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Subject:Re: A grammar-gender question From:Lori Dirks <lorid -at- FOURGEN -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 26 Jun 1995 12:59:29 -0700
You could try something like this:
"To view a user's group and rights, select the user's name from the list
box; information pertaining to the person selected appears in the Group and
Rights areas of the window."
>I want to say, "To view a user's group and rights, highlight their name;
>their individual information will appear in the Group and Rights portions
>of the window." But using "their" with "a user" is bad grammar.
>It's more grammatically correct to say, "To view a user's group and
>rights, highlight his or her name; his or her individual information will
>appear in the Group and Rights portions of the window. But "his or her"
>turns the sentence into a gender issue and it always sound awkward.