Hello, I'm MarcoToa1 and I'm possibly a linguist who likes to discuss about English grammar. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. I'm generally uninfluenced with Americanisms unless I'm writing about contexts related to the United States. I prefer "-ise" spellings.

See also: Gender neutrality in English

This is one of the topics I'm now discussing about. Singular they is probably a third person pronoun, which is used for a hypothetical gender or if the person mentioned their pronouns are they/them. This pronoun is first used in the 14th century in the Middle English romance "William the Werewolf", and it said:

Hastely hiȝed eche . . . þei neyȝþed so neiȝh . . . þere william & his worþi lef were liand i-fere.",

which means "Each man hurried . . . till they drew near . . . where William and his darling were lying together."

Later in the 18th century, grammarians criticise that the word "they" is used for plurals, not for singulars. Later, they made a rule which is called the "generic he" or the "the male embraces the female" rule. Here are the examples, which included:

Each student has to submit his homework by himself.

Later, in around 1960-1970s, the generic he rule has been widely criticised, as it is considered sexist and excludes women and non-binary people. Later they made combinations like "he or she". However, this is not just simply inefficient, it still excludes non-binary genders. Around 1990-2000, the use of singular they has been widely accepted in informal writing and later in 2015-2020 also accepted by most major style guides like APA, AP, CMOS etc. The singular they is also the word of year in M-W since 2019.

My recent goal is to always use inclusive language, to avoid using language that are stigmatising, exclusionary or inaccurate.

Pronouns are used to show respect for a person's gender identity, promoting inclusivity and acknowledging how someone wants to be seen, especially for transgender and non-binary individuals. If someone wants to write their self-introduction, they can write "My name is _____ and I prefer _____ pronouns.". In Wikipedia:Preferences, for "Gender used in messages:", they can choose any pronoun they want like "he/him", "she/her", "they/them".

It's better to use gender inclusive terms. Here is the table for gender inclusive alternatives.

Gender-inclusive language guide

Instead of	Use
he/him or she/her as default	they/them, "one"
fireman	firefighter
policeman	police officer
actress	actor (gender neutral)
mankind, man	humankind, humans, people
manpower	staff, personnel, workforce

Instead of:

A good policeman must be brave and strong. He has to chase criminals through the streets, and when he catches one, he puts him in handcuffs. His wife often worries about his safety, but she knows that a man’s job is to protect the community.

Prefer:

A good police officer must be brave and strong. They have to chase criminals through the streets, and when they catch one, they put them in handcuffs. Their spouse often worries about their safety, but they know that a police officer's job is to protect the community.

Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility

Always ask the person's preference whenever possible. They may choose PFL (like "person with a disability") or IFL (like "disabled person"). Since I'm autistic, to me, both are OK. It's better to use PFL as default.

Avoid using outdated terms or euphemisms like "handicapped" or "cripple" unless they prefer it (but this is cautionary as it still causes external harm by outsiders). Do not use disability slurs like the "R-word".

4chan, 8chan: use a lowercase "c" whenever they are used. Do not use them in the beginning of the sentence.

a / an: Use "a" before a consonant sound while "an" for a vowel sound.

Correct: A university

Incorrect: An university

AAVE: African American Vernacular English (also black English)

Abbreviations: Always capitalised, no periods.

Correct: DIY

Incorrect: D.I.Y.

Aboriginal: cap when relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia or Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Accents: Always use accents in foreign words, like café, Māori, crêpe, Müller etc.

acknowledgement: note spelling

actor: Also acceptable for female reference. Avoid "actress".

addiction: Use PFL like "person with addiction" instead of "an addict".

advice: same as practice, -se as a verb and -ce as a noun

African American: two words

African descent: another term for "black", use in mainly formal and global contexts

age: Always be specific. Hyphenate adjectives, and no "s" for "year", like:

Correct: a five-year-old boy

Incorrect: a five-years-old boy

Incorrect: a five year old boy

ageing: note spelling

aka: also known as

Åland Islands: note ring accent

all right: two words, not Alright

American English: spellings like "color", "center", "traveled".

Americanise: British Spelling, note capitalisation

amn't: Do not use. Use "am not", "aren't I" etc.

ampersands (&): Do not use as an alternative for the conjunction "and". Use only in trademarks or company names, like "P&O"

analyse: not -yze in British English. For "analysis", always use "-sis" even in AmE.

antisemitism: No hyphen, not capitalised

any more: two words, not anymore

apartheid: do not capitalise

April Fool's Day: Capitalised + apostrophe

apostrophes in possessives: ''Both Iris' and Iris's are acceptable. For plurals, always use friends' or apples' (apostrophe at the end).

archaeology, archaeologist: note spellings

aren't: Can be used in questions, like "Why aren't I right?" or "I'm right, aren't I?"

