Avoiding the word you in writing

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“I”, “we” and “you” can be difficult to avoid if a passive verb is not possible

THE IMPORTANCE OF AVOIDING ‘I’, ‘WE’ AND ‘YOU’

The words I, we and you (and equivalent forms like me, my, mine, us and yours) are frequently said to be unsuitable in formal writing. Indeed, the absence of these words, along with various others, is often part of the very definition of this sort of writing (see 166. Appropriacy in Professional English).

The perceived need to avoid words like I, we and you in academic and professional writing also suggests something important about what this kind of writing is not. Academic and professional writers do not try to use impressive wording for its own sake; they only resort to it in order to avoid an undesirable alternative. The over-riding aim, as in most types of writing, is to write as clearly and simply as possible.

The deeper reason that is usually given for avoiding I, we or you in formal English is a need to sound impersonal, objective and functional. These words are felt to conflict with that because they make unnecessary references to particular people. They are suitable only when they stand for some types of I, we or you, such as the writer of a CV or the addressee of an advice leaflet (see 187. Advising and Recommending).

In order to avoid I, we and you, it is necessary to know what substitute language can replace them. This is the same kind of problem as that presented by paraphrasing (see 80. How to Paraphrase). In both cases the solution will often be obvious, but sometimes difficult to see. This discussion concentrates on the difficulty that replacing I, we and you can give when they are the subject of a sentence. For some advice on how to replace them in other sentence positions, see 39. “Decide” or “Make a Decision?”.

For information in this blog about other words to avoid in formal writing, see especially 108. Formal and Informal Words, plus the Learning Materials page under the heading Words to Avoid in Academic Writing. Clicking on “Formal Style” in the CATEGORIES menu on the right of this page will bring up other relevant posts, including the diagnostic 193. A Test of Formal Language Use.

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PROBLEMS IN AVOIDING INFORMAL SUBJECT PRONOUNS

One strategy that is sometimes possible for avoiding an unwanted subject pronoun is replacing it with a more acceptable word. The problem is finding the right one.

I has a small number of alternatives. If its verb is a writing one, such as will describe… or have presented…, then a text-referring noun like this essay or the previous section can replace I. On the other hand, if the verb’s action is outside the text this writer is sometimes possible, though having no word at all through use of a passive verb or equivalent, as outlined below, is usually best. One expression that is very rarely appropriate is the researcher.

Alternatives to we and you also exist in some contexts. We and you meaning “anyone” might be be replaceable by one, someone or people (see 211. General Words for People). You meaning “the reader” can often become the reader or readers.

The pronoun-avoiding strategy that many English courses concentrate on is making the verb passive. Yet in surprisingly many cases this strategy is not possible. The following sentences (except the first) illustrate a range of situations that rule it out.

(a) I will describe three main categories.

(b) I was affected in three different ways.

(c) I proceeded (a little later).

(d) I became a group member.

(e) I want first to provide some background.

(f) I enjoyed sampling the product.

(g) I know that the problem is not solved.

(h) I contend that reading helps grammar learning.

The reason why only (a) can avoid I by means of a standard verb change from active to passive (Three main categories will be described) is that only it possesses the requirements for such a change: an active verb (will describe) with an object (categories − for details of objects, see 8. Object-Dropping Errors).

In sentence (b), a change from active to passive is not possible because the verb with I is already passive (was affected). In the others, although the verb with I is active, there is no object. Sentence (c) has an active verb with nothing at all after it, or just the adverb phrase a little later. In (d), there is a noun after the verb (group member), but it is a complement rather than an object (it refers to the subject). The other sentences all have another verb after the one with I. In (e) this verb is in the infinitive form (to provide), in (f) it has -ing, while in (g) and (h) it is in an ordinary statement after that.

Yet all of these problem structures can be altered so as to avoid the undesirable I. Even sentence (a) can be altered without using a passive verb: instead of will be described it could have a different verb in the active voice, such as follow (see 27. How to Avoid Passive Verbs) or there are (see 161. Special Uses of “There” Sentences). The rest of this post is about structural changes for avoiding unwanted pronouns in sentences like (b)–(h).

