> > > > P.S. 'they' _can_ be used as a singular pronoun. *grin*
> > >
> > > True, it can. In the dialogue of characters who don't know English.
> >
> > So what do you use as a non-gender-specific singular pronoun?
>
> "He." In the English language, "he" and its bretheren serve as the neuter pronouns as well as the masculine.

Right. Of course, that's not PC, but that frankly boggles my mind. If "he" is both masculine and gender neutral, then the power behind "he" is diminished, while "she" retains its purity. If anything *men* should be complaining about that. But I'm not hung up on such silliness, so I'm not.

"One" is an alternative if you're trying to sound either formal or sarcastic (what an odd pair of situations that pronoun works in).

At any rate, awkwardness (either the formal awkwardness of the pronoun "one" or the imagined social awkwardness of the pronoun "he") is not an excuse to use an unawkward incorrect word instead. And believe me, it's incorrect. Any but the most ludicrously extreme of editors will have a blast with the red pen if you submit work to them that uses "they" as a singular.