Learn English – Talking about the soul. Use he, she or it

pronounsword-usage

When I'm talking about my soul (in the "paranormal" way), the correct use of the pronoun is he she or it?

See the example:

My soul is lost. He/She/It is lost forever.

I'm asking it 'cause I always chosen the "he/she" for people and "it" for things, animals and objects. My soul is definitely not a person, but is not a thing or animal, right?

What should I use?

Best Answer

To explain the comment which for some reason is not an answer, your soul is "it" because it is an attribute of yourself. If you mention any other attribute of yourself, whether physical (such as a body part) or abstract (such as an ability that you have), you always refer to it as "it." This also applies to your mind, heart (in the physical and non-physical sense), soul, etc., even if it could be said to have a personality or gender. It is not independent of you, therefore it is not a person (in and of itself), therefore it is considered an object for the purposes of grammar.

EDIT: see also this question. If the soul is considered an independent person, such as when describing the soul of someone in the afterlife, then it can receive a gender. In the linked question, the disembodied soul of a dead king is referred to as "he" (and the soul of a queen as "she").

Going by the above, assigning a gender implies personhood in this instance.

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