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English Vocabulary


grammatical twist and possessive adjective

bocohan
User since 2010
Posts: 3

1 May 2012

Hello,
I understand the meaning but not the construction of the phrase
"to describe to an employee dismissed from their job" in the sentence
"The verb 'to fire' is generally used to describe to an employee dismissed from their job. The verb has other uses, but it cannot be used to describe a person who is forced to leave their apartment."


Otherwise, why using "their" while it is "a person" ?
Thank you for your help
PP

4 comments

  • User since 2012
    Posts: 49

    1 May 2012

    If I remember correctly, "their" is used when we don't want to specify the genre (male or female) of the person. "Their" is a generic term, then.
  • User since 2012
    Posts: 49

    1 May 2012

    ... Sorry, "gender" in lieu of "gendre"...
  • User since 2012
    Posts: 49

    1 May 2012

    ... I don't believe it ! :D
    "Gender" in lieu of "genre", of course !
  • User since 2010
    Posts: 115

    8 May 2012

    Hello Bocohan,


    Idoine is right about "their".


    However, as for the phrase above, you are right that there is a mistake in it. "Describe" is a transitive verb and therefore does not need to be followed by "to". The sentence should read "to describe an employee dismissed from their job".


    I hope this helps, and thanks for your feedback. I will correct this error immediately.


    Sam

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