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On 11/24/99 7:34 PM, M. Giffin (mgiffin -at- earthlink -dot- net) wrote:
>...then just use "he" unless you feel like identifying
>yourself again.
>
>reference definition:
>"he ... 2. the person; the one; anyone"
> - Webster's New World College Dictionary, 3rd Ed.
Certainly tradition supports your plan, but it takes no additional effort
and doesn't hurt the document to simply alternate he with she in your
examples. (Obviously, if you start with "she" in an example, use "she"
throughout...)
I finished a book this summer where I did this. It's not awkward, since
you're consistent within examples. It doesn't offend anyone, since you're
being roughly balanced. And it takes no effort on your part, once you've
made the effort to change the way you look at it.
And it doesn't sound anything like "he/she," which is truly odious.
