As you Learn English, you will see that English, like all languages, is constantly changing.  Even Americans sometimes say they have to learn English constantly:  They mean they must learn English as it is used today, not learn English as it was yesterday!

One of the biggest changes in English in the last 30 years has been the move to gender (male-female) equality.  You can also call it “gender fairness,” or simply “fairness.”

However, “gender-fairness” writing includes some problems for the style and the rhythm of your sentences.

Take, for example, a sentence like this?  Each manager explained XXXXXX  plan.

Do you decide that every manager is a man, and say “his plan”?  That used to be the way, but those who learn English today must realize that this is a prejudiced view, and also not accurate.

Do you decide that every manager is a woman, and say “her plan”?  Unless this is an organization of nuns (or the Girl Scouts), that is probably not accurate, either.

A bad solution, which you usually see, is to say “his or her plan.”  This uses too many words and is not elegant, especially if it occurs many times, which is often does.  “His or her,” again and again becomes very clumsy and wordy.

There is, though, a very easy solution:  Make the whole sentence plural. Then you can use “their,” which includes both men and women.  All the managers explained their plans.  This works almost every time.

(If you do this, however, be sure to make “plans” plural, since they probably didn’t all have the same plan!)

In my English classes, students learn English with these nuances in mind.  They might sound like details, but for those who want to learn English like experts, details make a big difference.

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