The Pedant: The sheer usefulness of singular ‘they’ is obvious

Here’s a sentence from a recent column in The Sunday Times by Jenny Hjul: “Wrong pronunciation is a sure-fire way for an ignoramus to expose themself, and this book offers advice on the tricky words . . . ”

Is there anything wrong in the grammar? There is not. The reflexive pronoun themself stands out because it’s unusual but it’s entirely legitimate in English usage.

Let’s take this question in two stages. First, it is common in standard English to use they/them as a singular generic pronoun. The sheer usefulness of singular they is obvious: it means you don’t have to use the gender-specific he or the cumbersome he or she. It is, however, not only criticised but denounced by some usage guides. In his…