Over the course of my career as an editor, I’ve noticed that certain grammar problems are incredibly tenacious. No matter how many times I correct them in copy, they just won’t stay fixed. If I could speak directly to all current and would-be writers, there are two things I would beg and plead with them to learn and understand.
1. Don’t call a collective singular or a person “they.”
As in: “The Bay is a Canadian institution. Their history dates back to the fur trade, and they now carry everything from fashion to appliances. A customer can find anything they want there.”
Argh. It should be obvious what’s wrong with the above. But here it is, fixed:
“The Bay is a Canadian institution. Its history dates back to the fur trade, and it now carries everything from fashion to appliances. Customers can find anything they want there.”
Other singular nouns that often mistakenly pick up a plural pronoun, verb or adverb includeteam, group, company, dealership, staff, agency, committee, band, bunch and even couple, pair andfamily.
Wrong: “The couple is buying their first house”; “The band played their instruments”; “The sales team exceeded their budget”; “A teenager wants their driver’s licence.”
Right: “The couple is buying its first house.” Better: “Smith and Jones are buying their first house.” (Considered correct in British English, and a better solution: “The couple are buying their first house.”)
Right: “The band played its instruments.” Better: “The band members played their instruments.”
Right: “The sales team exceeded its budget.” Unless it’s: “Each member of the sales team exceeded his or her budget.” Note that these mean two different things. Be clear.
Right: “A teenager wants his or her driver’s licence.” Better: “Teenagers want driver’s licences”; “A teenager wants a driver’s licence.”
2. Don’t confuse “a” and “an.”
OK, we all learned early on that the article “a” becomes “an” before a vowel sound.
That’s a vowel SOUND. Many words that begin with a vowel (often the letter “u”; sometimes the letter “e”) do not begin with a vowel sound.
So, no, “an unique idea” is NOT correct. Neither are “an euphemism” or “an European.” Seems obvious, doesn’t it? (And by the way, unique means one of a kind — as in, the only thing like it in the known universe. It does not mean special or unusual, and there are no degrees of uniqueness. A thing either is unique or it isn’t.)
Oh, and while we’re at it … also wrong is “an historic” — unless you ’ave a Cockney accent. Cheerio, mate.