Singular "They" for Anonymized References in Technical English
5 exercises — practise singular "they" for anonymized users and unspecified agents in technical writing.
0 / 20 completed
1 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses singular "they" with the correct verb form for an unspecified user?
"If a user forgets their password, they can reset it from the login screen" is correct: singular "they" takes the same verb forms as plural "they" ("they can reset", not "they can resets"), even though it refers to one unspecified user. Option B incorrectly adds "-s" to "reset" after the modal "can", which never takes a third-person "-s". Option C incorrectly adds "-s" to the modal "can" itself, which is invariable. Option D uses "is" with "they", incorrectly treating singular "they" as requiring singular verb agreement it doesn't use.
2 / 20
Choose the sentence that correctly uses singular "they" in a user story without assuming gender.
"As a customer, I want to update my profile so that I can keep my information current" is correct: in first-person user story format, the subject is already "I", so the pronoun must stay consistent as "I/my" throughout, not switch to "they" or any third-person pronoun. Option A incorrectly and inconsistently switches from first person "I" to third person "they" mid-sentence. Option C incorrectly assumes a male referent for a generic customer. Option D incorrectly uses "it", which is inappropriate and dehumanizing for a person.
3 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses singular "they" to refer back to "whoever" reports a bug, avoiding gendered assumptions?
"Whoever reports the bug should include their browser version in the ticket" is correct: singular "their" is the standard, natural way to refer back to an unspecified, gender-unknown referent like "whoever" in modern professional English. Option B's "his or her's" is both clunky and grammatically wrong (the possessive of "her" is "her", not "her's"). Option C's "its" is inappropriate for a person. Option D's "he/she's" mixes a written slash-form with a spoken contraction and is not appropriate prose style.
4 / 20
Select the sentence where singular "they" correctly refers to a specific, previously-mentioned but anonymized support ticket submitter.
"The customer said they couldn't log in, so we asked them for their account email" is correct: this uses the full singular "they" paradigm correctly — subject "they", object "them", and possessive "their" — all referring to the same anonymized customer. Option B incorrectly uses subject-form "they" where the possessive "their" is required before the noun "account email". Option C incorrectly uses "its", inappropriate for a person. Option D incorrectly invents a non-standard possessive form "they's".
5 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses the reflexive form of singular "they" ("themselves", not "themself" in formal technical writing) to describe a user completing an action alone?
"A developer can configure the webhook themselves without contacting support" is correct: "themselves" is the standard reflexive form paired with singular "they" in formal writing (the informal variant "themself" is emerging but less accepted in professional documentation). Option B's "theirself" is a nonstandard, ungrammatical form. Option C assumes a male referent for a generic, unspecified developer. Option D's "itself" incorrectly refers to the webhook rather than the developer.
6 / 20
During a code review comment on a pull request for the authentication service, Alex writes: 'The user needs to update their password.' Which option best reflects the correct use of 'they' in this context?
The key here is that the sentence describes an action performed by the user. Using 'they' is perfectly acceptable and preferred in technical writing to avoid assuming gender. The incorrect options misinterpret the use of singular 'they' as requiring more specific pronouns or suggesting a grammatical error; the API itself doesn't dictate pronoun usage when referring to a user's actions.
7 / 20
In a Slack message discussing a recent spike in errors related to data validation, Sarah writes: 'Whoever is responsible for the validator needs to investigate themselves.' Which of the following best explains why this phrasing is suitable?
Sarah's sentence correctly employs singular 'they' as an anonymous reference. The phrase 'whoever is responsible' doesn't specify gender, and 'themselves' accurately describes the action of investigation performed by that individual. The misconception here is often a desire for overly specific pronouns, which isn't necessary or appropriate when dealing with anonymized references.
8 / 20
During a standup update, David says: 'The team needs to ensure that the new feature's documentation is updated by whoever created it themselves.'. Is this sentence grammatically correct and appropriate for technical communication?
David's use of 'they' is correct and appropriate. It avoids gendered assumptions about who created the feature, which is crucial when dealing with anonymized references in technical documentation. The other options misinterpret the sentence's purpose or suggest an unnecessary level of specificity.
9 / 20
In a PR description for a bug fix related to user profiles, Maria writes: 'The system now correctly handles the scenario where whoever reports a duplicate profile is notified.'. What's the primary reason this sentence utilizes singular 'they'?
Maria's sentence uses singular 'they' to maintain an anonymous reference to the user reporting the duplicate profile. This is standard practice when dealing with anonymized data and avoiding gendered assumptions. The goal isn't to identify a specific individual but rather to describe the system's response.
10 / 20
During a code review of an API endpoint for user authentication, John comments: 'The server will log any attempts to access resources by whoever is attempting unauthorized logins themselves.'. Which option best explains the appropriateness of using singular 'they' in this statement?
John's use of singular 'they' is appropriate because it focuses on the *action* – unauthorized login attempts – rather than attributing that action to a specific user. This aligns with the principle of anonymized references and avoids making potentially biased assumptions about the actor attempting the unauthorized access. The API log simply records the event, not the identity of the person doing it.
