Antecedents
A pronoun must have an antecedent, the noun that identifies what he, she, or it is. The use of it should raise a yellow flag that signals a possible place to improve your writing by tightening the narrative and replacing it with what it is. Avoid using he or she and later in the same paragraph using that person’s name. A name that is important to the paragraph should appear at the beginning, with he or she used in subsequent sentences.

1. She Rachel stared at him. Rachel She knew men, and everything about his expression said he was telling the truth.
2. As they neared the dock, they assured me that it the ice was safe. (The antecedent wasn’t clear. The skater wanted to know if the ice was thick enough to be safe, but the sentence indicates a concern for the safety of the dock.)
3. John sat with Bill at the back of the church. He John picked up a hymnal and turned to the responsive readings. (Who picked up the hymnal, John or Bill?)

Get Your Pronouns Right
Use who when referring to people. Use that when referring to non-human entities. Don’t use the character’s name when a he or she pronoun would be clearly understood. Unlike pronouns, unnecessary repetition of names is redundant and indicates bad writing.

1. I was seen by the same doctor that who had seen my student.
2. We need to reach others that who don’t fit the pattern.
3. This swamp was owned by the state who that built the roads into the park.
4. The boy rubbed his nose with his hand and wiped it his hand on his shirt. (What was rubbed on the shirt, his nose or his hand? Readers can’t be sure.)
5. I will give this little person a serious warning for their his or her bad behavior… (You can’t use a plural pronoun for a singular antecedent.)

What Is It?
Readers have little difficulty visualizing the person that he or she refers to. The genderless it is a different matter. It can be animal, vegetable, or mineral, real or abstract, human or spirit… anything. Since the meaning of it has limitless possibilities, they must do more work to understand what it is. Your writing will be stronger and an easier read when you can replace it with what it is.

1. To reduce the cost of the reservoir, the Army Corps of Engineers moved it the reservoir south.
2. He shook his head and put it his BlackBerry back into his suit. (A modern-day picture of the headless horseman.)
3. I was sure she was planning her own suicide death after checking out piles of books about it suicide.
4. He bolted out of the chair and got the cup of water and handed it the cup of water to her. (Did he hand her the cup or the chair?)

Genderless Singular
The English language doesn’t have a genderless singular pronoun, a word to use in place of “him or her.” Writers have made several attempts at referring to a person who is either male or female. You may see all these styles in print, but only one is preferable.

1. Not acceptable: A person convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. (This is confusing. Writers who try to use “his” in the genderless sense face the insurmountable obstacle of readers visualizing only a man. Use “his” only when referring to a male.)
2. Not acceptable: When the cold days are gone, he will feel the warmth of the sun. She will no longer shiver. (This style is disconcerting. Writers who try to flip back and forth from “he” to “she” in different sentences, paragraphs, or chapters cause the pictures in readers’ minds to be bounced back and forth between a man and a woman. Stay with “he” and focus on a male context, or stay with “she” and focus on a female context. Never mix the two.)
3. Not acceptable: A writer fails when he/she gives up. (Since our language doesn’t recognize “he/she” and “him/her” as valid words, the flow of meaning is interrupted with a momentary need for interpretation.)
4. Not acceptable: A writer who touches others leaves their fingerprint from God. (The plural pronouns “they” and “their” should never be used in the singular sense. You may see this style in print, but it’s grammatically incorrect.)
5. Tolerable: Blessed is he or she who struggles, for he or she will have great stories to write about. (While this style is grammatically correct, the repetition of “he or she” or “him or her” quickly becomes awkward if not absurd.)
6. Preferable: Blessed are they who struggle, for they will have great stories to write about. (Because we do have a genderless plural pronoun in “they” or “them,” the best approach is to use the plural form for both the pronouns and their antecedents.)