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OTHER WAYS TO AVOID UNWANTED PRONOUNS

1. When the Verb is Already Passive or Lacks an Object

In this situation – sentences (b) and (c) above – the most useful strategy appears to be to change the verb into a related noun (see 131. Uses of “Action” Nouns, #3). Here are sentences (b) and (c) after this change (with the relevant nouns underlined): 

(b1) Three different effects were felt.

(c1) The procedure was performed (a little later). 

Finding a related noun (or a synonym of one) is not so difficult (see 249. Action Noun Endings); a greater challenge is often finding the verb to go with it, especially since some appropriate verbs are quite idiomatic partners of the chosen noun (see 173. “Do Research” or “Make Research”?). For further examples of this way to avoid informal pronouns, see 39. “Decide” or “Make a Decision”?.

If the subject of the sentence lacks the (as in b1) there + BE is often another possibility (There were three…). For more, see 161. Special Uses of “There” Sentences).

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2. When the Verb Has a Complement

A complement is a noun, pronoun or adjective that is matched by a verb to an earlier noun or pronoun (see 220. Features of Complements). For example, in (d) above the complement a group member matches I – they are the same person. Complements can often be recognised from the verbs they follow: BECOME, BE and a few others. In addition to (d) above, the following all contain a complement: 

(i) I became uncomfortable.

(j) I felt proud.

(k) I was a supervisor. 

These sentences can be paraphrased without I like this: 

(d1) Group membership was taken up.

(i1) Discomfort was felt/There was discomfort.

(j1)  (A feeling of) pride was experienced.

(k1) A supervisory position was held. 

Generalizing from these is difficult, but the main tendency seems to be to make the complement into the subject of the new sentence, rather as we do with objects. Adjective complements (uncomfortable, proud) become related nouns (discomfort, pride), whereas noun complements (a group member, a supervisor) often need to be slightly changed (in these examples the meaning of “status” or “position” or “role” needs to be added).

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3. When the Verb Has another Verb Soon After

A very useful avoidance strategy here is to begin with it and a form of BE. Compare the following with the original sentences above: 

(e1) It is necessary first TO PROVIDE some background.

(f1) It was enjoyable SAMPLING/TO SAMPLE the product.

(g1) It is recognised that the problem IS not SOLVED.

(h1) It can be contended that reading HELPS grammar learning.

The second verb in such sentences (capitalised) sometimes has to, sometimes -ing and sometimes that… (see 103. Representing a Later Statement with “It”). Before to or -ing, an alternative to an I verb – I want and I enjoyed in (e) and (f) above – is often it is/was + the I verb’s related adjective: necessary and enjoyable in (e1) and (f1).

Before that…, however, a passive verb often seems the best choice after a starting it, though one could instead use BE + a “truth” adjective like acceptable, arguable, certain, clear, (in)correct, definite, likely, possible, probable and (un)true. Truth adjectives are especially useful for agreeing or disagreeing without saying I (dis)agree (see 152. Agreeing and Disagreeing in Formal Contexts).

Using a passive verb after it in order to avoid I sometimes necessitates is, as in (g1), and sometimes can be, as in (h1). Using can be when is is needed is likely to sound strange; using is when can be is needed gives the wrong meaning: not “by me” but either “by everyone” (see 22. Multiple Speakers in a Text) or “by me elsewhere” (a common use in abstracts, which report content rather than develop it).

How can one know whether to use is or can be when avoiding I with a non-reporting passive verb? The choice seems to depend on the partner verb. RECOGNISE is a thought verb, CONTEND a speech one. Other thought verbs that, like RECOGNISE, usually have is to mean “by me” include BELIEVE, CONSIDER, DEEM, EXPECT, FEEL, HOLD, HOPE and KNOW. An exception is THINK – is thought is always reporting (and cannot have can be instead of is).

Speech verbs that, like CONTEND, need can be to develop a point without using I commonly express particular types of meaning. Some resemble CONTEND (e.g. ARGUE, CONSIDER, MAINTAIN, CLAIM), some are naming (CALL, DUB, NAME, REFER TO), some are exemplifying (EXEMPLIFY, ILLUSTRATE), some are classifying (CATEGORISE, CLASSIFY, DIVIDE, SEPARATE, SPLIT), and one (DEFINE) is defining (see 237. Auxiliary Verbs in Professional Communication, #4).

