Assassination Trivia

[Dave Taylor]

(03-03-2015 10:02 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Sorry, too -

(03-03-2015 09:21 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Luckily, you don't have a ticket to the Commemoration

...and luckily I am not a multiple personality - thanks, Laurie, I re-and reread the sentence (a sentence rather than a prize as it seems now...) and would have been fine with "a/his/her" (thus singular), but "their" just didn't come to my mind - I didn't expect it's about a special kind of group ticket...("whoever gets this...gives me their ticket")

I also have to admit to frequently and purposefully using the improper "their" when referencing a singular individual. In class I often find myself asking, "Who can give me their opinion on _________". I know the proper phrasing should be, "Who can give me his or her opinion on ______" but that sounds cumbersome to me. I would venture that the incorrect substitution or "their" for "his or her" is an increasingly common occurrence, however. "Their", relieves the burden of saying "his or her", while still working to eliminate any chance of gender bias in our speech. I'm not saying it's proper, but "their" in a singular sense appears to be used with increased frequency in our society.