singular vs. plural pronouns

“Everyone goes through a hard time in their life,” Kirsten Dunst says in the October issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

Here’s the problem. Everyone is singular, as is life, but their is plural. If there’s one phrase that irks the Grammar Guard, it’s “their life.” In rare cases, it works. For example, you might be describing a couple’s married life together. But if you’re making a statement about everyone, there’s no way one life could be shared. So repeat after me: “Their lives. Their lives. Their lives.”

Ahhh! Much better.

While we’ve got Kirsten’s attention, let’s review other singular pronouns that trip people up:

* the ones - one, everyone, someone, anyone, no one

* the things - everything, something, anything, nothing

* the bodies - everybody, somebody, anybody, nobody

Whether or not is sounds right, these pronouns require singular treatment - singular verbs, singular pronouns. Everyone was invited. No one is dancing yet. But somebody will get the party started.

With these pronouns down pat, there’ll be fewer hard times, grammatically speaking.