Asian American: two words, no hyphen

as well as: = and

athlete: note spelling and pronunciation

AusE: Australian English

autism, autistic: It's better to use IFL like "autistic person"

avocado: plural is avocados

backlash: one word

backwards: one word, "s" at the end

Baghdad: not Bagdad

BAME: black, Asian and minority ethnic. Avoid. Use specific terms instead.

Bangla: note spelling

barcode: one word

baseline: one word

BC: Meaning "before Christ". no periods.

bee-eater: hyphenated

benefitted: note spelling

bestseller: no hyphen

Bible: capitalised when referring to the Holy Bible, otherwise not capitalised

billion: never abbreviate to "B"

BIPOC: acronym of "black, Indigenous and person/people of colour". Use specific terms whenever possible. See "race"

Black, black or African descent?: Use "Black" (capitalised) in US and North American contexts to refer to people of African descent, or their history and culture. Use "black" (lowercase) in South African contexts to refer to a legal category from apartheid. Use "African descent" for a broader term in global contexts to emphasise ancestry.

blacklist: Avoid. Use "denylist" whenever possible.

black market, black sheep: Avoid.

blackout: one word

blind: not capitalised

blind spot: avoid, use dead zone

blond(e): Use blond for a man, blonde for a woman.

bloody mary: not capitalised

bold: press COMMAND + B to bold in Mac, CONTROL + B in Windows.

bolden: can be used as a verb in typography to mean "to make the text bolder"

boy: Do not use it for an adult man, especially a black man or a person of colour.

braille: not capitalised

brave: do not use as a label for disabled people

BrE: British English

British English: spellings like "colour", "travelled", "centre" etc.

Bunsen burner: capitalised

burnt, burned: both are the Past and PP of burn, adjective form is "burnt"

businessperson: gender neutral for businessman

bypass: one word

caesar salad: not capitalised

café: note accent

cap: short for Capitalisation

capitalisation: Always capitalise honorifics like "Mr", "Mx", "Dr" etc, the pronoun "I" and other proper nouns.

Caucasian: Avoid except the name "Caucasian Albanian" in Unicode. Use "white".

cellphone: one word

chair(person): gender neutral term for chairman, chairwoman.

changelog: one word

Christian name: avoid, use "given name"

chronically ill: avoid, use "person with chronic illness"

clichéd: note accent, single "é"

Coca-Cola, coke, cola: capitalise and hyphenate "Coca-Cola", do not cap "coke" or "cola"

collective adjectives: examples are "the disabled" and "the elderly". Avoid. Use "people with disabilities" and "older adults" whenever possible.

colour-blind: avoid, use "universalist" if referring to the philosophy of treating people equally regardless of race.

coloured people: avoid in US contexts, considered a slur for black people. Use it in South African contexts

coon / 'coon: avoid entirely in all senses, even in the animal sense. Use "raccoon" instead.

co-ordinate/-tion, co-operate/-tion: Hyphenate

cornerstone: one word

cosmos: lowercase

COVID-19: always capitalised, hyphenated, not "Covid-19"

cracker: do not use as a slur for poor white people in the US

crazy: Do not use, use "exciting", "wild", "silly".

criticise, criticism: note spelling

czar: not spelling, not tsar

Dad: see notes at "Mum"

dashes, hyphens etc.: use hyphens (-) between two words like well-known. Use en dashes (–) between two numbers like 15–18. Use em dashes for emphasis or giving information like The new policy—which involved major changes—drew public attention.

data: treated as a singular noun, even though this word is the plural of "datum"

database: one word

dates: write in the format of Day / Month / Year in British English, such as "5th January, 2016". Note comma between the month and year.

deaf and dumb: never use it, considered a slur in Modern English.

deaf, Deaf, D/deaf, hard of hearing and hearing impaired: use "deaf" (lowercase) for a condition, "Deaf" (cap) for relation to culture of community, D/deaf for both, hard of hearing for "not able to hear well". Avoid using "hearing impaired"

debatable: note spelling

de-emphasise: British spellings, hyphenated.

defect, defective: avoid when relation to disability.

degree sign: °, use the symbol like 35°C, no space

dementia: not "senile dementia", "senile" is a slur.

