Essay Writing (Content): 3rd Person Voice

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

3rd Person Voice

Page 5

Defining 3^rd Person Voice

3^rd person voice is the STANDARD writing style for voice in scholarly, academic writing.

The goal with 3^rd person voice is to write as if you were giving a presentation.

You do not know the readers (therefore, no use of YOU—which is 2^nd person voice), and the readers do not know you (therefore, no use of I-, Me-, or My-type pronouns).

You write ‘from a distance’.

Example: Proponents for proposition 219 argue for changes to the sanitation of our public water sources. With these changes, one will notice drastic improvement to the people, land, and wildlife in the area. Clean drinking water is essential to a healthy life.

Can you feel how I am writing about THEM, THEY, and so on? The focus is ‘out there’… beyond simply me (1^st person) or us (2^nd person). There is a larger picture here.

There is a distance in the writing, and it is through this distance that a reader is able to focus on the content of the writing and not get wrapped up in who you are…I, Me, My, Us, We…or feel weird that you keep referring to YOU.

To make sure that you have not fallen into the trap of using 1^st or 2^nd person voice in your writings, it is best to go to the top right of your MO Word document screen and click on the FIND or the REPLACE tabs. These tabs will let you search for those dreaded works such as “I” or “YOU” and modify your sentences to reflect 3^rd person voice.

As you become better acquainted with 3^rd person voice, you will notice a shift in your writing style and content. The more you practice eradicating 1^st and 2^nd person voice from your writing, the less you will see those pronouns appear in your rough drafts.