Quote:
Originally Posted by getbak
"Their" indicates the possession of something (or some things) by more than one person. I don't know of any easy hints to remember this one other than knowing what the other two mean, and using "their" when the other two don't fit. The only other hint I could think of is that it contains the word "heir", which is who gets your possessions when you die.
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That is an important distinction to make....but a prime example of how the English language is evolving. So many people use the word 'their' incorrectly for posession of a non-specific singular, especially with words like 'person' or 'someone'.
For example, it is technically incorrect to say "That person needs to get
their act together"...or something like "a player needs to have
their head up all the times". Using a plural pronoun after a singular noun is wrong. The proper form is to use 'his' or 'her' or even 'his or her'. But gender specification is so problematic, that over time, linguists have come to consider 'their' as acceptable for a previously mentioned, non-gender specific singular. Heck, even Shakespeare used it incorrectly.
Similarly, 'they' can be used to describe a previously menioned singular, even though its traditionally considered incorrect. For example "if someone has a problem with it,
they can talk to the manager".