Wordsmith Talk |
About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us | |||
Register Log In Wordsmith.org Forums General Topics Miscellany Is there a rule?
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
'Would anybody use "he" or "she" for a rat, a mouse, a goldfish or a louse?'
To the extent that the first three are pets, I think they would be referred to with correct gender if it is known. Wild mice scurrying behind the refrigerator or rats who find their way to the chicken feed are almost always "its." Likewise, a louse is most commonly called an "it," unless it refers to a specimen of the human species, in which case it is also occasionally referred to as an "it" but mostly, in that instance, for emphasis.
Moderated by Jackie
Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics Forums16Topics13,913Posts229,421Members9,182 Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV
9,182 Registered Users
Who's Online Now 0 members (), 1,117 guests, and 4 robots. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days) A C Bowden 23
Top Posters wwh 13,858Faldage 13,803Jackie 11,613wofahulicodoc 10,592tsuwm 10,542LukeJavan8 9,922Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210AnnaStrophic 6,511Wordwind 6,296of troy 5,400
Forum Rules · Mark All Read Contact Us · Forum Help · Wordsmith.org