demonym: capitalise geographical-related demonyms like "European", "Asian", "Japanese".

diaspora: lowercase

diesel: not capitalised

disability: use "person with disabilities" or "disabled person". Don't use "handicapped", "the disabled" and "cripple".

dumb, dummy: do not use them to refer to people with disabilities. Use "person with a speech impairment"

dyslexia: the adjective form is "dyslexic"

each other/one another: each other for two people, one another for more than two or multiple

e.g.: note periods

e-learning: hyphenated

email: no hyphen, can be used as a noun or a verb

enby: = nonbinary

encyclopaedia: note spellings

English: always capitalised

ethnic: Do not use as a synonym of non-white. Use specific terms like "Indian" or "Thai".

Instead of: ethnic food

Use: (more specific terms) Thai food

euro: not capitalised, the symbol is €, use the symbol whenever possible, e.g. €50.

everyday or every day: one word as adjective e.g. "everyday English", while two words for a phrase like "I have breakfast every day."

exclamation marks: (!) Used sparingly, only when truly necessary to express strong emotion or emphasis.

faggot, fag: don't use to refer to LGBT+ people, use only in the British meatball or cigarette sense, but requires caution.

FAQ: no periods, frequently asked questions

far-left, far-right: hyphenated as adjectives

feet: use the metric system (metres) whenever possible. If you must use imperial measurements, spell out "feet" on first mention and use "ft" after the first time (e.g., 6 ft).

female, male: avoid as nouns for humans, use them in adjectives, like "a female actor". Use "woman" instead of "a female" as a noun.

fertilisation: note spelling

Filipino, Filipina, Filipinx: Filipino is gender neutral, Filipina is for feminine, Filipinx is rarely used, but used by some nonbinary individuals.

first-hand, second-hand: hyphenated when used as adjectives

First Nations: initial caps, part of the term "First Nations, Inuit and Métis" for Indigenous peoples in Canada.

focuses/ed/ing: one "s"

foetus: note spellings

formatted: double "t"s

french fries, french fry: not capitalised

fulfill: note spelling

Gemini: capitalised

Gender: Use gender neutral terms. Avoid gendered titles. Use singular "they" for an unknown gender or a nonbinary person. Use "Mx" as a gender neutral reference.

global majority: a term used to describe the 80% of the world's population that is nonwhite.

goodbye: one word

Google: capitalise when relation to the company, don't capitalise when used as a verb

gotten: avoid in BrE

government: lowercase unless the part of a specific proper name

Great Britain: comprises England, Scotland, and Wales, but not Northern Ireland. The full name of the country is the United Kingdom.

half-breed, half-caste: avoid, use mixed-heritage

halfway: one word

healthcare: one word

Hispanic: refers to people whose ancestry is from a Spanish-speaking country.

historian: Use a historian.

he: A third-person pronoun for masculine reference. Do not use as an alternative of "they". It's considered sexist. For capitalisation in biblical contexts, choose either one.

herb: say "a herb" not "an herb"

homeless: avoid when used as a collective noun with "the"

honorific: No periods: like Mr Jones, not Mr. Jones

I: a first-person pronoun, always capitalised whenever it is used.

ID: identification

i.e.: note periods

if: Say "If I were" instead of "If I was" when used in a hypothetical scenario.

iMac, iPhone, iPad, iPod, iTunes: lowercase "i"

Indian: don't use to mean Native American

Indigenous: cap when relation to First Nations peoples in Canada or Australia

install: two "l"s

internet: lowercase

Inuktitut vs Inuktut: Inuktut is the umbrella term for all Inuit languages across Canada, while Inuktitut refers to the major dialect spoken primarily in Eastern Canada (like Baffin Island) but is often used generally for the language family.

is / are: for collective terms like government, team, committee, treated as plurals, therefore say "the government are"

italic: command + I (italic text: here's the sample)

italicise: not capitalised, British spelling, to mean "to make the text italic"

it/its pronouns: do not use unless specifically requested

its vs it's: Its is a possessive adjective, while it's is a short form of it is.

jail: not gaol

jewellery: note spelling

jihad: lowercase

judgement: note spelling

junk food: two words

kindergarten: one word

Ku Klux Klan: capitalise all three words and use "Klan" on second reference. Avoid KKK abbreviation unless in a direct quote.

labour: British spelling

LaTeX: Note capitalisation

Latino, Latina, Latine, Latinx: the term that is often preferred by Latin Americans.

layout: one word

learned: preferred for past and PP

LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA+, 2SLGBTQIA+, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and Two-Spirit. Use the "+" (plus) sign for inclusion.

long-term: hyphenated

low-veld: hyphenated

man, mankind, manpower, manmade: avoid, use "humans", "human beings", "humankind", "people", "human-made", "staff", "workforce" etc.

