writing annoyances.

i've recently developed a dislike for the "mathematical we." you know what i mean:

"with these hypotheses in mind, we now proceed to the proof of the main result."

perhaps i should improve my writing skills. "we" is particularly convenient, though:

• it avoids the passive voice, which i was trained in school to avoid. it's possible to use the pronoun "it," but the ensuing sentence becomes quite wordy. [1]
• "one" (the neutral, impersonal, third-person pronoun) serves this purpose, but it sounds awkward.

[sighs]

anyways, back to writing.


[1] actually, the sentence -- "it's possible to use the pronoun 'it,' but the ensuing sentence becomes quite wordy." -- is itself an example of how awkward it is to avoid 'we' or 'one' ..! q-;