Problematic pronouns for English learners. Gender neutrality for writing and speaking

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ต.ค. 2024
  • Gender-neutral pronouns can be confusing for English learners. When should you use the singular "they" and when should you use "he or she"?
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    Ben Gill
    English Teacher
    🌐 ttpenglish.com
    #learnenglish #advancedenglishvocabulary #c1advanced #c2proficiency #b2first #cambridgeenglish #tothepointenglish

ความคิดเห็น • 47

  • @KarlottaG
    @KarlottaG 4 วันที่ผ่านมา +11

    I'm telling you, I just received a C2 thanks to Ben's C1 course exam preparation course. Honestly, even taking the PREMIUM course is less expensive than retaking the test...and the live session and three writing corrections with feedback were immensely helpful!

    • @tothepointenglishwithben.
      @tothepointenglishwithben.  4 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

      Congratulations again, Karlotta! I'm so glad you found my course helpful.
      You're a great student!

  • @stevencarr4002
    @stevencarr4002 2 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    I often use 'it' to refer to a previous generic noun , for example, 'There is a visitor knocking at the door. I wonder who it is.'

  • @meh9677
    @meh9677 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Videos explaining little things like these are very important! Thank you for making it!

  • @cathyblazquez
    @cathyblazquez 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Always remembering to teach the smallest detail and explaining it thoroughly, providing the best examples. You are a talented, very clever teacher. Thank you very much, Ben.🎉🎉🎉❤

  • @NerdyNorth80
    @NerdyNorth80 3 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    Thank you, this is incredibly helpful😊

  • @marimegonzalez7259
    @marimegonzalez7259 4 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    As if learning English as it is woulnd't be hard enough😅😅. But, hey! Languages are alive and constantly changing, and that is the beauty in them! So.... Let's embrace the changing and let's try to be as respectful as we can be.

  • @clubdeinglescongeomonreal2551
    @clubdeinglescongeomonreal2551 4 วันที่ผ่านมา +4

    I’ve been looking for a video like this for ages.
    A million thanks! 😃

  • @sabrinasabi4177
    @sabrinasabi4177 2 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    🌍📚 Happy belated International Teachers’ Day! 🎉✨ To all the incredible English language teachers out there, your hard work and dedication help students find their voice and connect with the world. Keep shining and shaping the future!
    #HappyInternationalTeachersDay

  • @jayprakash-pi4qq
    @jayprakash-pi4qq วันที่ผ่านมา

    Beautiful
    ..absolutely..I repeat, absolutely, beautiful.. sir..

  • @laurapavone3513
    @laurapavone3513 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    In Italian using the female pronoun is a formal expression that shows respect.
    e.i :'Lei è davvero chiaro nello spiegare la grammatica'
    'you are very clear at explaining grammar '

    • @Theyoutuberpolyglot
      @Theyoutuberpolyglot 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

      Lei is a neutral formal way to be address people formally . Lei include both genders like usted in Spanish and vous in French.

  • @CTF74
    @CTF74 4 วันที่ผ่านมา +5

    Your videos are really useful to us. Please publish more videos about C2-level grammar and similar topics.✊✊✊✊👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

    • @tothepointenglishwithben.
      @tothepointenglishwithben.  4 วันที่ผ่านมา +3

      Will do 👍

    • @Theyoutuberpolyglot
      @Theyoutuberpolyglot 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

      I use he or she in my native language all the time. They/ them can be confusing, as the pronoun “they” is plural. Ladies and gentlemen is much better than in many languages which the masculine is only used.
      English is a very neutral language with genders. Only pronouns are different. When you say “ My teacher is nice or my dog is eating a piece of meat”. We have no clue if your teacher is a woman or a man and the dog might be a female or male dog. Should we also use sentences like “ His male/ female boss is on a holiday. The pronoun its is for animals. It is a neuter pronoun. Animals can be male and female as well. We are making a big deal with genders in languages. His or her is fine because we include both genders. How about the neutral gender? They are some people who identify themselves either man nor woman. It is not a joke. Some people say “ I am neither a man nor a woman”. I am something in between.