Many sentences that allow it can also be written with there + BE + NOUN (see 161. Special Uses of “There” Sentences, #4). This is certainly true of sentences (e1), (f1) and (g1), which could respectively begin There is a need…, There was enjoyment… and There is recognition…. Note how a need is preferred to a necessity. The negative There is no need to… is also common.

Sentences like (h1) could also begin there is an argument…, though this is probably more often used for reporting a contention than simply making one.

Learning how to write an essay without using ‘I’, ‘We’ or ‘You’, and other personal languages can be challenging for students. The best writing skills recommend not to use such pronouns. In this guide, we explore how to replace ‘I’, ‘We’, or ‘You’ in an essay and the methods to avoid them.

For those of us who have been able to overcome this, you will agree that there was a time when you experienced a challenge when finding alternatives to clauses such as “I will argue” or “I think”.

The good thing is that there are several methods of communicating your point, and writing an essay without using ‘I’ or related personal language,.

Why avoid using Pronouns in formal writing

Before we identify the methods of communicating without using personal language like “I”, it is best to know why we should avoid such language while writing essays.

The most important reason for avoiding such language is because it is not suitable in formal writing such as essays. Appropriate professional English should not include any form of personal pronouns or language.

The second and equally important reason to avoid using personal language while writing an essay is to sound impersonal, functional, and objective.

In formal English, personal pronouns conflict with the idea of being impersonal, functional, and objective because they make redundant references to the writer and other people.

Personal pronouns will make an essay seem to contain only the perspectives of the writer and others they have deliberately selected. Again, they will make the work appear subjective.

Another reason to avoid personal language while coming up with an essay is to avoid sounding as if you have an urgent need to impress the reader through wording.

Personal pronouns like “you” and “I” tend to suggest something important that is away from what the writing is all about.

By continually using “I”, “we”, or “you”, you are taking the reader’s attention from the essay to other personal issues. The essay becomes all about the writer. 

That being said, let’s explore how to replace “I” in an essay.

Ways of Avoiding Pronouns “I”, “You” and “We” in an Essay

You can replace the pronouns ‘I’, ‘You’, and ‘We’ by replacing them with acceptable wording, applying passive voice instead of pronouns, Using a third-person perspective, adopting an objective language, and including strong verbs and adjectives.

In our other guide, we explained the best practices to avoid using ‘you’ in essay writing, and use academically sound words. Let us explore each of these strategies in detail.

1. Replacing it with an acceptable wording

This is a very good strategy for replacing “I” in an essay. The problem is that it is often difficult to find the right word to replace the personal pronoun. Though this is the case “I” has some alternatives.

For example, if the verb that follows it revolves around writing and research such as “…will present” or “…have described”, it is best to replace “I” with text-referencing nouns such as “the essay.”

If you wanted to say “I will present”, or “I have described”, then the alternative will be “the essay will present”, or “as described in the essay.”

Another method of replacing “I” in an essay is using appropriate wording like “this writer” if the verb’s action is not within the text.

While this is sometimes acceptable, it is often advised to have no words here by using passive verbs or their equivalents.

A wording that may also be used but rarely suitable is “the researcher”. This alternative can only be used when your actions as a writer are completely detached from the writing.

2. Using passive voice instead of pronouns

Another way to replace “I” and other personal pronouns in an essay is to use passive voice. This is achieved by transforming an active verb passive.

Though this is the case, the strategy is often difficult and it may create sentence structures that are not acceptable in formal writing and language.

The sentences in which “I” can be successfully changed using this strategy is when an active verb describing an object is transformed into its passive form. 

3. Using a Third-Person Perspective

This is a very important and applicable strategy when replacing “I” in an essay. This is where you avoid using first-person and second-person perspectives.

When referring to the subject matter, refer directly to them using the third person. For example, if you were to write “I think regular exercise is good for mind and body”, you can replace it with “Regular exercise is good for mind and body”.

4. Use of objective language

Objective language is lost when a person uses informal expressions like colloquialisms, slang, contractions, and clichés. It is the reason why we discourage the use of contractions in essay writing so that you can keep things formal.

While informal language can be applicable in casual writing and speeches, it is not acceptable when writing essays. This is because you will be tempted to use a first-person perspective to convey your message.

