can you use personal pronouns in a college essay

Should I Use “I”?

What this handout is about.

This handout is about determining when to use first person pronouns (“I”, “we,” “me,” “us,” “my,” and “our”) and personal experience in academic writing. “First person” and “personal experience” might sound like two ways of saying the same thing, but first person and personal experience can work in very different ways in your writing. You might choose to use “I” but not make any reference to your individual experiences in a particular paper. Or you might include a brief description of an experience that could help illustrate a point you’re making without ever using the word “I.” So whether or not you should use first person and personal experience are really two separate questions, both of which this handout addresses. It also offers some alternatives if you decide that either “I” or personal experience isn’t appropriate for your project. If you’ve decided that you do want to use one of them, this handout offers some ideas about how to do so effectively, because in many cases using one or the other might strengthen your writing.

Expectations about academic writing

Students often arrive at college with strict lists of writing rules in mind. Often these are rather strict lists of absolutes, including rules both stated and unstated:

• Each essay should have exactly five paragraphs.
• Don’t begin a sentence with “and” or “because.”
• Never include personal opinion.
• Never use “I” in essays.

We get these ideas primarily from teachers and other students. Often these ideas are derived from good advice but have been turned into unnecessarily strict rules in our minds. The problem is that overly strict rules about writing can prevent us, as writers, from being flexible enough to learn to adapt to the writing styles of different fields, ranging from the sciences to the humanities, and different kinds of writing projects, ranging from reviews to research.

So when it suits your purpose as a scholar, you will probably need to break some of the old rules, particularly the rules that prohibit first person pronouns and personal experience. Although there are certainly some instructors who think that these rules should be followed (so it is a good idea to ask directly), many instructors in all kinds of fields are finding reason to depart from these rules. Avoiding “I” can lead to awkwardness and vagueness, whereas using it in your writing can improve style and clarity. Using personal experience, when relevant, can add concreteness and even authority to writing that might otherwise be vague and impersonal. Because college writing situations vary widely in terms of stylistic conventions, tone, audience, and purpose, the trick is deciphering the conventions of your writing context and determining how your purpose and audience affect the way you write. The rest of this handout is devoted to strategies for figuring out when to use “I” and personal experience.

Effective uses of “I”:

In many cases, using the first person pronoun can improve your writing, by offering the following benefits:

• Assertiveness: In some cases you might wish to emphasize agency (who is doing what), as for instance if you need to point out how valuable your particular project is to an academic discipline or to claim your unique perspective or argument.
• Clarity: Because trying to avoid the first person can lead to awkward constructions and vagueness, using the first person can improve your writing style.
• Positioning yourself in the essay: In some projects, you need to explain how your research or ideas build on or depart from the work of others, in which case you’ll need to say “I,” “we,” “my,” or “our”; if you wish to claim some kind of authority on the topic, first person may help you do so.

Deciding whether “I” will help your style

Here is an example of how using the first person can make the writing clearer and more assertive:

Original example:

In studying American popular culture of the 1980s, the question of to what degree materialism was a major characteristic of the cultural milieu was explored.

Better example using first person:

In our study of American popular culture of the 1980s, we explored the degree to which materialism characterized the cultural milieu.

The original example sounds less emphatic and direct than the revised version; using “I” allows the writers to avoid the convoluted construction of the original and clarifies who did what.

Here is an example in which alternatives to the first person would be more appropriate:

As I observed the communication styles of first-year Carolina women, I noticed frequent use of non-verbal cues.

Better example:

A study of the communication styles of first-year Carolina women revealed frequent use of non-verbal cues.

In the original example, using the first person grounds the experience heavily in the writer’s subjective, individual perspective, but the writer’s purpose is to describe a phenomenon that is in fact objective or independent of that perspective. Avoiding the first person here creates the desired impression of an observed phenomenon that could be reproduced and also creates a stronger, clearer statement.

Here’s another example in which an alternative to first person works better:

As I was reading this study of medieval village life, I noticed that social class tended to be clearly defined.

This study of medieval village life reveals that social class tended to be clearly defined.

Although you may run across instructors who find the casual style of the original example refreshing, they are probably rare. The revised version sounds more academic and renders the statement more assertive and direct.

Here’s a final example:

I think that Aristotle’s ethical arguments are logical and readily applicable to contemporary cases, or at least it seems that way to me.

Better example

Aristotle’s ethical arguments are logical and readily applicable to contemporary cases.

In this example, there is no real need to announce that that statement about Aristotle is your thought; this is your paper, so readers will assume that the ideas in it are yours.

Determining whether to use “I” according to the conventions of the academic field

Which fields allow “I”?

The rules for this are changing, so it’s always best to ask your instructor if you’re not sure about using first person. But here are some general guidelines.

Sciences: In the past, scientific writers avoided the use of “I” because scientists often view the first person as interfering with the impression of objectivity and impersonality they are seeking to create. But conventions seem to be changing in some cases—for instance, when a scientific writer is describing a project she is working on or positioning that project within the existing research on the topic. Check with your science instructor to find out whether it’s o.k. to use “I” in their class.

Social Sciences: Some social scientists try to avoid “I” for the same reasons that other scientists do. But first person is becoming more commonly accepted, especially when the writer is describing their project or perspective.

Humanities: Ask your instructor whether you should use “I.” The purpose of writing in the humanities is generally to offer your own analysis of language, ideas, or a work of art. Writers in these fields tend to value assertiveness and to emphasize agency (who’s doing what), so the first person is often—but not always—appropriate. Sometimes writers use the first person in a less effective way, preceding an assertion with “I think,” “I feel,” or “I believe” as if such a phrase could replace a real defense of an argument. While your audience is generally interested in your perspective in the humanities fields, readers do expect you to fully argue, support, and illustrate your assertions. Personal belief or opinion is generally not sufficient in itself; you will need evidence of some kind to convince your reader.

Other writing situations: If you’re writing a speech, use of the first and even the second person (“you”) is generally encouraged because these personal pronouns can create a desirable sense of connection between speaker and listener and can contribute to the sense that the speaker is sincere and involved in the issue. If you’re writing a resume, though, avoid the first person; describe your experience, education, and skills without using a personal pronoun (for example, under “Experience” you might write “Volunteered as a peer counselor”).

A note on the second person “you”:

In situations where your intention is to sound conversational and friendly because it suits your purpose, as it does in this handout intended to offer helpful advice, or in a letter or speech, “you” might help to create just the sense of familiarity you’re after. But in most academic writing situations, “you” sounds overly conversational, as for instance in a claim like “when you read the poem ‘The Wasteland,’ you feel a sense of emptiness.” In this case, the “you” sounds overly conversational. The statement would read better as “The poem ‘The Wasteland’ creates a sense of emptiness.” Academic writers almost always use alternatives to the second person pronoun, such as “one,” “the reader,” or “people.”

Personal experience in academic writing

The question of whether personal experience has a place in academic writing depends on context and purpose. In papers that seek to analyze an objective principle or data as in science papers, or in papers for a field that explicitly tries to minimize the effect of the researcher’s presence such as anthropology, personal experience would probably distract from your purpose. But sometimes you might need to explicitly situate your position as researcher in relation to your subject of study. Or if your purpose is to present your individual response to a work of art, to offer examples of how an idea or theory might apply to life, or to use experience as evidence or a demonstration of an abstract principle, personal experience might have a legitimate role to play in your academic writing. Using personal experience effectively usually means keeping it in the service of your argument, as opposed to letting it become an end in itself or take over the paper.

It’s also usually best to keep your real or hypothetical stories brief, but they can strengthen arguments in need of concrete illustrations or even just a little more vitality.