  • @rolandsimon5771
    @rolandsimon5771 4 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    A good student does their homework.
    their means his or her

  • @Phulanitos
    @Phulanitos 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Thanks, Ben!

  • @SHAIKMUHAMMEDYASEEN-k3r
    @SHAIKMUHAMMEDYASEEN-k3r วันที่ผ่านมา

    you teach on udemy sir?

  • @marale72uk
    @marale72uk 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Thanks Ben for the video!

  • @Chulamani
    @Chulamani 4 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    Can we use the grammar pronouns "their" her or she" during TOEFL without being penalized?

  • @maxthirtyseven
    @maxthirtyseven 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Many thanks Ben 😊

  • @stevencarr4002
    @stevencarr4002 2 วันที่ผ่านมา

    If I remember correctly, the 1850 law was enacted to stop people objecting to woman being able to have certain rights, because the relevant part in the laws had used 'he', so some people were saying that women were not included.
    So Parliament clarified that those legalistic objections were invalid.
    This is important at this very moment in time, because the Constitution of the United States always uses masculine terms about the President.
    The clarification stops legalistic objections to Kamala Harris running for President.

  • @WhereisMiffy
    @WhereisMiffy 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I’m a bit confused with a subject-verb agreement. If we use they as a singular, should we change support to supports? 4:02

    • @tothepointenglishwithben.
      @tothepointenglishwithben.  4 วันที่ผ่านมา +2

      The subject-verb agreement rules don't change, even though "they" is being used as a singular pronoun.

    • @WhereisMiffy
      @WhereisMiffy 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

      @@tothepointenglishwithben. Thank you very much for your response!

    • @stevencarr4002
      @stevencarr4002 2 วันที่ผ่านมา

      @@tothepointenglishwithben. There is something which has always confused me, about using 'they' as a singular pronoun.
      Which sentence is grammatically correct?
      'Do you teach a child English, or do they teach themself?'
      'Do you teach a child English, or do they teach themselves?'

    • @paolamariadimartino6879
      @paolamariadimartino6879 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

      So, as far as I understand, we emphasize we are using they as a “singular pronoun” to clarify that we are referring to one person, just one. However we don’t use it as singular, grammatically.

  • @brendalalicker4855
    @brendalalicker4855 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I have always used they, them and their, but on English grammar sites , I keep coming across he/she, and they has been considered incorrect.
    Why isn't cyborg it?
    Why is the expectant mother asked, do you know what it is?

    • @tothepointenglishwithben.
      @tothepointenglishwithben.  4 วันที่ผ่านมา +2

      I think most people would use "it" for a cyborg. I think Yuval Noah Harari was emphasising how human-like cyborgs will be the future.
      You can refer to an unborn baby as "it" when the sex is unknown

  • @montesierra717
    @montesierra717 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Ben, hace you seen "they" or "their" referring to a single person, for example, when a parent doesn't want to specify if their child is a boy or a girl?

    • @tothepointenglishwithben.
      @tothepointenglishwithben.  4 วันที่ผ่านมา +2

      No, I have never seen it used in that way. Unless the child identifies as neither male nor female.

    • @montesierra717
      @montesierra717 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

      @@tothepointenglishwithben. Thanks.

  • @РоманАндреев-м2р
    @РоманАндреев-м2р 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    My guess - a cyborg is a machine, from Latin machina, which is a feminine noun

    • @tothepointenglishwithben.
      @tothepointenglishwithben.  4 วันที่ผ่านมา

      Good point. But he tends to use feminine pronouns with other generic nouns, too.

  • @marylkap6498
    @marylkap6498 5 วันที่ผ่านมา +2

    Genders stuff...
    It's so complicated nowadays 😊

  • @vc.artiste1
    @vc.artiste1 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I'll keep using he/his, thank you.

  • @damqndenev2706
    @damqndenev2706 3 วันที่ผ่านมา

    You are brilliant, Ben! Keep on going!

  • @user-cc2ux9ew1r
    @user-cc2ux9ew1r 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Cheers china !

  • @aram5642
    @aram5642 3 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Just pondering here: will we ever refer to ships in masculine? ;) Imagine a vessel with a statement on its (?) bow "my pronouns: he/his/him"