5. Being specific and using strong verbs and adjectives

In most cases, essays that have been written using a lot of personal pronouns tend to be imprecise. When you want to avoid using “I” in your essay, try to be exact and straight to the point.

Personal pronouns tend to convey a subjective message and it is up to the writer to explain their perspectives through writing.

Here, a writer will use a lot of “I think…” or “I believe…” to express their opinion. By doing so, the writer will end up wasting a lot of time explaining a concept.

Instead of doing that, it is best to look for appropriate verbs and adjectives to explain the points. Also, use objective language. Refer to the suggestions given by credible evidence instead of basing your arguments on what you think.

Words to use instead of personal pronouns like “You” and “I”

As noted, it is important to avoid using personal pronouns such as “You” and “I” when writing an essay.

By eliminating them or finding alternatives to them, your essay will be formal and objective. You can decide to eliminate them in a sentence.

For example, you could be having a sentence like “I think the author makes a valid point concerning capitalism.”

In this example, you can eliminate the personal language and write “The author makes a valid point concerning capitalism”.

The second sentence goes straight to the point and is objective.

Other words to use instead of personal pronouns like “You” and “I” can be created when personal judgment words are avoided.

Instead, it is best to replace those words with those that refer to the evidence.

Examples of Ways to Replace personal pronouns

Below are examples of how personal judgment words can be replaced by words referring to the evidence.

1. I feel – In light of the evidence
2. From I think – According to the findings
3. I agree – It is evident from the data that
4. I am convinced – Considering the results
5. You can see that – From the results, it is evident that

Using the third-person or “it” constructions can be used to replace personal pronouns like “You” and “I”. Such words also help to reduce the word count of your essay and make it short and precise.

For example, if you are writing “I conclude that”, replace those words with “it could be concluded that”. Here, “it” constructions are helping replace personal pronouns to make the sentence more objective and precise.

To be more specific, words to replace personal pronouns like “I” include “one”, the viewer”, “the author”, “the reader”, “readers”, or something similar.

However, avoid overusing those words because your essay will seem stiff and awkward. For example, if you write “I can perceive the plot’s confusion”, you can replace “I” by writing “Readers can perceive the plot’s confusion”.

Words that can be used instead of personal pronouns like “You” include “one”, “the viewer”, the reader”, “readers”, or any other similar phrases. It is similar to words that replace first-person pronouns.

For example, if you write “you can see that the poet’s tone is serious and urgent”, you can replace “You” by writing “readers/one can see that the poet’s tone is serious and urgent”.

Words to use instead of “My” in an essay

Since “My” demonstrates the possessiveness of something, in this case, the contents or thoughts within an essay, it makes the writing subjective. According to experts, writing should take an objective language. To do this, it is important to replace it.

You can replace the word “My” with “the”. For example, if you write “My final thoughts concerning the issue are”, you can write “The final thoughts concerning the issues are”.

In this case, the article “The” makes the sentence formal and objective.

Another method is to eliminate the word “My” from the sentence to make it more objective and straight to the point.

In the same example above, if you write “My final thoughts concerning the issue are”, you can write “Final thoughts concerning the issue are”.

The major difference here is that the word “my” in the first example makes it subjective and eliminating it from the sentence makes it sound formal and objective.

Final Advice

Therefore, when writing an essay, it is important to avoid personal pronouns like “You”, “I” and “My.” Not all papers use third-person language. Different types of essays are formatted differently, a 5-paragraph essay is different from a 4-page paper, but all use third-person tones.

This is because an essay should be written in formal language and using personal pronouns makes it appear and sound informal. Therefore, writing an essay without using ‘I’ is good.

Formal language makes your essay sound objective and precise. However, do not remove the first person language when writing personal experiences in an essay or a paper. This is because it is acceptable and formal that way.

You can find a few post on Writing with YOU attitude on this blog, if you search. However, learning the techniques of writing with YOU attitude is so valuable, I am dedicating this page to a collection of past YOU attitude tips and examples.

Four essential rules for writing with YOU attitude

1. Avoid starting your memos or letters or peer reviews with “I” or “We.”

2. Avoid “you” when it criticizes the reader. The best way to do this – is to take the reader out of the sentence. For example:

Incorrect: Your assignment is overdo and you will loose ten points.

