Formal Voice 1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd Person Language

* Academic writing should always use formal language * Informal = Casual and familiar. Often, informal writing looks just like everyday speech. * Examples: * “Well that was interesting!” * “cause that’s lame.” * Formal = Specific, professional and uses academic language. * Example: The plot of The Giver was interesting because of the various conflicts and character development.

* Don’t use first and second person pronouns * First person is used when referring to yourself (I, me, my, mine, etc.) * Second person is used when addressing the reader or readers directly (you, yours, etc.) * Don’t use “fillers” * Fillers are words that we often use in casual speech * (Like, well, so, um, ‘cause etc.) * Don’t overuse rhetorical questions * Definition: A question that is asked to make a point, and isn’t meant to generate a reply.

* First person language makes analytical writing sound weak! * Remove “I” statements such as “I think…” “I believe…” etc. * State your analysis in third person, as if it is a fact! Example: I think Truman showed great bravery during the storm. Vs. Truman showed great bravery during the storm.

* Second person language sounds too familiar for academic writing! * Remove second person pronouns to make your writing sound neutral and professional. * Replace pronouns with specific names, or third person pronouns. Example: Jonas realized that everything was a lie when he saw his father kill the newchild, and when you see a baby killed, you get sad and angry. Vs. Jonas realized that everything was a lie when he saw his father kill the newchild, and when he saw the baby killed, he became sad and angry.

First Person Pronouns Second Person Pronouns Third Person Pronouns I Me My Mine We Us Our Ours You Your Yours He She It His Hers Its Him Her They Them Their