I have a quick question about writing, /lit/.
So I was recently corrected by an instructor on the use of the pronouns "one" with "they". It was stated "one" cannot be used with anything but "one" as it would be considered a pronoun disagreement.
Example:
"One can do as they wish."
As opposed to:
"One can do as one wishes."
I understand "one" shouldn't be used with pronouns such as "he, him, her, she", but thought it was acceptable to use it with "they" and "their" because they were also neutral.
Am I wrong on this? Is using "one" with "they, their" still acceptable in less formal writing?
"One may do as they wish" can refer to 'one' doing something some other people want him to do
"One can do as one wishes" means that 'one' is doing what that same 'one' wants, so it's better to use that and more correct
>>7664631
>One can do as they wish
Technically, if you're referring to one person throughout the sentence, this is improper grammar because using "they" to refer to one person isn't correct, you actually have to say "his or her"
It's a fucking stupid rule that needs to be changed, the English language doesn't have a gender neutral pronoun even though there are many situations that call for it.
>>7664631
No, of course you can't. "One " refers to a single individual and "they " refers to multiple people. This is a very simple concept.
>>7664644
How about if I used "One can follow [one's] their own dreams". Would that be acceptable?
>>7664658
>What is a singular they
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they
>>7664631
It's just a conflict of dialects. Using "one" as a pronoun is very academic; using "they" as a singular pronoun isn't. You're not a the level where you can mix dialects, so I'd reccommend Using "one/one" as in "One should never attempt to eat one's cake and have it too" or using "one/his" (my preferred option) as in "One should never attempt to eat his cake and have it too". The Feminists will throw a shit-fit for assuming masculinity in a neutral pronoun, but that's just a bonus.
>>7664659
No! When do you use "their" to mean one person's possession?
>>7664678
"I couldn't find my phone, so my friend let me use theirs."
>>7664671
Is using "his" with "one" considered grammatically correct? Or should I stick with using "one" with "one's, one, etc." for now?
>>7664678
Ah shit, someone left THEIR umbrella in the exhaust pipe of my car. I hope THEY don't make that mistake again.
>>7664713
Depends on the narrative and the class. If you're writing a formal (or really any) paper in an English class, I'd suggest against using [one] with anything other than itself. In a class where you have to write a paper that isn't pure English however, such as History or Political Science, they probably won't catch it or care enough about it to recognize it.
Only spergs care about perfect grammar. Formal writing can suck my dick; you're going to read my SoC analysis and like it.
>>7664744
>descriptivism
the weakest of minds
>>7664644
But, one can do as another one wishes as well. Absent context, there is no unambiguous way to construct this sentence without adding new words.
>>7664746
ayoumad
If I wanted to do practical writing, I'd be going back to university to do STEM again.
Perfect grammar is for Latin--a formal language that I am learning as a formal language. I see little reason to hold-back my mother tongue when the language itself is not suited to be so gray.
>>7664663
>What is an eternally-confusing practice that should be removed from acceptable usage
>>7664776
>This is part of the English language
>But I don't like it, so therefor it shouldn't exist
Okay man.
>>7664655
people have just sorta made do with 'they' which is silly and ambiguous but it works well enough
>>7664746
I do prescriptivism ironically.
What's a good grammar book for someone who wants to master the English language?
>>7666185
Also a good word book? I'm considering Putnam's
