TransWikia.com

Which reflexive or intensive pronoun should I use for an unknown person (himself, herself or itself)?

English Language & Usage Asked on August 29, 2021

I want to reffer to a person whose gender I don’t know.

Should I say a person himself/herself or a person itself?

Two examples below:

Reflexive: If someone wants to kill somebody else, then do it him/herself.

Intensive: I need to run a mask detection, but I just need to use someone’s head or face, not the person himself/herself.

One Answer

It's "themselves" unless you want to say "himself or herself" every time.

A side note: Although this is how I reference and understand referenced a person of unknown gender, there have been disputes about the usage of gender-neutral pronouns, especially in recent years. However, you would be understood using "themselves":

Use themselves as the reflexive/intensive pronoun to refer to an indefinite gender-neutral noun or pronoun that is the subject of the sentence and avoid themself.

I would rather state the other voice regarding this, too:

Although some current dictionaries, for example, The New Oxford Dictionary of English, state that themself has re-emerged in recent years when used to refer to a singular gender-neutral noun or pronoun ("themselves" remains the normal third person plural reflexive form), they label it as "rare" or "disputed" or "not widely accepted in standard English".

The references are from Department of Justice of Canada

Correct answer by niamulbengali on August 29, 2021

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP