▁respond ents ▁considered ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁in animate ▁whose ▁established ; ▁Raymond ▁D . ▁Cris p ▁rep licated ▁the ▁survey ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 1 ▁and ▁found ▁that ▁respond ents ▁considered ▁the ▁usage ▁disput able . ▁ ▁Mary ▁Va iana ▁Taylor ▁reported ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 4 ▁that ▁two - third s ▁of ▁post - second ary ▁teaching ▁assist ants ▁would ▁still ▁mark ▁the ▁construction ▁wrong ▁on ▁a ▁student ' s ▁paper . ▁ ▁Mer ri am – Web ster ' s ▁Dictionary ▁of ▁English ▁Us age ▁states ▁that , ▁amongst ▁" the ▁current ▁books " ▁that ▁discussed ▁the ▁subject ▁as ▁of ▁the ▁late ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁" not ▁one ▁of ▁them ▁finds ▁[ in animate ] ▁whose ▁anything ▁but ▁standard ". ▁To ▁the ▁assert ions ▁of ▁early ▁gr amm ari ans , ▁that ▁dictionary ▁coun ters ▁that ▁"[ i ] ts ▁common ▁occurrence ▁in ▁poetry ▁und ou bt edly ▁ow es ▁more ▁to ▁its ▁grace ful ▁quality ▁than ▁to ▁any ▁supposed ▁love ▁of ▁person ification ▁among ▁po ets " ▁and ▁that ▁its ▁usage ▁" is ▁perhaps ▁more ▁likely ▁to ▁occur ▁in ▁the ▁works ▁of ▁good ▁writers ▁than ▁bad ▁ones ". ▁ ▁It ▁as ser ts ▁that ▁" not ion ▁that ▁whose ▁may ▁not ▁properly ▁be ▁used ▁of ▁anything ▁except ▁persons ▁is ▁a ▁super st ition " ▁and ▁such ▁use ▁is ▁" ent ire ly ▁standard ▁as ▁an ▁alternative ▁to ▁of ▁which ▁in ▁all ▁vari eties ▁of ▁disc ourse ". ▁ ▁In ▁Modern ▁American ▁Us age , ▁Bry