Māori: note cap and macron. You can type "ā" by holding the "a" button for a few seconds and press "9" in MacOS Sonoma. For the other hand, you can use the "Special Character" mode in Wikipedia.

MENA:

mental health condition: preferred over "mentally ill", "mental illness".

Métis: note accent

microaggression: one word

might, may: "Might" is for something less certain; "may" is for something more probable or to ask permission.

milestone: one word

millennium: note spelling

money: plural is moneys

monied: not moneyed

multimedia: one word

Mum: capitalise when used without a pronoun, lowercase when used with a pronoun like "my mum".

Muslim: not Moslem, capitalised and used as an adjective

naïve: note accent

Native American: initial caps

NB: nonbinary

NGO: non-governmental organisation

nigger A vicious slur for black people. Do not use in all circumstances unless you're quoting someone. When quoting, write "N-word", "n----r" or "[slur]" to avoid causing offence.

Instead of: Someone uses the word nigger during their argument.

Use: Someone uses the word [slur] during their argument.

nonbinary: hyphen is optional

non-existent: hyphenated

non-negotiable: hyphenated

no one: two words, no hyphen

offence: use "-ce" ending

offline / online: one word

OK: capitalised

one/oneself: a gender-neutral pronoun, use "oneself" for himself or herself.

older people / older adults: preferred over "the elderly"

overcrowded: one word

overexploitation: one word

overfishing: one word

percent: no space

percentage: one word

PFL: Use [Person with ____] rather than labelling a person by their condition

PhD: note caps

postcode: one word

powwow: use "meeting" instead of "powwow".

practice: practice is a noun, practise is a verb

program: used in the phrase "computer program", note spelling. This is the preferred spelling in BrE.

pronouns: Use they/them as default. Always ask the person's preference

publicly: note spelling

queer: used with caution, Acceptable when used by the LGBTQ+ community as a self-identifier.

quotes: use double quotes for the first layer, single quotes for the second layer.

raccoon: Do not abbreviate. If abbreviated, it will become a racial slur against black people.

race: Avoid acronyms such as "BAME" (black, Asian, minority ethnic). Focus of ancestral-based and specific terminology. Use "person of African descent", "Afro-Latino" or "Japanese American" instead of broad category labels like "black" and "Asian".

re-enter: hyphenated

résumé: note accents

retard: do not use in a disability context

role / role play: no accents

rhythm: one word

SAE: South African English

sautéed, sautéing: note spelling

savannah: preferred spelling

screenshot: one word

set-up: hyphenated

smartphone: one word

softlock: one word

southern / northern hemisphere: lowercase

-st ending words: e.g. amidst, amongst etc. avoid except in common examples like against.

standalone: one word

sub-Saharan Africa: lowercase "s" in "sub" while cap "S" in Saharan. Avoid "black Africa".

target list: preferred over "whitelist"

they: can be treated as a singular or plural pronoun.

towards / backwards / forwards: prepositions, always use "s" at the end

trans / transgender: avoid "transgendered" or "transgenders".

Twitter: avoid, now officially X.

UK / US: no periods

US, USA: US as an adjective, USA as a noun

underway: one word

Unicode: capitalised

URL: all caps

UTF-8, UTF-16: always capitalised + hyphenated

verandah: preferred spelling

versus: spell it in whole, not "vs"

vlog: video + blog

webpage: one word

website: one word

well-being: hyphenated

whereby, whereupon: avoid

while: avoid whilst

wifi: all lowercase

Wikipedia: note spelling, not -paedia

withhold: note spellings

whom: Relative clause. "Who" is a subject pronoun (like he/she) performing an action, while "whom" is an object pronoun (like him/her) receiving the action or following a preposition

workforce: one word

xenophobia: note spelling

X-ray: hyphenated + capital "X"

years: Use "2020s" or "1980s" ("s", no apostrophe)

yellowwood: note spellings

YouTube(r): note cap "Y" and "T"

ze/hir: forms are ze, hir, hir, hirs and hirself, neopronoun

zero-tolerance: hyphenated

ZIP code: all caps for "ZIP"

Zoom: capitalised when referring to the Zoom application.