Wednesday, December 5, 2012

BRITS MESS UP, TOO


American English is declining rapidly and alarmingly, but speakers across the pond make grammatical errors, as well.

The first child of Prince William and his wife Kate will be born in 2013.

Speaking of the changes to succession rules to give royal girls an equal opportunity, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said, “Whether the baby is a boy or a girl, they will have an equal claim to the throne.”

“They” is not the appropriate pronoun, unless Will and Kate are expecting twins. “They” is not a neutral word to use when the sex of the individual is not known.  “They” is plural.  A better way for the deputy prime minister to have stated this exciting development would have been, “Whatever the sex of the baby, he or she will have an equal claim to the throne.”