Here are some examples of effective ways to incorporate personal experience in academic writing:

• Anecdotes: In some cases, brief examples of experiences you’ve had or witnessed may serve as useful illustrations of a point you’re arguing or a theory you’re evaluating. For instance, in philosophical arguments, writers often use a real or hypothetical situation to illustrate abstract ideas and principles.
• References to your own experience can explain your interest in an issue or even help to establish your authority on a topic.
• Some specific writing situations, such as application essays, explicitly call for discussion of personal experience.

Here are some suggestions about including personal experience in writing for specific fields:

Philosophy: In philosophical writing, your purpose is generally to reconstruct or evaluate an existing argument, and/or to generate your own. Sometimes, doing this effectively may involve offering a hypothetical example or an illustration. In these cases, you might find that inventing or recounting a scenario that you’ve experienced or witnessed could help demonstrate your point. Personal experience can play a very useful role in your philosophy papers, as long as you always explain to the reader how the experience is related to your argument. (See our handout on writing in philosophy for more information.)

Religion: Religion courses might seem like a place where personal experience would be welcomed. But most religion courses take a cultural, historical, or textual approach, and these generally require objectivity and impersonality. So although you probably have very strong beliefs or powerful experiences in this area that might motivate your interest in the field, they shouldn’t supplant scholarly analysis. But ask your instructor, as it is possible that they are interested in your personal experiences with religion, especially in less formal assignments such as response papers. (See our handout on writing in religious studies for more information.)

Literature, Music, Fine Arts, and Film: Writing projects in these fields can sometimes benefit from the inclusion of personal experience, as long as it isn’t tangential. For instance, your annoyance over your roommate’s habits might not add much to an analysis of “Citizen Kane.” However, if you’re writing about Ridley Scott’s treatment of relationships between women in the movie “Thelma and Louise,” some reference your own observations about these relationships might be relevant if it adds to your analysis of the film. Personal experience can be especially appropriate in a response paper, or in any kind of assignment that asks about your experience of the work as a reader or viewer. Some film and literature scholars are interested in how a film or literary text is received by different audiences, so a discussion of how a particular viewer or reader experiences or identifies with the piece would probably be appropriate. (See our handouts on writing about fiction , art history , and drama for more information.)

Women’s Studies: Women’s Studies classes tend to be taught from a feminist perspective, a perspective which is generally interested in the ways in which individuals experience gender roles. So personal experience can often serve as evidence for your analytical and argumentative papers in this field. This field is also one in which you might be asked to keep a journal, a kind of writing that requires you to apply theoretical concepts to your experiences.

History: If you’re analyzing a historical period or issue, personal experience is less likely to advance your purpose of objectivity. However, some kinds of historical scholarship do involve the exploration of personal histories. So although you might not be referencing your own experience, you might very well be discussing other people’s experiences as illustrations of their historical contexts. (See our handout on writing in history for more information.)

Sciences: Because the primary purpose is to study data and fixed principles in an objective way, personal experience is less likely to have a place in this kind of writing. Often, as in a lab report, your goal is to describe observations in such a way that a reader could duplicate the experiment, so the less extra information, the better. Of course, if you’re working in the social sciences, case studies—accounts of the personal experiences of other people—are a crucial part of your scholarship. (See our handout on  writing in the sciences for more information.)

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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• Tips & Guides

How To Avoid Using “We,” “You,” And “I” in an Essay

• Posted on October 27, 2022 October 27, 2022

Maintaining a formal voice while writing academic essays and papers is essential to sound objective. 

One of the main rules of academic or formal writing is to avoid first-person pronouns like “we,” “you,” and “I.” These words pull focus away from the topic and shift it to the speaker – the opposite of your goal.

While it may seem difficult at first, some tricks can help you avoid personal language and keep a professional tone.

Let’s learn how to avoid using “we” in an essay.

What Is a Personal Pronoun?

Pronouns are words used to refer to a noun indirectly. Examples include “he,” “his,” “her,” and “hers.” Any time you refer to a noun – whether a person, object, or animal – without using its name, you use a pronoun.

Personal pronouns are a type of pronoun. A personal pronoun is a pronoun you use whenever you directly refer to the subject of the sentence. 

Take the following short paragraph as an example:

“Mr. Smith told the class yesterday to work on our essays. Mr. Smith also said that Mr. Smith lost Mr. Smith’s laptop in the lunchroom.”

The above sentence contains no pronouns at all. There are three places where you would insert a pronoun, but only two where you would put a personal pronoun. See the revised sentence below:

“Mr. Smith told the class yesterday to work on our essays. He also said that he lost his laptop in the lunchroom.”

“He” is a personal pronoun because we are talking directly about Mr. Smith. “His” is not a personal pronoun (it’s a possessive pronoun) because we are not speaking directly about Mr. Smith. Rather, we are talking about Mr. Smith’s laptop.

If later on you talk about Mr. Smith’s laptop, you may say:

“Mr. Smith found it in his car, not the lunchroom!” 

In this case, “it” is a personal pronoun because in this point of view we are making a reference to the laptop directly and not as something owned by Mr. Smith.

Why Avoid Personal Pronouns in Essay Writing

We’re teaching you how to avoid using “I” in writing, but why is this necessary? Academic writing aims to focus on a clear topic, sound objective, and paint the writer as a source of authority. Word choice can significantly impact your success in achieving these goals.

Writing that uses personal pronouns can unintentionally shift the reader’s focus onto the writer, pulling their focus away from the topic at hand.

Personal pronouns may also make your work seem less objective. 

One of the most challenging parts of essay writing is learning which words to avoid and how to avoid them. Fortunately, following a few simple tricks, you can master the English Language and write like a pro in no time.

Alternatives To Using Personal Pronouns

How to not use “I” in a paper? What are the alternatives? There are many ways to avoid the use of personal pronouns in academic writing. By shifting your word choice and sentence structure, you can keep the overall meaning of your sentences while re-shaping your tone.

Utilize Passive Voice

In conventional writing, students are taught to avoid the passive voice as much as possible, but it can be an excellent way to avoid first-person pronouns in academic writing.

You can use the passive voice to avoid using pronouns. Take this sentence, for example:

“ We used 150 ml of HCl for the experiment.”

Instead of using “we” and the active voice, you can use a passive voice without a pronoun. The sentence above becomes:

“150 ml of HCl were used for the experiment.” 

Using the passive voice removes your team from the experiment and makes your work sound more objective.

Take a Third-Person Perspective

Another answer to “how to avoid using ‘we’ in an essay?” is the use of a third-person perspective. Changing the perspective is a good way to take first-person pronouns out of a sentence. A third-person point of view will not use any first-person pronouns because the information is not given from the speaker’s perspective.

A third-person sentence is spoken entirely about the subject where the speaker is outside of the sentence.

Take a look at the sentence below:

“In this article you will learn about formal writing.”

The perspective in that sentence is second person, and it uses the personal pronoun “you.” You can change this sentence to sound more objective by using third-person pronouns:

“In this article the reader will learn about formal writing.”

The use of a third-person point of view makes the second sentence sound more academic and confident. Second-person pronouns, like those used in the first sentence, sound less formal and objective.

Be Specific With Word Choice

You can avoid first-personal pronouns by choosing your words carefully. Often, you may find that you are inserting unnecessary nouns into your work. 

Take the following sentence as an example:

“ My research shows the students did poorly on the test.”

In this case, the first-person pronoun ‘my’ can be entirely cut out from the sentence. It then becomes:

“Research shows the students did poorly on the test.”

The second sentence is more succinct and sounds more authoritative without changing the sentence structure.

You should also make sure to watch out for the improper use of adverbs and nouns. Being careful with your word choice regarding nouns, adverbs, verbs, and adjectives can help mitigate your use of personal pronouns. 

“They bravely started the French revolution in 1789.” 

