Our dear Scribbler complains: The use of, e.g. "their, them" with singular antecedents AND singular verbs...confuses rather than clarifies meaning.
If anyone wants to come, they IS welcome?????
I think not.
As far as confusing goes, we have lived for a mighty long time with the same first person plural pronoun covering the inclusion and exclusion of the listener and seem to have managed. If you don't think that's confusing you haven't been listening.
Sparteye? Any other lawyers? Know of any cases where this has caused legal problems? Probably any lawyer writing up anything where this could be a problem has taken care to see that the document was worded in such a way as to make the meaning clear, but it is a constant problem in casual speech.
Challenge. Find me a sentence in which the use of the 3rd pers pl pron with a singular antecedent causes confusion and give me the full context.
