In English, pronouns are a set of words that replace nouns. They can be used to make your work less complicated and less repetitive. Examples of pronouns include:
- First-person: I, we, me, us
- Second person: you, yourself
- Third person: he, she, it, they, him, her, them
For some assignments, such as reflective writing, it's appropriate to use the first person. For other assignments, you need to use the third person. Sometimes, a mixture of first and third person for different purposes is acceptable. Each assignment has different types, style guides and disciplines. If you're unsure whether to use first or third person, check your assignment guidelines or with your course coordinator.
First person preference
Writing in the first person can make your writing more concise when providing personal reflection, stating a position or outlining the structure of an assignment.
Some disciplines (subjects), lecturers and style guides allow or encourage using the first or second person. If you are unsure if first person pronouns are acceptable in your course, check with your lecturer.
How to use the first person
How to use the first person
The following examples illustrate ways you can use the first person in your writing.
Describing research you conducted
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| I found that... | The authors informed participants that... |
| We informed participants that... | |
| We compared... | The table compared... |
| Our comparison of... | |
Presenting your reflection
The following examples illustrate some ways to use the first person in reflective writing.
- I found this experience positive...
- I witnessed...
- I succeeded in...
- I achieved my goal...
- I could have reacted differently in this situation...
Avoiding subjectivity using the first person
Avoiding subjectivity using the first person
Academic training requires students to support their claims by providing solid arguments and evidence. So, even when you use the first person in academic writing, it should still sound objective.
Sounding objective using the first person
Sounding objective using the first person
The following examples illustrate ways to use the first person in your writing while sounding objective. You should be clear that you're not just expressing an unsupported personal view and are concerned about facts and reasons rather than being influenced by personal feelings or biases.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| I will argue that co-designing research with people with dyslexia has the potential to address critical knowledge gaps in this area. | I feel that co-designing research with people with dyslexia has the potential to address critical knowledge gaps in this area. |
| I conclude that assisting developing countries to grow crops, such as tobacco and opium poppies, is not in their best long-term interests. | In my opinion, assisting developing countries to grow crops such as tobacco and opium poppies, is not in their best long-term interests. |
| The evidence I have presented indicates that paying benefits to high school students encourages them to stay at school when they would be better off in paid employment. | I believe that paying benefits to high-school students encourages them to stay at school when they would be better off in paid employment. |
| I have presented reasons why educationalists need to devise improved methods to capture learner voice to facilitate inclusive institutional decision-making. | As a teacher, I believe we need improved methods to capture learner voice to facilitate inclusive institutional decision-making. |
Third person preference
Many disciplines or lecturers discourage using the first or second person and prefer using the third person because it makes writing sound objective.
How to use the third person (and avoid the first person)
The following examples illustrate ways to write without using the first person.
Structuring the essay
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| How gender and ethnicity factors affect buying behaviours will be examined. | In this essay, I will examine how gender and ethnicity factors affect buying behaviours. |
| Careful examination of gender and ethnicity factors shows how these affect buying behaviour. | I argue that careful examination of gender and ethnicity factors shows how these affect buying behaviour. |
Making a claim or stating an argument
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Co-designing research with people with dyslexia is necessary to address critical knowledge gaps in the area. | I think that co-designing research with people with dyslexia is necessary to address critical knowledge gaps in the area. |
| Paying benefits to high school students encourages them to stay at school when they would be better off in paid employment. | In my opinion, paying benefits to high-school students encourages them to stay at school when they would be better off in paid employment. |
| Educationalists need improved methods to capture learner voice to facilitate inclusive institutional decision-making. | In my opinion, educationalists need improved methods to capture learner voice to facilitate inclusive institutional decision-making. |
Describing research you conducted
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| It was found that... | We informed participants that... |
| Participants in this study were informed that... | I found that... |
Active versus passive voice
Active versus passive voice Note that active voice and passive voice are different concepts from third and first person although often active voice involves first person pronouns.
| Active phrases | Passive phrases |
|---|---|
| The researchers informed the participants that... | Participants were informed that... |
| We informed the participants that... | Participants were informed by the researchers that... |
Many academics prefer active voice because:
- phrases using active voice may be more concise, though not always
- phrases using active voice may be clearer about who or what is taking the action, though passive phrasing can still provide this information
- other academics prefer passive voice, because it’s possible to write passive phrases that don’t explicitly say who the actor is, for example, “The reagents were added”. This phrasing can suggest objectivity, as it implies that the study or experiment was not affected by who the researchers were. It also allows focus on the object of the sentence rather than the subject.
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