11 / 20
During a code review comment on a pull request for the authentication service, Alex writes: 'The user needs to update their password.' Which option best reflects the correct use of 'they' in this context?
The key here is that the sentence describes an action performed by the user. Using 'they' is perfectly acceptable and preferred in technical writing to avoid assuming gender. The incorrect options misinterpret the use of singular 'they' as requiring more specific pronouns or suggesting a grammatical error; the API itself doesn't dictate pronoun usage when referring to a user's actions.
12 / 20
In a Slack message discussing a recent spike in errors related to data validation, Sarah writes: 'Whoever is responsible for the validator needs to investigate themselves.' Which of the following best explains why this phrasing is suitable?
Sarah's sentence correctly employs singular 'they' as an anonymous reference. The phrase 'whoever is responsible' doesn't specify gender, and 'themselves' accurately describes the action of investigation performed by that individual. The misconception here is often a desire for overly specific pronouns, which isn't necessary or appropriate when dealing with anonymized references.
13 / 20
During a standup update, David says: 'The team needs to ensure that the new feature's documentation is updated by whoever created it themselves.'. Is this sentence grammatically correct and appropriate for technical communication?
David's use of 'they' is correct and appropriate. It avoids gendered assumptions about who created the feature, which is crucial when dealing with anonymized references in technical documentation. The other options misinterpret the sentence's purpose or suggest an unnecessary level of specificity.
14 / 20
In a PR description for a bug fix related to user profiles, Maria writes: 'The system now correctly handles the scenario where whoever reports a duplicate profile is notified.'. What's the primary reason this sentence utilizes singular 'they'?
Maria's sentence uses singular 'they' to maintain an anonymous reference to the user reporting the duplicate profile. This is standard practice when dealing with anonymized data and avoiding gendered assumptions. The goal isn't to identify a specific individual but rather to describe the system's response.
15 / 20
During a code review of an API endpoint for user authentication, John comments: 'The server will log any attempts to access resources by whoever is attempting unauthorized logins themselves.'. Which option best explains the appropriateness of using singular 'they' in this statement?
John's use of singular 'they' is appropriate because it focuses on the *action* – unauthorized login attempts – rather than attributing that action to a specific user. This aligns with the principle of anonymized references and avoids making potentially biased assumptions about the actor attempting the unauthorized access. The API log simply records the event, not the identity of the person doing it.
16 / 20
During a code review comment on a pull request for the authentication service, Alex writes: 'The user needs to update their password.' Which option best reflects the correct use of 'they' in this context?
The key here is that the sentence describes an action performed by the user. Using 'they' is perfectly acceptable and preferred in technical writing to avoid assuming gender. The incorrect options misinterpret the use of singular 'they' as requiring more specific pronouns or suggesting a grammatical error; the API itself doesn't dictate pronoun usage when referring to a user's actions.
17 / 20
In a Slack message discussing a recent spike in errors related to data validation, Sarah writes: 'Whoever is responsible for the validator needs to investigate themselves.' Which of the following best explains why this phrasing is suitable?
Sarah's sentence correctly employs singular 'they' as an anonymous reference. The phrase 'whoever is responsible' doesn't specify gender, and 'themselves' accurately describes the action of investigation performed by that individual. The misconception here is often a desire for overly specific pronouns, which isn't necessary or appropriate when dealing with anonymized references.
18 / 20
During a standup update, David says: 'The team needs to ensure that the new feature's documentation is updated by whoever created it themselves.'. Is this sentence grammatically correct and appropriate for technical communication?
David's use of 'they' is correct and appropriate. It avoids gendered assumptions about who created the feature, which is crucial when dealing with anonymized references in technical documentation. The other options misinterpret the sentence's purpose or suggest an unnecessary level of specificity.
19 / 20
In a PR description for a bug fix related to user profiles, Maria writes: 'The system now correctly handles the scenario where whoever reports a duplicate profile is notified.'. What's the primary reason this sentence utilizes singular 'they'?
Maria's sentence uses singular 'they' to maintain an anonymous reference to the user reporting the duplicate profile. This is standard practice when dealing with anonymized data and avoiding gendered assumptions. The goal isn't to identify a specific individual but rather to describe the system's response.
20 / 20
During a code review of an API endpoint for user authentication, John comments: 'The server will log any attempts to access resources by whoever is attempting unauthorized logins themselves.'. Which option best explains the appropriateness of using singular 'they' in this statement?
John's use of singular 'they' is appropriate because it focuses on the *action* – unauthorized login attempts – rather than attributing that action to a specific user. This aligns with the principle of anonymized references and avoids making potentially biased assumptions about the actor attempting the unauthorized access. The API log simply records the event, not the identity of the person doing it.
What will I practise in "Singular "They" for Anonymized References in Technical English — IT Grammar Exercise"?
Practise using singular "they/them/their/themselves" with correct verb agreement to refer to anonymized users, customers, and unspecified agents in user
How many exercises are in this module?
This module has 20 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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Every exercise is written by the CoderSlingo team, drawing on real workplace English used in IT roles, then reviewed for accuracy and clarity.