A. Problems with Exclusive 1st Person (“I” or “me”)
If you rely heavily on the exclusive 1st person point-of-view (“I” or “me”), you should consider your audience and purpose. Many good writers use the 1st person well to establish a conversational tone with their readers, including bloggers, op-ed writers, and literary journalists. However, if your purpose in writing is to maintain a strong authoritative command over your subject matter, the 1st person generally limits your credibility. Because of this, 1st person is rarely seen in academic or scientific writing. In particular, avoid phrases specifically designed to soften your position, such as:
Consider the following example:
Example: I think that minimum wage should be increased to $10.10 per hour in all fifty states.
Solution: Based on the evidence from multiple economists, minimum wage should be increased
to $10.10 per hour in all fifty states.
In this example, the phrase “I think” is changed to reflect that this is more than simply one person’s opinion. This revision reinforces that this position has been studied carefully and that evidence has been documented in support of the increase. This allows the student to have much more authority than what the original, softer “I think” phrase provided.
B. Problems with 2nd Person
In formal writing, it is best to avoid using the 2nd person point-of-view. While we tend to use a general “you” when we speak casually, it causes a piece of writing to lose focus as well as authority. This can be fixed by either changing the 2nd person to a more distant 3rd person point-of-view, or by changing it to the inclusive version of 1st person (“we” or “us”).
Example : In Joan Didion’s memoir, Blue Nights, you can see how difficult it is for her to cope with
the death of her daughter, Quintana.
Solution 1: In Joan Didion’s memoir, Blue Nights, readers can see how difficult it is for her to cope
with the death of her daughter, Quintana.
In this example, the word “you,” is changed from the 2nd person to a more formal use of 3rd person. The word “readers” specifies precisely who the audience is, and separates the writer from this audience appropriately.
Solution 2: In Joan Didion’s memoir, Blue Nights, we can see how difficult it is for her to cope
with the death of her daughter, Quintana.
Here, the 2nd person is shifted to an inclusive 1st person by changing “you” to “we.” While this certainly has a more conversational tone to it, it works because the author is maintaining authority. By saying “we,” this author is assuming that you, the reader, will agree with this statement. This device is seen commonly in argumentative writing.
Copyright © by Lucas Pingel, usage permitted at St. Catherine University
If you rely heavily on the exclusive 1st person point-of-view (“I” or “me”), you should consider your audience and purpose. Many good writers use the 1st person well to establish a conversational tone with their readers, including bloggers, op-ed writers, and literary journalists. However, if your purpose in writing is to maintain a strong authoritative command over your subject matter, the 1st person generally limits your credibility. Because of this, 1st person is rarely seen in academic or scientific writing. In particular, avoid phrases specifically designed to soften your position, such as:
- I think
- I feel
- My opinion is
- I believe
Consider the following example:
Example: I think that minimum wage should be increased to $10.10 per hour in all fifty states.
Solution: Based on the evidence from multiple economists, minimum wage should be increased
to $10.10 per hour in all fifty states.
In this example, the phrase “I think” is changed to reflect that this is more than simply one person’s opinion. This revision reinforces that this position has been studied carefully and that evidence has been documented in support of the increase. This allows the student to have much more authority than what the original, softer “I think” phrase provided.
B. Problems with 2nd Person
In formal writing, it is best to avoid using the 2nd person point-of-view. While we tend to use a general “you” when we speak casually, it causes a piece of writing to lose focus as well as authority. This can be fixed by either changing the 2nd person to a more distant 3rd person point-of-view, or by changing it to the inclusive version of 1st person (“we” or “us”).
Example : In Joan Didion’s memoir, Blue Nights, you can see how difficult it is for her to cope with
the death of her daughter, Quintana.
Solution 1: In Joan Didion’s memoir, Blue Nights, readers can see how difficult it is for her to cope
with the death of her daughter, Quintana.
In this example, the word “you,” is changed from the 2nd person to a more formal use of 3rd person. The word “readers” specifies precisely who the audience is, and separates the writer from this audience appropriately.
Solution 2: In Joan Didion’s memoir, Blue Nights, we can see how difficult it is for her to cope
with the death of her daughter, Quintana.
Here, the 2nd person is shifted to an inclusive 1st person by changing “you” to “we.” While this certainly has a more conversational tone to it, it works because the author is maintaining authority. By saying “we,” this author is assuming that you, the reader, will agree with this statement. This device is seen commonly in argumentative writing.
Copyright © by Lucas Pingel, usage permitted at St. Catherine University