Consistent Person: Point of view
First Person
This refers to the person the closest to you--yourself.
Thus, its singular form is I, and its plural form
is we. Use this form for personal essays in
which you or your life is the focus. It is rarely used in
academic essays.
My cousin Sonny had a limp, and I
had blue eyes. From my five-year-old
perspective, his limp was no more significant than my
eyes. In truth, I envied his uneven
gait.
Second Person
This refers to the next person, someone who is present and
being addressed as you. This form is
occasionally used for process papers in which you are telling
some imaginary you how to do something. It
is rarely used in other types of academic papers.
If you want to be a good student, you need to follow a few
simple rules. Most important of all, you should always
remember students are at the mercy of the educational system.
Third Person
This refers to everyone else--he, she,
and it in the singular and they in
the plural. Academic writing is usually done in the third
person.
Many abductees report that they can discern
no physical difference to suggest aliens are male or female,
but aductees sometimes feel intuitively that an alien is
female.
Note: In some cases, where
ideas or objects are discussed, there may be little use of
pronouns, but this is still considered third person.
Herpes is an inflammatory skin disease caused by the herpes
virus and is characterized by small blisters in clusters.
Note: Once a point of view has been established, avoid
changing to a different one.
I tried to register as a new student
yesterday. You didn't know what to do or
which line to get in, and you got all confused.
Corrected version:
I tried to register as a new student
yesterday. I didn't know what to do or
which line to get in, and I got all confused.
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