While this sentence might be fine in a story about the revolution, an essay or academic piece should only focus on the facts. The world ‘bravely’ is a good indicator that you are inserting unnecessary personal pronouns into your work.

We can revise this sentence into:

“The French revolution started in 1789.” 

Avoid adverbs (adjectives that describe verbs), and you will find that you avoid personal pronouns by default.

Closing Thoughts

In academic writing, It is crucial to sound objective and focus on the topic. Using personal pronouns pulls the focus away from the subject and makes writing sound subjective.

Hopefully, this article has helped you learn how to avoid using “we” in an essay.

When working on any formal writing assignment, avoid personal pronouns and informal language as much as possible.

While getting the hang of academic writing, you will likely make some mistakes, so revising is vital. Always double-check for personal pronouns, plagiarism , spelling mistakes, and correctly cited pieces. 

 You can prevent and correct mistakes using a plagiarism checker at any time, completely for free.

Quetext is a platform that helps you with all those tasks. Check out all resources that are available to you today.

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Using “I” in Academic Writing

Traditionally, some fields have frowned on the use of the first-person singular in an academic essay and others have encouraged that use, and both the frowning and the encouraging persist today—and there are good reasons for both positions (see “Should I”).

I recommend that you not look on the question of using “I” in an academic paper as a matter of a rule to follow, as part of a political agenda (see webb), or even as the need to create a strategy to avoid falling into Scylla-or-Charybdis error. Let the first-person singular be, instead, a tool that you take out when you think it’s needed and that you leave in the toolbox when you think it’s not.

Examples of When “I” May Be Needed

• You are narrating how you made a discovery, and the process of your discovering is important or at the very least entertaining.
• You are describing how you teach something and how your students have responded or respond.
• You disagree with another scholar and want to stress that you are not waving the banner of absolute truth.
• You need “I” for rhetorical effect, to be clear, simple, or direct.

Examples of When “I” Should Be Given a Rest

• It’s off-putting to readers, generally, when “I” appears too often. You may not feel one bit modest, but remember the advice of Benjamin Franklin, still excellent, on the wisdom of preserving the semblance of modesty when your purpose is to convince others.
• You are the author of your paper, so if an opinion is expressed in it, it is usually clear that this opinion is yours. You don’t have to add a phrase like, “I believe” or “it seems to me.”

Works Cited

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin . Project Gutenberg , 28 Dec. 2006, www.gutenberg.org/app/uploads/sites/3/20203/20203-h/20203-h.htm#I.

“Should I Use “I”?” The Writing Center at UNC—Chapel Hill , writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/should-i-use-i/.

webb, Christine. “The Use of the First Person in Academic Writing: Objectivity, Language, and Gatekeeping.” ResearchGate , July 1992, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.1992.tb01974.x.

J.S.Beniwal 05 August 2017 AT 09:08 AM

I have borrowed MLA only yesterday, did my MAEnglish in May 2017.MLA is of immense help for scholars.An overview of the book really enlightened​ me.I should have read it at bachelor's degree level.

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Dr. Raymond Harter 25 September 2017 AT 02:09 PM

I discourage the use of "I" in essays for undergraduates to reinforce a conversational tone and to "self-recognize" the writer as an authority or at least a thorough researcher. Writing a play is different than an essay with a purpose.

Osayimwense Osa 22 March 2023 AT 05:03 PM

When a student or writer is strongly and passionately interested in his or her stance and argument to persuade his or her audience, the use of personal pronoun srenghtens his or her passion for the subject. This passion should be clear in his/her expression. However, I encourage the use of the first-person, I, sparingly -- only when and where absolutely necessary.

Eleanor 25 March 2023 AT 04:03 PM

I once had a student use the word "eye" when writing about how to use pronouns. Her peers did not catch it. I made comments, but I think she never understood what eye was saying!

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Appropriate Pronoun Usage

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Because English has no generic singular—or common-sex—pronoun, we have used HE, HIS, and HIM in such expressions as "the student needs HIS pencil." When we constantly personify "the judge," "the critic," "the executive," "the author," and so forth, as male by using the pronoun HE, we are subtly conditioning ourselves against the idea of a female judge, critic, executive, or author. There are several alternative approaches for ending the exclusion of women that results from the pervasive use of masculine pronouns.

Recast into the plural

• Original: Give each student his paper as soon as he is finished.
• Alternative: Give students their papers as soon as they are finished.

Reword to eliminate gender problems.

• Original: The average student is worried about his grade.
• Alternative: The average student is worried about grades.

Replace the masculine pronoun with ONE, YOU, or (sparingly) HE OR SHE, as appropriate.

• Original: If the student was satisfied with his performance on the pretest, he took the post-test.
• Alternative: A student who was satisfied with her or his performance on the pretest took the post-test.

Alternate male and female examples and expressions. (Be careful not to confuse the reader.)

• Original: Let each student participate. Has he had a chance to talk? Could he feel left out?
• Alternative: Let each student participate. Has she had a chance to talk? Could he feel left out?

Indefinite Pronouns

Using the masculine pronouns to refer to an indefinite pronoun ( everybody, everyone, anybody, anyone ) also has the effect of excluding women. In all but strictly formal uses, plural pronouns have become acceptable substitutes for the masculine singular.

• Original: Anyone who wants to go to the game should bring his money tomorrow.
• Alternative: Anyone who wants to go to the game should bring their money tomorrow.

An alternative to this is merely changing the sentence. English is very flexible, so there is little reason to "write yourself into a corner":

• Original: Anyone who wants to go to the game should bring his money.
• Alternative: People who want to go to the game should bring their money.

Table of Contents

Ai, ethics & human agency, collaboration, information literacy, writing process, using first person in an academic essay: when is it okay.

• CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 by Jenna Pack Sheffield

Related Concepts: Academic Writing – How to Write for the Academic Community ; First-Person Point of View ; Rhetorical Analysis; Rhetorical Stance ; The First Person ; Voice

In order to determine whether or not you can speak or write from the first-person point of view, you need to engage in rhetorical analysis. You need to question whether your audience values and accepts the first person as a legitimate rhetorical stance. Source:Many times, high school students are told not to use first person (“I,” “we,” “my,” “us,” and so forth) in their essays. As a college student, you should realize that this is a rule that can and should be broken—at the right time, of course.

By now, you’ve probably written a personal essay, memoir, or narrative that used first person. After all, how could you write a personal essay about yourself, for instance, without using the dreaded “I” word?

However, academic essays differ from personal essays; they are typically researched and use a formal tone . Because of these differences, when students write an academic essay, they quickly shy away from first person because of what they have been told in high school or because they believe that first person feels too informal for an intellectual, researched text. While first person can definitely be overused in academic essays (which is likely why your teachers tell you not to use it), there are moments in a paper when it is not only appropriate, but also more effective and/or persuasive to use first person. The following are a few instances in which it is appropriate to use first person in an academic essay:

