Thread: woman, they
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Unread Aug 13th, 2015, 10:41 am
susan53 susan53 is offline
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Default Re: woman, they

No.

1) You can't use a singular noun without a preceding determiner - eg

No woman was allowed to...

Alternatively, you could use the plural :
Women were not allowed to ...

2) It makes no sense to use the pronoun "their" with a singular noun which is clearly exclusively feminine. So :

No woman was allowed to use her mind...
or
Women were not allowed to use their minds...


3. their is used as a singular pronoun with neutral gender reference - ie when it could refer to either males or females - eg

A person who has experienced having their house burgled is unlikely to forget it.

but yes - the following noun remains singular. Another example :

No-one will be allowed to change their mind after the decision has been taken.
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