Common Grammatical Errors: Passover Readings and the Singular “They”

It has become common for writers to refer to a single person, who could be of either gender, as a “they.” This “singular they” construction is grammatically problematic. Clearly one person does not qualify as a “they,” “their” or “them.” Yet we refer, perhaps lazily, or even sloppily, to singles as multiples – because it would be challenging or awkward to be grammatically rigorous.