• Including a personal anecdote: You have more than likely been told that you need a strong “hook” to draw your readers in during an introduction. Sometimes, the best hook is a personal anecdote, or a short amusing story about yourself. In this situation, it would seem unnatural not to use first-person pronouns such as “I” and “myself.” Your readers will appreciate the personal touch and will want to keep reading! (For more information about incorporating personal anecdotes into your writing, see “ Employing Narrative in an Essay .”)
• Establishing your credibility ( ethos ): Ethos is a term stemming back to Ancient Greece that essentially means “character” in the sense of trustworthiness or credibility. A writer can establish her ethos by convincing the reader that she is trustworthy source. Oftentimes, the best way to do that is to get personal—tell the reader a little bit about yourself. (For more information about ethos, see “ Ethos .”)For instance, let’s say you are writing an essay arguing that dance is a sport. Using the occasional personal pronoun to let your audience know that you, in fact, are a classically trained dancer—and have the muscles and scars to prove it—goes a long way in establishing your credibility and proving your argument. And this use of first person will not distract or annoy your readers because it is purposeful.
• Clarifying passive constructions : Often, when writers try to avoid using first person in essays, they end up creating confusing, passive sentences . For instance, let’s say I am writing an essay about different word processing technologies, and I want to make the point that I am using Microsoft Word to write this essay. If I tried to avoid first-person pronouns, my sentence might read: “Right now, this essay is being written in Microsoft Word.” While this sentence is not wrong, it is what we call passive—the subject of the sentence is being acted upon because there is no one performing the action. To most people, this sentence sounds better: “Right now, I am writing this essay in Microsoft Word.” Do you see the difference? In this case, using first person makes your writing clearer.
• Stating your position in relation to others: Sometimes, especially in an argumentative essay, it is necessary to state your opinion on the topic . Readers want to know where you stand, and it is sometimes helpful to assert yourself by putting your own opinions into the essay. You can imagine the passive sentences (see above) that might occur if you try to state your argument without using the word “I.” The key here is to use first person sparingly. Use personal pronouns enough to get your point across clearly without inundating your readers with this language.

Now, the above list is certainly not exhaustive. The best thing to do is to use your good judgment, and you can always check with your instructor if you are unsure of his or her perspective on the issue. Ultimately, if you feel that using first person has a purpose or will have a strategic effect on your audience, then it is probably fine to use first-person pronouns. Just be sure not to overuse this language, at the risk of sounding narcissistic, self-centered, or unaware of others’ opinions on a topic.

Recommended Readings:

• A Synthesis of Professor Perspectives on Using First and Third Person in Academic Writing
• Finding the Bunny: How to Make a Personal Connection to Your Writing
• First-Person Point of View

Brevity – Say More with Less

Clarity (in Speech and Writing)

Coherence – How to Achieve Coherence in Writing

Flow – How to Create Flow in Writing

Inclusivity – Inclusive Language

The Elements of Style – The DNA of Powerful Writing

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Hi there! I'm in the process of writing my college essays and I'm not sure if I should use first-person pronouns (like 'I' and 'me'). Is it okay to write in the first person for college essays or should I stick to a more formal tone? Thanks in advance!

Hi! It's great that you're working on your college essays. Using first-person pronouns (like 'I' and 'me') is absolutely fine when you're writing your college essay. In fact, it's encouraged because the essay is your opportunity to showcase your own voice and experiences.

Remember, the admissions officers want to get to know you as a person, so writing in the first person can help you connect with them on a more personal level. Just be sure to strike a balance between sharing your experiences and maintaining a level of professionalism.

My own child recently went through the college application process, and they used first-person pronouns in their essay. It allowed them to share their personal story and the admissions officers appreciated the authenticity. So, go ahead and write in the first person, and good luck with your essays!

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Writing academically: Personal pronouns

• Academic style
• Personal pronouns
• Contractions
• Abbreviations
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Personal pronouns are used to replace people, places or things to make sentences shorter and clearer. Examples of personal pronouns include: I, we, it, they, you, and she. Your choice of personal pronoun will determine if you are writing in the first person or the third person.

Examples of pronouns

First person: I conducted an experiment on seedling growth under various conditions.

Second person: You will see that the results of my experiment provided support for growing seedlings in dark conditions.

Third person: It was found that seedling growth was significantly greater in the dark than in the light.

Which to use?

First (i) or third (it).

How do you decide whether to write in the first person, the second person, or the third person? In general the approach you choose depends on the nature of the assignment, and on your department:

Nature of the assignment  – usually by default you will write an academic assignment in the third person. The main exception to this is when writing  reflectively,  in which case you are relating your own thoughts and experiences, and first person is more appropriate.

Discipline  – most disciplines, particularly the sciences and social sciences require you to write in the third person. Some areas of the humanities require first person, but this may depend on the nature of the assignment. If in doubt refer to your module handbooks and speak to your tutors.

Second (You)

The second person (e.g. “you”) is the least commonly used form in academic writing, and generally addresses the reader or audience directly .

It is considered a bit chatty and as a consequence not normally used in academic writing.

One example of where it may be appropriate to use the second person is in the delivery of presentations where you may wish to address your audience directly.

Language is changing however and so is society.

Many people no longer associate themselves with a specific gender which can cause grammatical issues when referring to them.

They/their as gender neutral single third person pronouns is common in our spoken language and is becoming more acceptable in written language.

As with all things, check with your tutor to see if he/she/they (!) have a personal preference if you are unsure.

'We' should only be used if you have co-written a paper. We suggest that... would then be perfectly acceptable. Students often fall into the trap of using 'we' to mean all human kind, or all researchers, or all historians etc. This should also be avoided as you are making the reader guess who you are referring to.  It is better to use the actual noun rather than the pronoun in this case. Alternatively you can switch to the third person i.e.

Wrong: We have been able to make connections between corvid and ape intelligence. For example...

Better: Some researchers have been able to make connections between corvid and ape intelligence. For example...

Or: It is possible to make connections between corvid and ape intelligence. For example...

There is a lot of debate about whether you should be able to use they/their as gender-neutral single third person pronouns as in the following sentences:

Example: Each child was able to make the choice they believed to be correct. A nurse should be able to make appropriate decisions about the care of their patient.

Strictly speaking, these sentences are grammatically incorrect as they and their are plural pronouns . One way to solve the problem is by switching to the plural noun in the earlier part of the sentence:

Example: Nurses should be able to make appropriate decisions about the care of their patients.

Where this is not appropriate you could use the more correct his/her or he/she (or even (s)he) which also avoids the problem:

Example: Each child was able to make the choice (s)he believed to be correct.

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How to Effectively Use Pronouns in Academic Writing

Pronouns are simple to define but can be confusing to use. For example, the statement, “ Each person should follow their dreams ,” represents a failure to correctly balance the singular  (each person) and the  plural  (their dreams). Correcting the statement can be done in two ways:

• Each person should follow his or her dream (to balance the singular)
• All people should follow their dreams (to balance the plural)

Pronouns are often referred to as the understudies of  English grammar  because they are called upon to stand in for nouns (that are then referred to as  antecedents  because they are being replaced by pronouns).  Pronouns can be singular (I, me, he, she, you, it) or plural (they, them, we, etc.). However, their roles are limited to stand-in for either the  subject  or the  object  of a sentence:

The girl spent the weekend sewing the girl’s dress so that the girl would have enough time to make alterations to the dress on Monday.

Related: Having difficulty with language and grammar in your manuscript? Check out these helpful resources now!

The above sentence demonstrates how clumsy and repetitious writing can be without the use of pronouns. When properly used, the sentence can be cleaned up as follows:

The girl spent the weekend sewing  her  dress so that  she  would have enough time to make alterations to  it  on Monday.

The antecedents (nouns being replaced) are clearly matched to each pronoun: her (the girl), she (the girl), it (the dress).

Important Cases

Maintaining a clear match between pronouns and their antecedents becomes easier if you remember that pronouns come in three cases:

• Subjective   case – the doer (subject) of the action:  I  throw the ball.
• Objective  case – the receiver (object) of the action: Throw the ball to  me.
• Possessive  case – shows ownership:  My  throw struck the player out!

