Perhaps you were asked to write something in the first person, and you are looking for a refresher course on what that means \u2014 but it\u2019s equally likely that you are already familiar with the terminology but are not sure about the best way to make this type of writing work for you.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re in the right place in either case, because we\u2019ll be guiding you through everything you need to know about writing effectively in the first person.<\/p>\n
To sum it up succinctly, it\u2019s you<\/em> \u2014 anything you write from your personal perspective, using pronouns that refer to yourself as a unique individual or identify yourself as part of a group of people, is written from a first person perspective.<\/p>\n Most people are aware that writing in the first person involves using \u201cI statements\u201d (\u201cI am 22 years old\u201d, \u201cIn this essay I will be exploring why Hobbes\u2019 grim view of human nature is categorically false\u201d, \u201cI donate money to charity regularly\u201d, and so on). The first person does, however, include a much wider range of personal pronouns.<\/p>\n In the singular, meaning you\u2019re talking only about yourself, you have, in addition to \u201cI\u201d:<\/p>\n Plural first person pronouns include we, our, ours, ourselves, and us. In this case, you are either speaking on behalf of a wider group of people (like your workplace or the group of classmates you worked on an assignment with), or about something you experienced together with other people (such as \u201cour car broke down on the way to Oregon\u201d).<\/p>\n Some situations always call on you to use the first person. They would include penning a personal letter to almost anyone (from a letter of complaint to a store to a letter to the President) and writing a personal statement as part of a college admissions process.<\/p>\n Using the first person in academic writing remains controversial, and most fields have traditionally discouraged it. It is entirely possible that you are currently reading this guide because a professor has explicitly asked you to write an essay in the first person, and you need more information because the very concept clashes with everything you have learned so far.<\/p>\n The academic world is slowly beginning to embrace first person language in academic writing, including research papers, especially in humanities-related fields such as sociology. This is because acknowledging your personal involvement with your research topic provides context.<\/p>\n By avoiding the first person, you are often forced to contort yourself into entirely unnatural language that divorces you from the subject. Embracing first person language can help you avoid awkward sentences such as \u201cdata was collected by means of personal interviews\u201d, for instance, which devalues your work if the interview process was an integral part of the way in which you formed your conclusions. This simultaneously helps you avoid over-reliance on the passive voice, which does not make for enjoyable reading.<\/p>\n You can read Duke University\u2019s perspective on first person language in academic writing<\/a> here for additional background information.<\/p>\n In professional writing, the language you use depends on the context and employer\u2019s policies. These days, it is far from unusual to spot first person language in opinion editorials, for instance, but first person language would not be appropriate in a news report or a white paper. Where in doubt, always check.<\/p>\n Are you writing a book? It is, of course, common \u2014 almost universal, in fact \u2014 for autobiographies and memoirs to be penned in the first person. Fiction writers, too, occasionally opt for a first person narrative, which becomes the perspective of the protagonist. Choosing to write a novel in the first person is a bold move that will affect the entire flow and feel of the book, but it can absolutely be effective.<\/p>\n Were you hoping to see some examples of first person usage in action, in contexts where you may not yet be used to seeing it as well as some where you would expect them? We\u2019re here to help.<\/p>\n First person language has traditionally been shunned in academic writing because relying on this kind of language comes with the risk of placing subjective opinions, emotions, and experiences above objective scientific observation. Avoiding the first person can have the opposite effect \u2014 that of separating you from your subject entirely, which may be undesirable.<\/p>\n Regardless of your aims in writing and your reasons for choosing the first person, these tips will prevent you from falling into common traps that reduce the quality of your writing:<\/strong><\/p>\n How do I use the first person in a narrative essay?<\/strong><\/p>\n Your essay will be most effective if you do not let your freedom to write in the first person interfere with your ability to pay attention to the world beyond your inner self. Despite the fact that you are writing in the first person, and about your own experiences, no essay can be just about you.<\/p>\n What are some examples of good novels written in the first person?<\/strong><\/p>\n Sorry to Disrupt the Peace: A Novel <\/em>by Patrick Cottrell, The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/em> by Margaret Atwood, and Never Let Me Go<\/em> by Kazuo Ishiguro are all compelling examples of novels written in the first person. They each demonstrate how this stylistic choice can allow readers to ride the story out from right within the protagonist\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n How do I know if it is acceptable to use the first person in academic writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n Simply ask your professor if you are writing a college essay or research paper. Using the first person can cause you to lose points in some cases, so it is always best to check before you take this bold but logical step. Remember that first person language is more accepted in the social sciences than in other academic fields.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Perhaps you were asked to write something in the first person, and you are looking for a refresher course on what that means \u2014 but it\u2019s equally likely that you are already familiar with the terminology but are not sure about the best way to make this type of writing work for you. You\u2019re in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2677"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2677"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2691,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2677\/revisions\/2691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
When Is it Appropriate to Write in the First Person?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Examples of First Person Writing<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Tips on Using the First Person Effectively in Your Writing<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
FAQ<\/strong><\/h2>\n