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Question

britdam007

britdam007

India

Jeff:  So I’m driving down the highway the other day, and I see this car pulled off to the side. It’s somebody on their cell phone standing outside of the car, looking distraught. I wonder what’s wrong. I was in a hurry, so I couldn’t stop…...............



Can we use like somebody on his/her cellphone instead of using their?


What do you think?


Best regards,


Abhishek

07:24 AM Dec 06 2013 |

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Teacher AmySuper Member!

United States

The best option would be for Jeff to identify the gender of the driver and use the proper possesive adjective (E.g. “his cellphone” or “her cellphone”). Since Jeff is telling a story in informal conversation, it would sound awkward for him to say “his/her cellphone.” Even though “their cellphone” does not grammatically match the singular subject “somebody,” it’s an acceptable choice for his story. In written English, however, it’s always important to use the correct possessive adjective. In situations where the subject’s gender is unclear, like in Jeff’s story, it’s better to just choose a gender and use it consistently.


Best,


Amy

05:22 AM Dec 10 2013 |