The singular “they” is on the verge of becoming accepted in formal writing. It’s a development I approve of (if language never changed, I should have said “of which I approve”), and to celebrate I share a Philip Levine poem that makes imaginative use of the word “they.”
Tag Archives: Grammar
The Singular “They” Is Here to Stay
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "They Come They Lion", Philip Levine, singular they Comments closed
Back in the Day, We Parsed Sentences
Time was when grammar was king in the public schools. It didn’t seem to matter whether a student’s writing was interesting but whether it was correct. Then came the “process writing movement” and (in the lower grades) the “creative spelling movement.” The design was to unlock the writing energies that were being stifled by an […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "In Memory of W. B. Yeats", Age of Longing, David Adams Richards, Education, Richard Wright, W. H. Auden Comments closed
