Brandon wrote this sentence in an essay.

Everyone in the stadium rose to their feet.

In peer review, Cara changed their to his or her, but Brandon disagreed. Why are both Brandon and Cara correct?

A. Both their and his or her are correct because both are plural expressions and feet is also plural.

B. Both their and his or her are correct because rose is an active verb and tells what everyone did.

C. Our language is changing, and many style guides now permit either their or his or her to follow everyone.

D. When writing an essay, an author can choose between their and his or her because usage rules do not apply to essays.

Question

Kristopher

English

3 November, 15:09

Brandon wrote this sentence in an essay.

Everyone in the stadium rose to their feet.

In peer review, Cara changed their to his or her, but Brandon disagreed. Why are both Brandon and Cara correct?

A. Both their and his or her are correct because both are plural expressions and feet is also plural.

B. Both their and his or her are correct because rose is an active verb and tells what everyone did.

C. Our language is changing, and many style guides now permit either their or his or her to follow everyone.

D. When writing an essay, an author can choose between their and his or her because usage rules do not apply to essays.

+1

Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Gordon Snyder · Answer 1

The correct answer is C.

Explanation:

Our language is changing, and many style guides now permit either their or his or her to follow everyone. It's part of using inclusive language. Inclusive language is a relatively new way to speak and write to avoid excluding people. Though nowadays it's just a matter of gender equality, soon there might be other ways in which culture, social background, religion and family structure are included too.