Rules of Pronoun Use

To avoid noun repetition and use pronouns effectively, you should remember the different types of pronouns and the way they can be used in a sentence:

• Personal pronouns   represent people or things: I came to see him today.
• Demonstrative pronouns   point out someone or something: This is his bat; that is your ball.
• Relative pronouns   relate one part of a sentence to another: One country that I’d like to visit someday is New Zealand ( that  relates to  country ).
• Reflexive pronouns   (also called  intensive  pronouns) reflect back to someone or something else in the sentence: You must ask yourself what you did to get into this situation ( Yourself  relates back to  you ).
• Interrogative pronouns   ask a question (interrogate): What in the world were you thinking?
• Indefinite pronouns   do not refer to a specific place or thing that has already been mentioned in a sentence. This can be confusing because that thing may be very definite and can be singular or plural. Example: someone/somebody and everyone/everybody.

A Simple Check

Learning the correct rules of pronoun use can appear to be overwhelming—so many types in so many cases! However, checking the correct use of a pronoun is relatively simple. First, read the sentence back to yourself and trust your ear. An incorrect balance between pronoun and antecedent simply won’t sound right:

Fidel Castro’s communist principles inevitably led to ideological differences between he and President Kennedy.

The need to correct “ he’”  to “ him’   is an easy catch because the sentence doesn’t sound right as written. When multiple antecedents are involved, you can check your pronoun use by replacing each antecedent with its original noun to check that you are using the correct pronoun.

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An Introduction to Personal Pronouns

4-minute read

• 9th April 2023

Personal pronouns make our lives easier when we speak and write. They’re short words that allow us to refer to someone or something without having to say the name over and over.

Understanding what personal pronouns are and how to use them is important in ensuring effective communication and fluent writing. Fortunately, this post will cover everything you need to know.

What Are Personal Pronouns?

You can use a personal pronoun to replace the name of someone or something once you’ve established who or what you’re talking about. Some examples are I , you , he , she , it , we , they , me , him , her , us , and them.

Let’s look at a sentence with no personal pronouns:

See how cumbersome the sentence is without personal pronouns? Now, let’s make it flow more smoothly:

Clearly, personal pronouns make speech and writing much easier for us.

First-Person Pronouns

The personal pronouns you use will depend on whether you’re writing in the first, second, or third person .

First-person pronouns refer to the speaker or writer from their own perspective. If this is just one person, you’ll use a singular personal pronoun (e.g., I , me ). If there is more than one speaker or writer, you’ll use a plural personal pronoun (e.g., we , us ):

Second-Person Pronouns

Second-person pronouns refer to the person being spoken to. These pronouns can also be singular or plural, but in English, we use you for both forms:

This ambiguity means the listener has to determine whether the speaker is talking about one person or multiple persons – information that isn’t always clear, as in the above example. Often, you can add a word or a phrase, such as you guys , y’all ( you + all ), or something else, to differentiate between these situations:

Third-Person Pronouns

Third-person pronouns refer to the person being spoken of. They can be singular (e.g., he , she , it ) or plural (e.g., they , them ):

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The gender of the person you’re talking about affects third-person pronouns, but if the gender is indeterminate or neutral, you’ll need a gender-neutral word. This is when things can get tricky.

Traditionally (and in many style guides), he/she and him/her are acceptable in these instances, but these conventions can be limiting. Enter the singular they :

Using they and them as singular personal pronouns is quickly becoming more acceptable in formal contexts.

Don’t Overuse Personal Pronouns

While personal pronouns are useful, you can’t use them solely . If you’re talking about someone or something specific, make sure you explicitly demonstrate who or what it is to provide the necessary context.

Doing this is especially important if you refer to multiple subjects. To keep things from being confusing, you’ll need to use a mix of personal pronouns and proper nouns or specific nouns. Let’s look at an example:

That was confusing. Let’s clarify:

How do you know when to use a personal pronoun and when to use the specific name? When you introduce a subject, use a proper noun. You can then use personal pronouns for it until you introduce a new subject.

We hope you now feel confident using personal pronouns. When in doubt, though, have your work proofread! Our expert editors will be happy to check your writing for grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice, and more. Try it out for free today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some examples of personal pronouns.

Commonly used personal pronouns in English are I , you , he , she , it , we , they , me , him , her , us , and them.

When should personal pronouns be capitalized?

The personal pronoun I is the only one you should always capitalize. You should capitalize other personal pronouns only at the start of a sentence.

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Using You in Academic Writing

Using You in Academic Writing Podcast

Using you in academic writing transcript.

This is Kurtis Clements with another effective writing podcast. In this episode, I am going to talk about using the second person, you and your, in academic writing.

Many folks are confused when it comes to using the second person pronouns “you” and “your” in their academic writing, in large part because such pronouns are used often in other kinds of writing, so it seems natural to use such words in academic writing.

What is “academic writing”? Academic writing is writing that is generally formal; by and large, it’s the kind of writing produced in school when you are writing a report or an essay. Academic writing usually does not contain contractions or slang, nor does academic writing use emoticons or exclamation points. Academic writing sticks to a fairly objective point of view and avoids personal pronouns such as “I, we, us, our, you,” and “your,” for example. Now this is not to say that academic writing will never use such pronouns, but as a guiding general principle such pronouns are not used often in academic writing.

I don’t want to confuse you, but not all writing produced in school is “academic.” For example, if you were taking a creative writing course, while you may write essays that require a formal approach to writing, you will also be writing “creatively”—short stories and poems and other genres that would not require you to use “academic writing.”

Imagine a poem like Gwendolyn Brook’s “We Real Cool” in which the speaker, a thug without much of a future, says, “We real cool. We left school. We lurk late” written in formal academic writing like this: “They were indifferent to the conventional values of society. They left school. They lurked late at night.” Big difference, right? Of course. Academic writing is not the kind of writing to use when writing creatively.

Ok, so back to our discussion of second person. Second person is the use of the pronouns “you” and “your” in writing. In this podcast, I sometimes relate what I am talking about to my audience—to you folks listening right now—so I will make statements like “I don’t want to confuse you, but…” In my podcast, which is not a formal writing situation, it’s fine to use the pronouns “you” and “your.”

As a guiding principle, the second person pronouns “you” and “your” should not be used in academic writing. Using “you and your” is informal and lacks the kind of professional tone found in academic writing. “You” may work fine in some situations (like this podcast, for example), but in academic writing, such usage can be downright confusing. When I use “you” in my podcast, it’s clear that I am addressing my listeners.

But let’s say you were reading a paper about recycling, something that you already do. What would your reaction be if every now and then the writer included a sentence like “All you would need to do is set up a few extra bins in your home for glass, paper, metal, and plastic, and then put each item into its respective bin.” What would your response be? You would likely be confused, right? After all, you already recycle. And imagine other instances of the writer referring to “you” in a sentence. Every time you read “you,” you stop in your tracks and think, “Me?”

Let’s say the recycling paper’s purpose is to persuade and thus the logical audience would be folks who don’t recycle. Would “you” be appropriate then? No. While there would clearly be less confusion on the part of readers, writing of a more formal nature should be as objective as possible and not refer directly to readers.

Imagine reading a formal academic essay that is arguing for greater individual effort to recycle, and throughout the paper the writer uses the objective third person point of view, making such statements as “Individuals have a responsibility to future generations to do what they can to cut down on waste” and “Individuals must be proactive in recycling at home and work,” and then all of a sudden, out of the blue, the writing shifts to second person and makes a statement like “You might be busy, but if you make recycling a top priority then you would probably be successful.”

Whoa, right?

Where did that sentence come from? As a reader, you were engaged in the persuasive but objective discussion of the need to recycle, when all of a sudden the writing shifts to second person, and it seems like the writer is pointing a finger at you.

The use of second person can be confusing, awkward, and off-putting in academic writing, so it’s best to avoid the pronouns “you” and “your.”

A good way to ensure such pronouns don’t appear in your paper is to read your work slowly aloud. Mark each “you” or “your” you find and revise accordingly. With a little practice, keeping the second person out of your writing will come naturally.

Thanks for listening, everyone. Happy writing.

