“SHE” FOR ANIMALS… IF YOU LOVE THEM!
When the animal’s sex doesn’t matter and we have
no personal relationship with it, we
use “it”. Note, however, that it is customary to refer to all animals
as “he” or “she” in certain circles, especially among animal rights activists.
Nevertheless, most people would use “he” or “she” (depending on the sex of
the animal) only when referring to an animal with whom they have a close
personal relationship:
correctThat dog dachshund is a member of our family. She is so curious.
correctThat dog is a member of our family. It is so
curious.
Both examples are grammatically correct, but the first one sounds more
affectionate.
“SHE” FOR THINGS… IF YOU LOVE THEM AS WELL!
Sometimes things
are referred to as “she” to show affection. It is traditional
for ships to be a “she”:
Nevertheless, it is not wrong to refer to a ship
in an impersonal manner as “it”. Similarly, countries and cars are sometimes
referred to as “she”:
correctI love Great Britain. She is a great country.
(affectionate)
correctLet’s try out our new Ferrari. She’s ready for
it. (affectionate)
However, don’t overdo it. Even if you really
love your Ferrari, referring to it always as “she” may make you sound
pretentious or snobbish (if the mere fact that you have a Ferrari didn’t do the
job).
ANOTHER POINT
OF VIEW…
Gendered
pronouns! Feminist linguists (of both sexes, mind you) tell us that the proper
way to say "A mother wants her child to be
a successful adult" is "A mother wants their child to be a successful adult". According
o these linguists, it's nonsexist and we can't guess that the mother is actually
female. She may be an amoeba or a piece of plankton.
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