How to Write in Third Person
Use third person for all academic writing., Use the correct pronouns., Avoid first person pronouns., Avoid second person pronouns., Refer to the subject in general terms., Watch out for singular and plural pronoun use.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Use third person for all academic writing.
For formal writing, such as research and argumentative papers, use the third person.
Third person makes your writing more objective and less personal.
For academic and professional writing, this sense of objectivity allows the writer to seem less biased and, therefore, more credible.Third person helps the writing stay focused on facts and evidence instead of personal opinion. -
Step 2: Use the correct pronouns.
Third person refers to people “on the outside.” You either write about someone by name or use third person pronouns.
Third person pronouns include: he, she, it; his, her, its; him, her, it; himself, herself, itself; they; them; their; themselves.
Names of other people are also considered appropriate for third person use.
Example: “Smith believes differently.
According to his research, earlier claims on the subject are incorrect.” , First person refers to a point of view in which the writer says things from his or her personal perspective.
This point of view makes things too personal and opinionated.
You should avoid first person in an academic essay.First person pronouns include:
I, me, my, mine, myself, we, us, our, ours, ourselves.The problem with first person is that, academically speaking, it sounds too personalized and too subjective.
In other words, it may be difficult to convince the reader that the views and ideas being expressed are unbiased and untainted by personal feelings.
Many times, when using first person in academic writing, people use phrases like "I think," "I believe," or "in my opinion." Incorrect example: “Even though Smith thinks this way, I think his argument is incorrect.” Correct example: “Even though Smith thinks this way, others in the field disagree.” , Second person refers to point of view that directly addresses the reader.
This point of view shows too much familiarity with the reader since you speak to them directly like you know them.
Second person should never be used in academic writing.Second person pronouns include: you, your, yours, yourself.One main problem with second person is that it can sound accusatory.
It runs to risk of placing too much responsibility on the shoulders of the reader specifically and presently reading the work.
Incorrect example: “If you still disagree nowadays, then you must be ignorant of the facts.” Correct example: “Someone who still disagrees nowadays must be ignorant of the facts.” , Sometimes, a writer will need to refer to someone in indefinite terms.
In other words, they may need to generally address or speak about a person.
This is usually when the temptation to slip into the second person “you” comes into play.
An indefinite third person pronoun or noun is appropriate here.
Indefinite third person nouns common to academic writing include: the writer, the reader, individuals, students, a student, an instructor, people, a person, a woman, a man, a child, researchers, scientists, writers, experts.
Example: “In spite of the challenges involved, researchers still persist in their claims.” Indefinite third person pronouns include: one, anyone, everyone, someone, no one, another, any, each, either, everybody, neither, nobody, other, anybody, somebody, everything, someone.
Incorrect example: "You might be tempted to agree without all the facts." Correct example: “One might be tempted to agree without all the facts.”, One mistake that writers often make when writing in third person is accidentally switching into a plural pronoun when the subject should be singular.
This is usually done in an attempt to avoid the gender-specific “he” and “she” pronouns.
The mistake here would be to use the plural “they” pronoun in place.Incorrect example: “The witness wanted to offer anonymous testimony.
They' were afraid of getting hurt if their name was spread.” Correct example: “The witness wanted to offer anonymous testimony.
He or she was afraid of getting hurt if his or her name was spread.” -
Step 3: Avoid first person pronouns.
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Step 4: Avoid second person pronouns.
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Step 5: Refer to the subject in general terms.
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Step 6: Watch out for singular and plural pronoun use.
Detailed Guide
For formal writing, such as research and argumentative papers, use the third person.
Third person makes your writing more objective and less personal.
For academic and professional writing, this sense of objectivity allows the writer to seem less biased and, therefore, more credible.Third person helps the writing stay focused on facts and evidence instead of personal opinion.
Third person refers to people “on the outside.” You either write about someone by name or use third person pronouns.
Third person pronouns include: he, she, it; his, her, its; him, her, it; himself, herself, itself; they; them; their; themselves.
Names of other people are also considered appropriate for third person use.
Example: “Smith believes differently.
According to his research, earlier claims on the subject are incorrect.” , First person refers to a point of view in which the writer says things from his or her personal perspective.
This point of view makes things too personal and opinionated.
You should avoid first person in an academic essay.First person pronouns include:
I, me, my, mine, myself, we, us, our, ours, ourselves.The problem with first person is that, academically speaking, it sounds too personalized and too subjective.
In other words, it may be difficult to convince the reader that the views and ideas being expressed are unbiased and untainted by personal feelings.
Many times, when using first person in academic writing, people use phrases like "I think," "I believe," or "in my opinion." Incorrect example: “Even though Smith thinks this way, I think his argument is incorrect.” Correct example: “Even though Smith thinks this way, others in the field disagree.” , Second person refers to point of view that directly addresses the reader.
This point of view shows too much familiarity with the reader since you speak to them directly like you know them.
Second person should never be used in academic writing.Second person pronouns include: you, your, yours, yourself.One main problem with second person is that it can sound accusatory.
It runs to risk of placing too much responsibility on the shoulders of the reader specifically and presently reading the work.
Incorrect example: “If you still disagree nowadays, then you must be ignorant of the facts.” Correct example: “Someone who still disagrees nowadays must be ignorant of the facts.” , Sometimes, a writer will need to refer to someone in indefinite terms.
In other words, they may need to generally address or speak about a person.
This is usually when the temptation to slip into the second person “you” comes into play.
An indefinite third person pronoun or noun is appropriate here.
Indefinite third person nouns common to academic writing include: the writer, the reader, individuals, students, a student, an instructor, people, a person, a woman, a man, a child, researchers, scientists, writers, experts.
Example: “In spite of the challenges involved, researchers still persist in their claims.” Indefinite third person pronouns include: one, anyone, everyone, someone, no one, another, any, each, either, everybody, neither, nobody, other, anybody, somebody, everything, someone.
Incorrect example: "You might be tempted to agree without all the facts." Correct example: “One might be tempted to agree without all the facts.”, One mistake that writers often make when writing in third person is accidentally switching into a plural pronoun when the subject should be singular.
This is usually done in an attempt to avoid the gender-specific “he” and “she” pronouns.
The mistake here would be to use the plural “they” pronoun in place.Incorrect example: “The witness wanted to offer anonymous testimony.
They' were afraid of getting hurt if their name was spread.” Correct example: “The witness wanted to offer anonymous testimony.
He or she was afraid of getting hurt if his or her name was spread.”
About the Author
Marilyn Palmer
Enthusiastic about teaching practical skills techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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