gender-specific pronoun ever since I first saw that other crap in print. Mostly just to prove I could use non-gender-specific words without totally butchering the English language.
Gawd, don't you just LOVE pedantic bullshit?
Personally, I would have written "A good writer can do that standing on HER head." Which, I am sure, would have been equally acceptable.
Its quite possible to use "their" as a non-gender-specific pronoun, just not a singular non-gender-specific pronoun.
I am paid a handsome hourly rate to love pedantic bullshit, and so I do. I have been to meetings where this particular grammatical issue was argued for more than an hour.
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