Correct:  Overdue assignments are penalized ten points.

3. The You-Attitude avoids condescension by eliminating unnecessary imperatives (commands). You can see examples of this error below.

4. Use the pronoun “you” in the introduction and the conclusion only to help build goodwill and make a positive impression on the reader, but avoid the pronouns ‘you’ and ‘your’  in the body.

     Following these four rules of YOU will improve professional writing skills immensely

This is a good time to return to past assignments and practice by self-editing with an eye for improving YOU attitude

Examples for correcting YOU techniques:

In the introduction or first paragraph of a memo, email, letter:

INCORRECT: I have completed my review of your first draft of your report on The Customer Experience at the Richmond Olympic Experience Museum. My overall impressions are included below, within the peer review guide designed for this assignment. Please let me know if you have any questions or require clarifications to anything noted below. Bullet points include topics that were looked for when reviewing your report. Notes and additional thoughts for each section included below these points.

REWRITE with YOU attitude: Your peer review for ‘The Customer Experience at the Richmond Olympic Experience Museum’ is completed and includes overall impressions and notes for each section of the Report. Your questions are welcome.

You Attitude requires that you avoid imperative verbs and the word ‘you’ and ‘your’ in the body of the document. 

 For example:

 Incorrect: “Centralize on your reader’s goals and what they want to know.”

 Rewrite:  Making sure the reader’s goals come first is important.

More examples:

 Incorrect:  “Your reader is a distinguished academic Professor. When writing your email consider the voice and tone of your audience. In this scenario it essential to write with a professional tone and make sure your grammar and spelling are correct.”

Rewrite: When writing to a professor, being considerate and writing with a professional tone and correct grammar are important.

 Begin practicing the YOU attitude in all your writing, especially peer reviews. 

 For example:

 Incorrect: I have read over your memo to Evan Crisp which provides thoughtful recommendations on how to write with the YOU attitude.  Overall your memo is well written, I can, however, help you with your writing by offering some insights:

Rewrite: Your memo to Evan crisp is well written, however some tips on how to write with YOU attitude will improve your communications.

In the Body of your work – Focus on taking out the ‘people’ and the ‘you’s’ and imperative verbs.

For example: 

Incorrect: Emphasize reader benefit by highlighting how the professor will be positively affected.
Instead of focusing on your own benefits of enrolling in the professor’s class, express how the they will benefit from having you as a student in their class. Rather than “I need to take three credits to graduate,” use a positive You Attitude, for example, “I am a senior student eager to contribute positively to this class.”

 Rewrite: Emphasizing benefits and positive outcomes for the reader will assist in receiving a positive response. For example: “assignments will be of a high standard and submitted on time.”

Take out the ‘people’ – for example:

 Incorrect: “To elicit effective and open communication in writing to a professor, writers might consider the professor’s point of view, rather than the reader’s own aims. By showing an understanding or the awareness to care about the professor’s experiences (i.e. busy start of semester, full class, likely lots of emails), readers can elicit a more positive response, which goes a long way, especially when asking for something!

Rewrite: Considering the reader’s point of view and needs rather than the writer’s aims, will help ensure a more positive response – especially when making a request. For example, professors are busy, have full classes, and likely many emails.

Here is a good example of what happens when you replace the imperative verbs:

Incorrect: Avoid using a condescending or insulting tone. Reduce the number of “you” words, as it may sound insulting and demanding to the reader. Avoid telling the reader what to do, and instead politely explain your situation and request to be enrolled. Do not forget to thank them for their time and effort.

Rewrite:  Avoiding the use of condescension and an insulting tone can be achieved by reducing the number of ‘you’ words. Avoiding imperative verbs will create a polite tone, as well as remembering to say thank you.

Incorrect:   The objective for this assignment was demonstrating a “you” attitude in your writing for Evan Crisp. The main goal of “you” attitude is to help your reader with their goals and maintain positivity for the reader.  I think this goal could have been better utilized in your email.  I think this could have been done by including a sentence on how Evan will achieve his goal by following your advice.  You did a great job keeping negativity outside of your email, and only focusing on positive comments.  You didn’t miss out on any of the points in Evan’s email that needed corrections. I think that your email could have been longer and instead of only correcting him you could have given him some advice on his writing in a more general way.