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Pronouns In Academic Writing – Explanations & Examples

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Pronouns are an essential component of English grammar, used as a substitute for a noun or noun phrase to avoid repetition and simplify sentences. They can refer to people, animals, objects, or abstract ideas and are categorized into several types, including personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and relative pronouns, among others. Each type serves a different function in a sentence, which is why understanding pronouns is crucial for clear and effective communication in academic writing .

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• 1 Pronouns in Academic Writing – In a Nutshell
• 2 Definition: Pronouns
• 3 Using pronouns in a sentence
• 4 Pronouns vs. nouns
• 5 Pronouns vs. determiners
• 6 Personal pronouns
• 7 Interrogative pronouns
• 8 Demonstrative pronouns
• 9 Indefinite pronouns
• 10 Relative pronouns
• 11 Reciprocal pronouns
• 12 Dummy pronouns (expletives)

Pronouns in Academic Writing – In a Nutshell

Academic writing would have been repetitious and clumsy if pronouns did not exist. Using these words correctly is next to mastering your academic writing and passing academic essay papers.

Therefore, you should understand the following:

• The different types and when to use them
• The antecedents
• When to use antecedents as objects in a sentence
• The main differences between these words, nouns, and determiners

Definition: Pronouns

Pronouns represent nouns, helping you to refrain from repeating the same words. They may refer to people, places, and concepts.

• First-person

A personal pronoun could refer to you, the people you are addressing, or other things. Speak with your tutor because some academic writing styles encourage the use of these words while others do not.

Using pronouns in a sentence

The function of a pronoun is to replace the noun, but you can use it as a direct or indirect object in a sentence.

A direct object is someone or something that a verb acts on, while an indirect object is something or someone receiving the direct object.

The antecedents of pronouns

These are noun replacements used before or after a pronoun. The antecedent may also be something the person you are talking to said.

• As she planned to return home, Jamie became increasingly adamant.
• Peter was late for practice because he dreaded the shortcut passing through the woods.

Always ensure that the antecedent is evident, or you may need to use the actual noun for clarity.

✘ Incorrect use

• After manufacturing the milk and the health inspector passed by, it was delivered to the market.

In the above sentence, it is unclear what the term “it” means; hence, you can make it more understandable as follows:

✓ Correct use

• After the oil manufacturing and the health inspector passed by, the milk was delivered to the market.

Pronouns vs. nouns

While pronouns are a relatively small class of words, they do not change over time, unlike the broader class of nouns that are constantly expanding. As nouns, pronouns refer to people, things, concepts , and places ; however, nouns do so in greater specificity.

Both are similar to objects or subjects of a verb and heads in noun phrases. A complete sentence may look like “Joan ate,” just like when saying “she ate.”

However, nouns have fixed forms, so they never change spellings depending on grammatical roles in a sentence.

Pronouns vs. determiners

Determiners modify the words or noun phrases and do not act as objects or subjects. In contrast, pronouns stand on their own as objects or subjects.

Still, the two are closely related because a possessive pronoun like “yours,” closely relates to a determiner like “your,” while demonstrative pronouns like “that” are similar to demonstrative determiners.

• That restaurant is full, but that one will help you.
• You have to taste their meat; I have attended many meat festivals, but theirs is worth it.

Personal pronouns

These words refer to yourself, someone you are addressing, or other things and people, and they may change their form depending on the following:

• Person (first-, second-, or third-person)
• Number (singular or plural)
• Case (subject possessive, object, or reflexive)
• Gender (feminine, epicene, masculine, or neuter)

You can use the impersonal pronoun “it” in general statements referring to no particular person.

Interrogative pronouns

These introduce questions ; either on their own or get help from other interrogative words. They include:

• Which and what (asks about things)
• Whose (asks ownership)
• Who and whom (asks about people)
• Whom do you admire the best?
• What is your favorite subject?
• When are you coming?

Demonstrative pronouns

The four types include:

They indicate something you mentioned previously, clear from the context, or in a conversation.

• But, sir, this is not fair!
• These oranges are unique to those apples.

Indefinite pronouns

These words refer to unspecific things or people.

Many of these are created by a combination of:

• any-, or no- with -thing
• -one, or -body

Some describe quantity , like

• Think of somewhere nice for a holiday.
• Several glasses are missing.

Relative pronouns

These words introduce relative clauses , phrases that say more about the preceding noun. They include:

To show relation to things

• Which(ever), what(ever), and that

To show relation to people

• Who(ever) and whom(ever)

To indicate ownership

• Whoever did it should come forward.
• The first thing that I did after going home was sleep.

Reciprocal pronouns

These words describe two things or people that perform actions relative to the other; they include one another and each other.

• Athletes always compete with one another for the top prize.
• Treat each other with respect.

Dummy pronouns (expletives)

A dummy or expletive pronoun does not contain explicit meaning but is necessary to the sentence structure. 2 They include there and it.

Use them to emphasize certain elements in sentences, talk about the weather, or introduce the existence of something.

• It snowed yesterday, but today, it is warmer.
• There are thousands of bird species in the world.

Can you use personal pronouns in academic writing?

First-person is popular in some academic disciplines, while others prohibit its use.

Academic writing styles like APA and Harvard encourage the use.

Can you use the third person to describe yourself?

You may refer to yourself in the third person in some academic papers. Writing styles like APA accept the first-person description of yourself.

Can you use personal pronouns in argumentative essays?

No. You cannot use these words as such essays require a formal tone.

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Personal Pronouns in Academic Essays: Can You Use Personal Pronouns in Academic Essays?

Using personal pronouns in academic essays is still contentious because some institutions allow them while others discourage them. You should, therefore, get clarification from your lecturer before you start writing your paper.  It is also wise for you to know when to/not to use personal pronouns in your essay.

The article below does exactly that. Read on for further details.

Can You Use Personal Pronouns in Academic Essays?

Personal pronouns in academic essays are discouraged because they may detract you from focusing on your argument and the objective you are trying to convey. You ultimately offer opinions that may lack supporting reasoning and evidence to craft your scholarly piece.

Since writing your essay without using personal pronouns can be cumbersome, I have outlined ways in which you can eliminate them in your paper.

Also see: Can you use contractions in an essay? 

How to Eliminate Personal Pronouns from Your Academic Essay

1. remove them..

In some scenarios, you can remove the pronouns.

Example: I believe solar power is more sustainable than hydroelectricity.

Solution: Solar power is more sustainable than hydroelectricity.

The above solution is more objective because there is no personal stance.

2. Eliminate and Make Adjustments

Example: In this paper, I will argue that solar power is cheaper than hydroelectricity.

Solution: This paper will ascertain that solar power is cheaper than hydroelectricity.

3. Base Your Writing on Evidence, Not Personal Opinions

When you use evidence, your paper becomes more persuasive. Use the following words;

• It is evident (that)…,
• Considering the results,
• The research suggests (that)..,
• According to the figures,
• The results indicate…,

4. Use Passive Voice

Passive voice allows you to emphasize the action instead of the doer. The sentence becomes less personal.

Why the Use of Personal Pronouns in Academic Essays Is Discouraged

The use of personal pronouns in academic essays is discouraged because they undermine the trustworthiness and credibility of the author. Any claim made in the paper should have supporting evidence. It may include logic and research. When you use personal pronouns and fail to cite your sources, your lecturer may conclude that the claims made are your beliefs instead of established reasoning.

Academic essays should be objective. Avoid being subjective or emotional because you may lose persuasiveness, and your paper will ultimately rely on your emotions. Remember that your aim should be to raise new ideas for analysis or to research more on existing information. The style should, therefore, be formal and impersonal because you do not want your lecturer to assume you are biased. Only deal with facts.

