In "A Dictionary of Modern English Usage" (1926), H. W. Fowler proposed a distinction between relative pronouns: "If writers would agree to regard 'that' as the defining relative pronoun, & 'which' as the non-defining, there would be much gain both in lucidity & in ease." As Ben Yagoda observes in a recent article in "The New Yorker", the editors of "The New Yorker" "later elevated the proposal into policy, and, in part through [that magazine's] influence, it came to be viewed by most authorities in the United States as a rule." If that proposal could become a rule, then recent proposals like the use of "singular they" for individuals can, too. (Andrew Shields, #111words, 15 February 2026)