Date: Tue, 20 Feb 1996 08:22:55 MST

From: Tom Uharriet UTOM[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ADMN.SHS.NEBO.EDU

Subject: Re: silly rules of grammar



I'm no legal expert; but I believe that if three people hold up a

store with one gun, and one bullet is fired, they are all held

responsible.



Tom



Wouldn't that require a plural -s on gun?



Benjamin Barrett



Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 16:23:33 MST

From: Tom Uharriet UTOM[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ADMN.SHS.NEBO.EDU



The "they" used below suggests that the police have reason to believe

that more than one person was involved in the crime. This inference

has legal significance in the courtroom. Either way it would need to

be clarified.



Here is one more good example of why it makes sense for speakers of

English

to use "they" as the indefinite pronoun of singular reference (rather

"he"or

"she"):



From the *South Florida Sun-Sentinel," 15Feb96, 9B/1-2: "POMPANO

BEACH--Police are trying to figure out who would want to kill James

Maxwell,

and why.

"Maxwell, 40, who owned a commercial fishing boat and an electronics

company, was killed outside his upscale waterfront condominium at 8:10

Tuesday night, police spokeswoman Sandra King said.

" 'It was a hit,' King said. 'Whoever killed him waited for him a

great

deal of time and, when he showed up, they emptied their gun.' "

" . . . neighbors saw a white man, about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a

medium build . . . hanging around Maxwell's home Tuesday night."

[snip]

utom[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]admn.shs.nebo.edu



utom[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]admn.shs.nebo.edu