Note: Restrain From Addressing the Reader as You

If you use second-person pronouns like you and your, you address the reader directly. Consequently, the paper reads like an informal speech instead of scholarly writing. The reader becomes the essay subject rather than striving to explain your points using credible evidence.

Use passive voice to eliminate second-person pronouns. An additional advantage is that the paper becomes less wordy.

How Do You Refer To A Person In An Essay?

If you base your argument on one scholar, begin by writing their first and last name. Use the last name for the rest of the article. You can also use his/her and he/she if you know their gender or their/they if you are not sure about the gender.

On the other hand, if you are using work from two or more scholars, it is best to indicate their names when citing the different sources to let the reader know where you sourced the evidence. In essence, if you are not using a name, use the third-person pronoun approach.

Can You Use The Third Person In An Essay?

Yes, you can use the third person in an essay. In fact, most essays (research papers, persuasion, and exposition essays) require you to write in the third person, where you refer to researchers from academic sources as evidence. It helps you support your argument.

Using the third person helps you refer to the person you are talking about in a sentence. Refrain from taking sides and influencing the feelings of the reader. Use pronouns such as him, hers, she, he, herself, himself, themselves, it, their, or use a name.

Most lecturers advise students to use the third-person stance because it makes the paper less personal, thus enhancing objectivity. Consequently, you achieve credibility and eliminate bias because you will focus more on facts and evidence and dwell less on opinions.

Tips for Utilizing the Third-Person Approach

Focus on the text and mind less about yourself and the reader. Be neutral and present your ideas and research as if you are observing.

Use the present tense. For example, instead of “This essay analyzed,” write “This essay analyzes.”

Avoid incorporating your opinions, especially if you are passionate about the topic.

If you only know how to use the first or second person, practice often on how to avoid the approach by writing more using third-person pronouns.

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Can You Use Personal Pronoun in an Argumentative Essay?

by  Antony W

February 16, 2023

Back in high school, your teacher told you not to use first person in writing your essay. But things change at college level and students break this rule more often than they can count – in the case where it’s absolutely necessary. The question is can you use personal pronoun in an argumentative essay?

You can use personal pronouns in an argumentative essay to state your opinion on an issue. Your audience wants to know where you stand, and it’s difficult to express your position without adding personalization. However, use personal pronouns sparingly so you don’t inundate your readers.

By using personal pronouns to express your thoughts on an issue based on the research you’ve conducted, you make it clear to your readers that you can be a trustworthy source on the issue in question.

Can You Use Personal Pronouns in an Argumentative Essay?

The use of personal pronouns in an argumentative essay is a concern that many students have. So it’s important that we address the issue by giving you a concrete answer that you can use to tackle the assignment.

Here’s the thing:

You’ve probably written a college admissions essay , memoir, or personal narrative essay. All these require the use of first person without which it’s would be difficult to express yourself.

Argumentative essays are different. They require in-depth research and a more formal tone, which leaves very little room for personal pronouns. Many students even shy away from using personal pronouns because they’re afraid their essays may sound too informal for an intellectual professor.

However, there are moments when you just can’t avoid using first personal pronouns in an argumentative essay. In fact, your essay might end up incomplete without the use of such pronouns.

Below are instances where you have to use a personal pronoun when writing your argumentative essay:

Clarify Your Position

It’s hard to state your position in an argument without actually using a personal pronoun.

If you remember what we said earlier, your audience not only wants to know your position on an issue but also want to know what you hold that stance in the first place.

You will have to put your personal opinion into the essay and there’s no better way to do that than to use personal pronouns.

While stating, demonstrating, and clarifying your position requires the use of personal pronouns, it’s important to use these sparingly. In other words, use what’s enough to communicate your point without overwhelming your audience with personalization.

Hook Your Reader

The introduction of your arg u mentative essay has to be good enough to draw in the attention of your reader.

To do that, you have to write a strong hook before you state the thesis of your argument .

Sometimes the best way to grab the attention of your audience is to share a personal anecdote, in which case you will need to use the first person pronoun “I” in the essay.

Here, you’re creating a personal touch that readers can’t help but appreciate. That appreciation further translates into the interest of reading the essay further to discover how you unpack your evidence to defend your stance.

Establish Your Credibility

Ethos is a common term in academic writing. In the Ancient Greece, intellects used the term to refer to character in the sense of credibility.

In argumentative essay writing, the term means the ability to establish trustworthiness with the information you provide you provide to your audience.

To establish your ethos, you have to convince your audience that you can be their trustworthy source of information. Quite too often, the best way to do that is by getting personal.

In this case you’ll have to tell your readers about yourself in a way that shows your audience that either you’re an authority in your topic or you have a personal experience in an issue.

To Avoid Passive Constructions

Another reason to use personal pronouns in an argumentative essay is to avoid passive sentences in your work.

A passive sentence is an instance where there’s an action going on but we don’t know who does the action. This can cause a lot of confusion and it’s best to avoid completely.

In some stances, using the first person pronoun is the best way to avoid passive construction and make your ideas clear. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you write your personal opinion in an argumentative essay.

Yes, you’re allowed to write your personal opinion in an argumentative essay. Remember, you’re taking a stance and defending your position using logic and evidence. It’s hard to do that without expressing your personal opinion in the essay.

What’s the difference between an argumentative and an opinion essay?

In an argumentative essay, you take one side of an issue and support it using evidence to get readers to accept your side of the argument. The essay requires you to recognize counterclaim from a logical standpoint and then use strong reason and evidence to refute such claims.

An opinion essay, on the other hand, is an assignment that requires you to give your thoughts about a particular topic. This essay doesn’t require you to take any position. Just state your opinion on the topic and let readers decide what to choose.

Where can one find help with argumentative essay writing? 

While there are many academic writing platforms out there, Help for Assessment is the best go-to platform for professional help. Check out our argumentative essay help and let us know how we can help you.

What is the best way to write an argumentative essay?

The best way to write an argumentative essay is to:

• Choose the best argumentative essay topic
• Do research
• Learn about the structure of an argumentative essay
• Start your essay with a hook
• Avoid questions in your argument
• Write your first draft early
• Look into the right way to revise your argumentative essay
• Submit your work before or when it’s due

Also, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide that you can read if you want to learn how to write an argumentative essay. Go read that guide if you’re just getting started.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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Can I use second person "you" in a college personal statement?

I am writing my personal statement for college and the prompt is: describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations. in my personal statement i am giving the reader a tour of my room. for example "as you look to your left, you will see my over-stacked bookshelf." would this be an exception for using second person because i want to direct the reader into visualizing my room as if they were actually there and i was giving them a tour. would using second person hurt my score on my personal statement.

"I want to go to school X because I think school X could challenge me, they are top-notch in research, academics, and student life."

The admissions committee most likely thinks so too, if they didn't they probably wouldn't be working admission at that university.

What a university really longs for is someone that deviates. Deviation shows that they can think for themselves and that they are confident in themselves and their conclusions (it shows initiative and the ability to problem-solve).

I'm actually applying to graduate school now so I guess we're in the same boat (for the school I'm applying to [I'm only applying to one and I'm not going to implicate them] they say you have 1,500 words write something). I actually address the graduate commission using "you" on several occasions (I feel its worth mentioning that the school within this university is ranked 12th in the US and the program is the only one of its kind).

Oh, and at least where I worked, the admission council does "grade" or "score" your personal statements, they just read them (a 5 minute read-through is even over-glorifying it, they may spend about 60-90 seconds on it). That isn't to say that you shouldn't put blood, sweat, and tears into it though because after reading literally thousands application essays admissions counselors are trained psychologists, literary critics, and professional speed-readers all rolled into one, they can spot a slapdashed essay from 12,000 miles away.

