當單數的人可能是男性或女性時，他們的代名詞可以使用主格的 he, he or she 或 they、所有格的 his, his or her 或 their 以及受格的 him, him or her 或 themselves。許多婦女不喜歡使用「雌雄莫辨」、不分性別的 he 來指人，她們往往使用 he or she, she or he 或者在口語中使用 they 來代替。例如：
- Anyone can solve the problem if he tries. (如果大家都肯試試，任何人都能解決這問題) (正)
- Anyone can solve the problem if he or she tries. (如果大家都肯試試，任何人都能解決這問題) (正) － 在書寫中，he or she 經常寫成 he/she 或 s/he。
- Anyone can solve the problem if they try. (如果大家都肯試試，任何人都能解決這問題) (正)
- Each person gave his opinion. (每個人都發表了意見) (正)
- Each person gave his or her opinion. (每個人都發表了意見) (正) － 在書寫中，his or her 經常寫成 his/her。
- Each person gave their opinion. (每個人都發表了意見) (正)
- Each person must introduce themselves before performing. (每個人在表演之前必須先自我介紹) (正)
從上面例句可以看出，這樣的用法最常出現在 each, every, everyone (everybody), someone (somebody), anyone (anybody) 或 no one (nobody) 的句子中。它們雖然都接單數動詞，但除了在非常正式的演講或文章中，其後經常接複數代名詞。再來看下面的例句：
- Each of them expressed their opinion. (他們每個人都發表了意見)
- Has everyone finished their drinks/his or her drink? (每個人都把酒喝光了嗎？)
- Someone’s stood you up, haven’t they? (有人放你鴿子，不是嗎？)
不過，要注意的是，everyone 或 everybody 僅能用來指人，其後絕不可接 of，而 every one 可以指每個人或每件事，其後通常接 of。例如：
- Everyone in the class wants to take a day trip. (班上的每個人都想一日遊)
- There are 30 students in the class and every one of them wants to go on a day trip. (這一班有 30 個學生，每個人都想一日遊)