And this is especially the case when people doing a proofreading and editing course have questions when the Guardian Style Guide gives options, or is unclear.
One area that often causes discussions is the use of the word ‘chair’, as in someone who chairs a committee. Rightly or wrongly, political correctness can dominate the decision, rather than what is easiest for the reader to understand.
The style guide says that ‘chair’ is acceptable in place of ‘chairman or chairwoman’ – it gives you a choice. And some proofreaders find that choice is confusing. They’d sooner have a clear ruling.
The word ‘chair’ was invented so that if you do not know if the chairperson is a man or a woman, you can just call them the ‘chair’ rather than the longer ‘chairperson’, which is old-fashioned now, too.
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