Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and I’m here to tell you that companies are not alive.

You’re probably thinking: What? Let me explain. Imagine a fictional corporation called … Chicken Nuggets Incorporated. You have a comment about their marketing strategy. [buzzer] And things have already gone astray. A brand is an “it,” not a “they.” You have a comment about its marketing strategy.

Grammarians like to argue about whether “they” can be used in the singular form to replace “he or she.” Let’s assume, for a minute, that it is an appropriate substitute for the somewhat awkward “he or she” construction. If so, then—like he and she—singular “they” is clearly an animate pronoun, meaning it should only be applied to things that are alive. And, as we all know—companies are not alive.

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