Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Writing problems: Person Pronouns


English (as with many languages) has 3 levels of personal pronouns:
 

 
Singular
Plural
First Person
I, me, mine
we, us, our
Second Person
you, your
you, your(s)
Third Person
he, she, it, him, her, it, his, her(s), its
they, them, their, theirs

APA does not allow the use of first person plural "we" or "our" (the exception is if there are multiple authors). The broader use of the word "we" (often referred to as the "editorial we" or "royal we") leaves the reader wondering to whom you are referring. Instead, substitute an appropriate noun or clarify to whom you are referring. Here are some examples for a dissertation. 

Incorrect: We know that the elderly ……
Correct: Researchers have found that the elderly …..

Incorrect: Drug use is common in our country
Correct: Drug use is common in the United States. 

Incorrect: We will contact possible participants by …
Correct: I will contact possible participants by… 

Next time, in honor of the 4th of July, I will talk about courage and the dissertation.  Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu 

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