they/their (singular) THEY/THEIR (SINGULAR) Using the plural pronoun to refer to a single person of unspecified gender is an old and honorable pattern in English, not a newfangled bit of degeneracy or a politically correct plot to avoid sexism (though it often serves the latter purpose). People who insist that “Everyone has brought his own lunch” is the only correct form do not reflect the usage of centuries of fine writers. A good general rule is that only when the singular noun does not specify an individual can it be replaced plausibly with a plural pronoun: “Everybody” is a good example. We know that “everybody” is singular because we say “everybody is here,“ not “everybody are here” yet we tend to think of “everybody” as a group of individuals, so we usually say “everybody brought their own grievances to the bargaining table.” “Anybody” is treated similarly. However, in many written sentences the use of singular “their” and “they” creates an irritating clash even when it passes unnoticed in speech. It is wise to shun this popular pattern in formal writing. Often expressions can be pluralized to make the “they” or “their” indisputably proper: “All of them have brought their own lunches.” “People” can often be substituted for “each.” Americans seldom avail themselves of the otherwise very handy British “one” to avoid specifying gender because it sounds to our ears rather pretentious: “One’s hound should retrieve only one’s own grouse.” If you decide to try “one,” don’t switch to “they” in mid-sentence: “One has to be careful about how they speak” sounds absurd because the word “one” so emphatically calls attention to its singleness. The British also quite sensibly treat collective bodies like governmental units and corporations as plural (“Parliament have approved their agenda”) whereas Americans insist on treating them as singular. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/they.html03/09/2005 15:40:10 think on THINK ON THINK ABOUT An archaic form that persists in some dialects is seen in statements like “I’ll think on it” when most people would say “I’ll think about it." List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/thinkon.html03/09/2005 15:40:11 though/thought/through THOUGH/THOUGHT/THROUGH Although most of us know the differences between these words people often type one of them when they mean another. Spelling checkers won’t catch this sort of slip, so look out for it. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/though.html03/09/2005 15:40:11 throne/thrown THRONE/THROWN A throne is that chair a king sits on, at least until he gets thrown out of office. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/throne.html03/09/2005 15:40:14 thusly THUSLY THUS “Thusly” has been around for a long time, but it is widely viewed as nonstandard. It’s safer to go with plain old “thus." List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/thusly.html03/09/2005 15:40:15 time period TIME PERIOD The only kinds of periods meant by people who use this phrase are periods of time, so it’s a redundancy. Simply say “time” or “period." List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/time.html03/09/2005 15:40:15 times smaller TIMES SMALLER Mathematically literate folks object to expressions like “my paycheck is three times smaller than it used to be” because “times” indicates multiplication and should logically apply only to increases in size. Say "one third as large” instead. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/times.html03/09/2005 15:40:15 to/too/two TO/TOO/TWO People seldom mix “two” up with the other two; it obviously belongs with words that also begin with TW, like “twice” and “twenty” that involve the number 2. But the other two are confused all the time. Just remember that the only meanings of “too” are “also” ("I want some ice cream too.") and “in excess” ("Your walkman is playing too loudly.") Note that extra O. It should remind you that this word has to do with adding more on to something. “To” is the proper spelling for all the other uses. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/to.html03/09/2005 15:40:16 to home TO HOME AT HOME In some dialects people say "I stayed to home to wait for the mail," but in standard English the expression is "stayed at home." List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/tohome.html03/09/2005 15:40:16 today’s modern society TODAY’S MODERN SOCIETY TODAY People seeking to be up-to-the-minute often indulge in such redundancies as “in today’s modern society” or “in the modern society of today.” This is empty arm-waving which says nothing more than “now” or “today.” A reasonable substitute is “contemporary society.” Such phrases are usually indulged in by people with a weak grasp of history to substitute for such more precise expressions as “for the past five years” or “this month.” See “from the beginning of time.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/today.html03/09/2005 15:40:16 . lunch” is the only correct form do not reflect the usage of centuries of fine writers. A good general rule is that only when the singular noun does not specify an individual can it be replaced. other uses. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/to.html03/09/2005 15:40: 16 to home TO HOME AT HOME In some dialects people say "I stayed to home to wait for the mail,". home." List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/tohome.html03/09/2005 15:40: 16 today’s modern society TODAY’S MODERN SOCIETY TODAY People seeking to be up-to-the-minute often