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This is my all-time question. This time, I was writing specifications of my application and came up with this question. Which one of the following is more commonly used than the others? Note that I'm talking about a case without a relative pronoun.

  • When a user logs in for the first time, the user has 6 invitations remaining

  • When a user logs in for the first time, the one has 6 invitations remaining

  • When a user logs in for the first time, one has 6 invitations remaining

  • When a user logs in for the first time, he/she has 6 invitations remaining

  • When a user logs in for the first time, he has 6 invitations remaining

Or, any other suggestions to get the sentence more natural?

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    I would use the last example, with 'he'. Of course, modern style-guides often prefer 'they' instead, which I find nonsensical.
    – JDF
    May 1, 2016 at 8:06

2 Answers 2

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You forgot the most obvious version — and the most commonly heard:

  • When a user logs in for the first time, they have six invitations left.
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    Yes, they is most appropriate here. But I also have a problem with the tense used in the dependent clause. It needs to be future tense as in: When a user logs in for the first time, they will have six invitations available.
    – Jim
    Jun 15, 2012 at 5:13
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    Agree with you about they, but not about the tense. It's a difference of emphasis/perspective. e.g. "When an asteroid approaches a star, its path is deflected." vs. "When an asteroid approaches a star, its path will be deflected." #1 is describing the rules of the universe, which never change, and #2 is telling a story about the rules of the universe playing out in a specific, albeit hypothetical, instance. SUBTLE, yes, but I think either is appropriate for the OP's situation.
    – leoger
    Jun 15, 2012 at 7:45
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If your goal is to describe a sequence of events, you could say "After a user has logged in, they may invite up to 6 other people," but personally, I think a better approach is to describe what users of the system can do, without requiring a sequence of events. Most readers understand that logging in is a requirement for using a computer system.

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  • such as: "Each user may invite 6 people."
    – user22244
    Jun 15, 2012 at 2:03
  • My goal is to know which pronoun is to replace single antecedent. Not writing a decent sentence to describe how to use my application because my writings are notations in programing code to define behaviors of programming code. Since my question may lead misunderstanding, I will fix it.
    – suzukimilanpaak
    Jun 15, 2012 at 2:11
  • I see, I thought "any other suggestions to get the sentence more natural" meant you were open to suggestion. I would say "He/she can invite..." or "They can invite..." (but I won't type the rest of your sentence, since it has other issues). hint: what is remaining?
    – Steve H.
    Jun 15, 2012 at 2:16
  • Oh sorry. A user of my application initially has got limitation of number of people one can invite.
    – suzukimilanpaak
    Jun 15, 2012 at 2:24
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    Oh, then you mean the user has 6 invitations remaining. Ok, good luck!
    – Steve H.
    Jun 15, 2012 at 2:25

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