I know it's incredibly stressful, I've been there. I hope this provides some assuage!

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Impact of this question

I worried my grandmother wouldn't accept my name change because I'm nonbinary. She showed me a side of her I never knew.

• As a queer, nonbinary person, I've had to come out to my grandmother several times. 
• Each time, I worried I would push her away and ruin our close relationship. 
• But she accepted me immediately, and it brought us closer together.

I have a lot of experience coming out to my grandmother.

I first told her I was queer in 2016 on a break from college. We were having lunch at our favorite diner on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. She asked me if I was dating anyone, and I told her I had a girlfriend.

"Just women?" she asked. "Or men, too?"

I told her I was only dating women for now.

"Well, sex with men isn't all that great," my grandmother said. "It's not like you'll be missing much."

I laughed, delighted, and continued answering her questions while finishing my BLT. It wasn't until later that evening in my childhood bedroom that I started to cry tears of relief.

I was afraid coming out to my grandmother would harm our relationship

Growing up, I had always gravitated towards my grandmother because I felt she understood me. Maybe it's because we were both writers — or because we both had anxiety — but we were often on the same wavelength. She called us kindred spirits.

I had never admitted it to myself, but I had been afraid that coming out as queer to her would harm our relationship . My grandma is open-minded but, like many people her age, can be slow to change.

Her immediate acceptance was a pleasant surprise. Still, I never fully let go of that fear. Every time I cut my hair or got a new tattoo I wondered, would this be the moment I would push her away?

After realizing I'm nonbinary, I came out to my grandmother a second time

Over the COVID-19 pandemic, I realized I identified as nonbinary . In 2020, I decided to change my name, pronouns, and come out to my immediate family. Processing this internal shift was no small feat. When lockdown ended, I felt like an entirely different person.

Throughout the pandemic, my grandmother and I spoke on the phone multiple times a week, and keeping this change from her had been hard. I decided I wanted to tell her over the phone because we couldn't meet in person yet.

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The next time she called, I explained my decision to come out as nonbinary. I told her my pronouns were now they and them and that I was changing my name to Kaden.

"So you want me to call you Cadence?" she asked.

"No, Grandma, Kaden, like Dad's middle name ."

"Kaden, alright," she paused. "Do you think I should change my name too? I don't want you to get all the attention."

I laughed. "You could! I'll help you think of a new one. But I also just want to make sure you're alright with all of this. I know it may be a little confusing."

"Confusing?" she said. "Maybe remembering your name will be hard. I can't tell you what I ate for breakfast, but you'll always be you, Cadence."

"Grandma," I laughed. "It's Kaden!"

"Right! Kaden."

My Grandma's past experiences helped her understand my experience

Over the next few years, I had conversations I never expected to have with my grandma. Once the lockdown was over, I was able to introduce her to other gay and trans friends of mine. I told her about my transition, and she told me about how she got married young and gave up her dream of being a writer to be a stay at home mom .

One day during a visit at her apartment, my grandma told me about her aunt who lived on the Lower East Side.

"You know," she said, "she didn't have children, she did what she wanted. I lived in Harlem at the time with my parents and every time I went down there it was a whole new world. I don't regret my life, I had wonderful children and I have you, but I was never able to live that freely. I had to give up a lot. I never want you to give anything up. I want you to live your life the way you want to live it. Can you promise me that?"

I told her I could.

Though I wish I realized it earlier, I'm grateful that my coming out experience helped me understand that my anxiety about growing apart from my grandmother wasn't based on her actions, but on my own internalized fears.

In truth, because she grew up in the 40s and 50s, my grandma had an innate understanding of how conforming to societal expectations can be limiting. My grandma's age — which I first thought would hinder her ability to accept me — allowed her to understand my journey in a way that others couldn't.

She still calls me Cadence, though.

Watch: Why one mother fled Texas to keep her child safe

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In Outlook, you can create one or more personalized signatures for your email messages. Your signature can include text, links, pictures, and images (such as your handwritten signature or a logo).

Note:  If the steps under this New Outlook tab don't work, you may not be using new Outlook for Windows yet. Select Classic Outlook  and follow those steps instead.

Create and add an email signature

On the View tab, select   View Settings . 

Select Accounts > Signatures .

Select    New signature , then give it a distinct name.

In the editing box below the new name, type your signature, then format it with the font, color, and styles to get the appearance you want.

Select Save when you're done.

With your new signature selected from the list above the editing box, go to  Select default signatures and choose whether to apply the signature to new messages and to replies and forwards.

Select Save again.

Note:  If you have a Microsoft account, and you use Outlook and Outlook on the web or Outlook on the web for business, you need to create a signature in both products.

Create your signature and choose when Outlook adds a signature to your messages

If you want to watch how it's done, you can go directly to  the video below .

Open a new email message.

Under Select signature to edit , choose New , and in the New Signature dialog box, type a name for the signature.

Under Edit signature , compose your signature. You can change fonts, font colors, and sizes, as well as text alignment. If you want to create a more robust signature with bullets, tables, or borders, use Word to create and format your signature text, then copy and paste it into the Edit signature box. You can also use a pre-designed template  to create your signature. Download the templates in Word, customize with your personal information, and then copy and paste into the Edit signature box. 

You can add links and images to your email signature, change fonts and colors, and justify the text using the mini formatting bar under Edit signature .

You can also add social media icons and links in your signature or customize one of our pre-designed temlates. For more information, see Create a signature from a template .

To add images to your signature, see Add a logo or image to your signature .

Under Choose default signature , set the following options. 

In the E-mail account drop-down box, choose an email account to associate with the signature. You can have different signatures for each email account.

You can have a signature automatically added to all new messages. Go to in the New messages drop-down box and select one of your signatures. If you don't want to automatically add a signature to new messages, choose (none). This option does not add a signature to any messages you reply to or forward. 

You can select to have your signature automatically appear in reply and forward messages. In the  Replies/forwards drop-down, select one of your signatures. Otherwise, accept the default option of (none). 

Choose OK to save your new signature and return to your message. Outlook doesn't add your new signature to the message you opened in Step 1, even if you chose to apply the signature to all new messages. You'll have to add the signature manually to this one message. All future messages will have the signature added automatically. To add the signature manually, select Signature from the Message menu and then pick the signature you just created.

Add a logo or image to your signature

If you have a company logo or an image to add to your signature, use the following steps.

Open a new message and then select Signature > Signatures .

In the Select signature to edit box, choose the signature you want to add a logo or image to.

To resize your image, right-click the image, then choose Picture . Select the Size tab and use the options to resize your image. To keep the image proportions, make sure to keep the Lock aspect ratio checkbox checked.

When you're done, select OK , then select OK again to save the changes to your signature.

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If you don't choose to insert a signature for all new messages or replies and forwards, you can still insert a signature manually.

In your email message, on the Message tab, select Signature .

Choose your signature from the fly-out menu that appears. If you have more than one signature, you can select any of the signatures you've created.

See how it's done

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Note:  Outlook on the web is the web version of Outlook for business users with a work or school account.

Automatically add a signature to a message

You can create an email signature that you can add automatically to all outgoing messages or add manually to specific ones.

Select Settings   at the top of the page.

Select Mail >  Compose and reply .

Under Email signature , type your signature and use the available formatting options to change its appearance.

Select the default signature for new messages and replies.

Manually add your signature to a new message

If you've created a signature but didn't choose to automatically add it to all outgoing messages, you can add it later when you write an email message.

In a new message or reply, type your message.

If you created multiple signatures, choose the signature you want to use for your new message or reply.

When your email message is ready, choose Send .

Note:  Outlook.com is the web version of Outlook for users signing in with a personal Microsoft account such as an Outlook.com or Hotmail.com account.

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Create an email signature from a template

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