When is their OK?

A common confusion for young writers is when it’s acceptable to use the plural pronouns “they,” and “their,” and “them,” and the rest of the genderless plural pronouns.

When your subjects are plural.

The answer is simple and brutal: when your subjects are plural.

Simple problem

Their is legal with a plural subject (subject underlined)
All writers want their work to be read.

Their is illegal with a singular subject (subject underlined)
Every writer wants their work to be read.

Sample with problems

The writer is reading their work and at the onset of their journey they feel as if all their ideas are good ones. They are writing away thinking, “wow, this is a great piece.” The writer walks away for a few hours or even a few days and comes back to their paper and says, “What was I thinking?”

Sample Solutions

1. Stick with Singular (forces a gender choice):
The writer is reading HER work and at the onset of HER journey SHE feels as if all HER ideas are good ones. SHE IS writing away thinking, “Wow, this is a great piece.” SHE walks away for a few hours or even a few days and comes back to HER paper and says, “What was I thinking?”

2. Go with Plurals (avoids gender):
WRITERS are reading THEIR work and at the onset of THEIR journey THEY feel as if all THEIR ideas are good ones. THEY ARE writing away thinking, “Wow, this is a great piece.” THEY walk away for a few hours or even a few days and come back to THEIR papers and say, “What was I thinking?”

3. Kill most pronouns (recommended):
A writer, at the onset of any project, feels every idea is a good one. During the first draft it’s hard not to think: “Wow, this is a great piece.” After a few hours away from the page, the same writer, reading the draft, says, “What was I thinking?”

4. Use First Person Plural (whenever possible):
Writers, at the onset of any project, think all our ideas are good ones. Writing our first drafts, it’s hard not to think: “Wow, this is a great piece.” After a few hours away from the page, we come back to read our first drafts and think, “What was I thinking?”