Can someone please explain the rules of agreement for anyone, everyone, everybody and no one?
"Is anyone going to give up his seat to this old lady"?
His sounds right to me because anyone refers to a single person giving up a single seat.
But
"Anyone who has not yet paid must give [his or their?] money to the teacher by Friday."
His sounds wrong to me here, because more than one student may not have paid. My ear says “Anyone who has not yet paid must give their money to the teacher by Friday.”
Everyone will have his turn at the water fountain.
His sounds fine to me because people are proceeding one by one to get a drink of water.
on the other hand, Everyone must have a permission slip signed by their parent. Here "their" sounds right to me, because "everyone" is inclusive of the entire group.
Do you say
Everybody should put on their coats.
Everybody should put on their coat.
Everybody should put on his coat.
And do you say
No one should put on his gloves
or
No one should put on their gloves
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"Is anyone going to give up his seat to this old lady"?
His sounds right to me because anyone refers to a single person giving up a single seat.
But
"Anyone who has not yet paid must give [his or their?] money to the teacher by Friday."
His sounds wrong to me here, because more than one student may not have paid. My ear says “Anyone who has not yet paid must give their money to the teacher by Friday.”
Everyone will have his turn at the water fountain.
His sounds fine to me because people are proceeding one by one to get a drink of water.
on the other hand, Everyone must have a permission slip signed by their parent. Here "their" sounds right to me, because "everyone" is inclusive of the entire group.
Do you say
Everybody should put on their coats.
Everybody should put on their coat.
Everybody should put on his coat.
And do you say
No one should put on his gloves
or
No one should put on their gloves
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