Inclusive language describes and addresses people accurately and respectfully, without assuming an identity or implying that one group is the default. In a workplace notice, it can help readers see whether an instruction applies to them. In a research report, it can help readers tell exactly who took part and whose experiences the findings describe.
Grammar shapes who a sentence refers to, how subjects agree with verbs, and who appears to take action. Word choice shapes how readers understand a role, an identity, or a group. When you edit either one, check that the sentence still conveys the same facts.
Start with what readers need to know
For a workplace announcement, identify who can take part, what action they can take, and any conditions. For a research report, identify which characteristics matter to the research question and how the study recorded them. That gives you a reason to keep, remove, or clarify a description.
A dialect is a variety of a language with its own patterns of grammar and vocabulary. A style guide sets conventions for writing in a particular setting. If an interviewee uses a dialect form, preserve the wording in a direct quotation. Apply the publication’s style to the surrounding explanation. NCTE guidance on language varieties in writing.
Use pronouns that fit the person and the sentence
- An unspecified person. In Each applicant should check that they have signed the form, singular they refers to any one applicant. The sentence leaves the applicant’s gender open.
- A specific person. Use the pronouns the person uses. If Avery uses they, write Avery is presenting today. They are going first. If you need to verify pronouns and cannot ask before publication, Avery’s name or role can keep the reference clear.
Singular they takes the same verb forms as plural they, including they are, they have, and they do. Each clause has its own subject. In Each applicant is responsible for checking that they have signed the form, each applicant takes is and they takes have. If two people could be the antecedent, name the person you mean. APA Style on singular they.
Choose terms that fit the person, group, and purpose
Check relevance first. A speaker’s disability may belong in a biography about their work on accessibility. A notice that simply announces the time of their talk may only need their name and role. When a characteristic affects eligibility or the scope of a finding, keep it visible.
Use the wording people use for themselves. Person-first language puts the person before the description, as in a person with autism. Identity-first language puts the identity first, as in an autistic person. Both forms are used. If someone asks to be called an autistic researcher, use that phrasing when autism is relevant. For a group, check how its members or relevant advocacy organizations describe it. If preferences vary or are unknown, consult the applicable style guide and make a choice for the context. APA Style on disability language.
Match group names to the facts. A broad term can be accurate when a text discusses a broad group. If the participants in a study all identified as Filipino American, that name tells readers more than Asian American participants. If the data only record the broader category, report that category and explain how it was recorded. Check the spelling, capitalization, and wording a community uses before naming it. APA Style on racial and ethnic identity.
Revise a public notice and preserve the rules
In this fictional library program, members with disabilities can reserve one large-print reading kit. Members who collect their own kit must show their library card at the service desk. A caregiver can collect the kit on a member’s behalf.
Before. A handicapped library member may reserve one large-print reading kit. If he collects the kit himself, he must show his library card at the service desk. A caregiver may collect the kit for him.
After. Library members with disabilities may reserve one large-print reading kit per member. If you collect your kit, you must show your library card at the service desk. A caregiver may collect the kit on your behalf.
- Eligibility and quantity. Library members with disabilities names the eligible group in person-first language. Per member preserves the one-kit limit after the sentence shifts from singular to plural.
- Pickup. Direct address speaks to each member collecting a kit. The card requirement still applies when a member collects their own kit, and the caregiver option remains available.
If the source leaves the eligible group or the caregiver’s pickup requirements unclear, ask the program owner what the policy says before publishing.
Review the draft with a guide and a second reader
- Use the guide for the publication. Check the organization’s house style, journal instructions, or assigned academic guide. For research, review how the original data define each group before changing a category label.
- Read for assumptions and ambiguity. Circle pronouns and labels. Check who each refers to, which details serve the reader, and whether the wording implies a broader group than the facts support. A search or editing tool can flag terms for review.
- Ask about a specific phrase. Invite the author, a colleague, or people represented in the text to review wording where their input can resolve a question. If a reviewer prefers a familiar term, compare the two versions in context and discuss what each tells the reader.
- Record decisions you will use again. Add agreed wording and a dated source to the house guide. Use one anonymized before-and-after example in team training, and give readers a way to flag wording that needs another look. Revisit the guide as usage or community preferences change.
Try six inclusive-language edits
Revise each sentence with the facts given. When you need more information, write the question you would send to the author.
- Application instructions. Revise Each applicant must sign his form by Friday.
- Speaker announcement. Morgan uses they. Revise Morgan is giving the keynote. They is speaking at noon.
- Panel biography. Priya describes herself as an autistic researcher. Autism is relevant to the panel’s topic. Revise Priya is a researcher with autism who studies access to higher education.
- Workplace reminder. Revise Jordan, a wheelchair user, will collect the timesheets on Thursday. The reminder goes to everyone who needs to submit a timesheet.
- Research report. Every participant in the study identified as Filipino American. Revise The study surveyed 40 Asian American adults.
- Workshop notice. The draft says The workshop is for disadvantaged residents. The organizer has shared no eligibility criteria. What would you ask?
Show answers and explanations
- Each applicant must sign their form by Friday. Singular their refers to each applicant and leaves the deadline and individual responsibility intact.
- Morgan is giving the keynote. They are speaking at noon. The name takes is and the pronoun they takes are.
- Priya is an autistic researcher who studies access to higher education. The revision uses the identity-first wording Priya uses for herself.
- Jordan will collect the timesheets on Thursday. The reminder needs the collector and the day. Jordan’s use of a wheelchair has no bearing on the instruction.
- The study surveyed 40 Filipino American adults. The description matches how the participants identified and gives readers a more precise account of the sample.
- Who can attend, and does the workshop have eligibility requirements? The label gives readers no concrete way to tell whether they can attend. Confirm the facts before choosing wording.
Related writing guides
- Compare the conventions used in different publications and disciplines. Grammar Style Guides.
- Review how the subject determines the verb form. Subject–Verb Agreement.
- Apply the same attention to readers when you write instructions and requests. Grammar in Professional Communication.
