Everyone Loves Being Single

We may have to revise our thinking.

For quite a while, Precise Edit has been saying that the most common error we correct is the misuse of "that" and "which." This may no longer be true. In nearly every document we have edited recently, we are fixing errors with the words "each," "every," and "everyone."

A. The Problem

To be specific, the words "each," "every," and "everyone" are singular terms. This means that they use single verbs (e.g., "is" and "was"). Any pronouns that refer to them must also be singular (e.g., "he" and "she"). Writers make mechanical errors when they use plural verbs and pronouns with these single words.

B. The Reason

Why is "everyone" single? The reason is pretty simple. "Everyone" refers to "every one," one at a time and not collectively. This is like saying, "This one is single. This one is single, too. And so is this one, and this one…,” and so on. Since "everyone" refers to each one as a single individual, it needs single verbs and pronouns. "Each one" and "every" are single for the same reasons.

C. Examples

Here are four examples to demonstrate what we mean.

Example 1
Wrong: "Everyone pulled together to do their part." The plural pronoun "their" is referring to the single subject "everyone."
Right: "Everyone pulled together to do his or her part."

Example 2
Wrong: "Each of us are going to the movies alone." The plural verb "are" is referring to the single subject "each."
Right: "Each of us is going to the movies alone."

Example 3
Wrong: "Every cow chews their own cud." The plural pronoun "their" is referring to the single subject "each."
Right: "Each cow chews its own cud."

Example 4
Wrong: "The world will be a better place when everyone feeds themselves." The plural pronoun "themselves" is referring to single subject "everyone."
Right: "The world will be a better place when everyone feeds himself or herself."

As demonstrated in the third and fourth example, Writers will often use a singular subject ("every" and "everyone") with a singular verb ("chews" and "feeds") but then will use a plural pronoun ("their" and "themselves"). Everything that refers to a singular subject needs to be singular, as in this sentence.

Note: We rarely see this problem with the word "everything." Isn't that odd?