Held ball or foul?

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Amesman

But would you give him or her a held ball?

Well, in that case, it is a them. Can't have a held ball without two or more players.

[Amesman]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

Well, in that case, it is a them. Can't have a held ball without two or more players.

Yeah, I figured somebody would call me on that. Good whistle. But then again, the inference would have to be that only one person would want the held ball to be "given."

Man, it really must be the off-season. And it's only May. Heaven help us all.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Amesman

Yeah, I figured somebody would call me on that. Good whistle. But then again, the inference would have to be that only one person would want the held ball to be "given."

Man, it really must be the off-season. And it's only May. Heaven help us all.

Since I'm probably the main culprit on using them and they as if they were singular, gender neutral, pronouns, I have first right on pointing any other violations on their use. I've caught myself two or three times since it was mentioned by Nevada....and am trying to correct my ways. Now, if I can just get someone to invent singular, gender neutral, pronouns.

That said, I may not be so incorrect after all. Here is what ?He or she? versus ?they? - Oxford Dictionaries has to say on the matter:

You can use the plural pronouns ‘they’, ‘them’, ‘their’ etc., despite the fact that, technically, they are referring back to a singular noun:

If your child is thinking about a gap year, they can get good advice from this website.

A researcher has to be completely objective in their findings.

Some people object to the use of plural pronouns in this type of situation on the grounds that it’s ungrammatical. In fact, the use of plural pronouns to refer back to a singular subject isn’t new: it represents a revival of a practice dating from the 16th century. It’s increasingly common in current English and is now widely accepted both in speech and in writing.

I'm guessing the same point would also hold for him/her vs them.