Mehrdad
Everybody in the office have stated his/her opinion Everybody is a singular indefinite pronoun.Then why my sentence is incorrect?
Jul 12, 2019 7:43 AM
Answers · 6
2
Some indefinite pronouns take a singular verb. Everybody is one of them. In your example it should therefore be 'has stated', not 'have stated'.
July 12, 2019
1
There are two separate issues here: 1. The word 'everybody' : this is a singular noun. We say 'Everybody is...' and 'Everybody knows..' and 'Everybody has'. This is why your answer is wrong : it should be 'Everybody HAS stated..', not 'have'. Of course, if a past simple is used, this mistake doesn't arise - if you say 'Everybody stated', this is fine, too. 2. The pronoun used with impersonal or non-gender-specific nouns. There are several options here: Your option, 'his/her', is fine. You could also use 'his or her'. The very outdated masculine-only form still exists ( just 'his'), but it is very rare nowadays. The best option in modern English is the singular 'their'.
July 12, 2019
I know That I'm wrong but why?Here is the correct sentence: ''Everybody in the office stated their opinion''
July 12, 2019
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Mehrdad
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