Two issues about misuse of English language

CHRIS Bond’s excellent article concerning the misuse of the English language (Yorkshire Post, March 20) has spurred me to add my own. I have two issues to raise.

The first is the use of the plural ending of a verb with a singular noun. For example “Leeds United are doing poorly...” or “The company are increasing sales...” and I see it most often in newspapers. Is this something which is becoming accepted by common usage or do newspapers recruit personnel without an English language qualification?

The second appears to be a gap in our language, notably a lack of a neutral version of the third person singular pronoun ie of he, she, his or her. Let me illustrate this with an example. If a master of ceremonies wants to introduce a speaker/entertainer by giving details about his or her background but without revealing the person in question until the end (a useful way of maximising applause) the patter might go as follows: “The person who is entertaining you next is no stranger to the club circuit. (I don’t want to use “person” again or reveal whether the person is a he or she so I’ll have to say “they”); “they have gained a reputation at many festivals world wide....”; “ladies and gentlemen give a warm welcome to...”

Can anyone come up with a neutral version apart from the inappropriate royal “one”?