Rewrite:  The objective for this assignment is to demonstrate ‘YOU Attitude’; the main goal being to assist the reader with a focus on positiveness. Including a sentence on how Evan can achieve his goal by using this technique will be helpful. The email focuses on positive comments, which is great, and all of the points needing correction are covered. The email could be bit longer and include more general advice.

Writing Tips — Avoiding Personal Pronouns in Academic Writing

How to avoid personal pronouns in writing

How to avoid personal language in writing

What is personal language?

When writing academically, it is important to use third-person language and to avoid using first or second-person pronouns like «I» or «you.» Personal language can make your argument seem less objective and can weaken the impact of your writing.

Personal language examples

• In my opinion…
• I think…
• I feel…
• It seems to me…
• I believe…
• I conclude…

The best way of avoiding personal pronouns in academic writing

• Use the passive voice
• Use nouns instead of pronouns
• Refer to yourself by name
• Use «one» instead of «you» or «I»
• Use impersonal constructions such as «it is important to note that» rather than «I think that»

There are a number of ways to avoid using personal pronouns in academic writing.

Perhaps the most straightforward way is to use the passive voice. For example, rather than writing «I analyzed the data,» you could write «The data were analyzed.»

Another way to avoid personal pronouns is to use nouns instead of pronouns. So, rather than writing «I did this research in order to understand more about X,» you could write «This research was undertaken in order to gain a greater understanding of X.»

It is also possible to use impersonal constructions such as «it is possible that» or «it seems that.» These constructions are often used in academic writing, and they can help to create a more objective tone.

Why should you avoid using personal language in your academic writing?

There are various reasons, but overall it is because academic writing is normally considered to be objective and therefore avoids the use of personal pronouns such as ‘I’ and ‘we’ (although there are some exceptions).

In general your writing should focus on what the data, evidence or literature says, and not so much on what you think of it, but what can be derived from the data by analysis, examination or investigation.

How to avoid personal pronouns

So how can you avoid using common personal language expressions such as «I think that…» or «I believe that…«?

One way is to become good at recognizing when you should use the ‘passive’ verb structures instead of ‘active’ to describe something.

Look at the example below:

Active: The technician loaded the samples into the container.

In the first sentence, the emphasis is on who (the technician) did the action (loaded the samples).

Passive: The samples were loaded into the container.

In the second sentence the emphasis is on what happened (what was done) to the samples and not who did it. It is not always necessary to mention who did the action.

What are examples of personal judgment words?

Personal judgment examples include «I think,» «I feel,» «in my opinion,» «to me», «In my experience», «It seems to me»

These phrases are commonly used in everyday speech, and there’s no harm in using them occasionally in writing.

However, overusing them can make your writing sound unsophisticated and immature. If you find yourself using these phrases too often, try to find other ways to express your opinion or point of view.

These words can be used when writing your opinion or giving your perspective on something. However, use them sparingly in academic or professional writing.

When using personal judgment words, it is important to provide evidence to support your claims. Otherwise, your argument may not be as convincing.

If you can, try to avoid using personal judgment words altogether. Instead, state your claims directly and back them up with evidence.

This will make your writing sound more objective and authoritative.

Examples:

Instead of writing «I believe» or «I think», you can use phrases such as «the evidence shows» or «research suggests».

Instead of writing «I think the novel is brilliant,» you could say «The novel is a masterpiece.»

Instead of writing «To me, the protagonist is very relatable,» you could say «The protagonist is very relatable.»

Instead of writing «I believe the ending was a bit rushed,» you could say «The ending felt a bit rushed .»

10 more examples of impersonal judgement phrases

1. The data indicates
2. The trend appears to be
3. It seems that
4. There is evidence that
5. According to research
6. Studies have found that
7. Experts suggest that
8. In most cases
9. On average

When you are writing academically or professionally, the aim is to sound objective and authoritative. Using personal pronouns such as «I» can make your argument sound less convincing.

Here are some more alternatives to help you avoid using personal language of judgement in your academic writing.

«I think…» alternatives

There are also various standard expressions which you can substitute instead of «I think…» which will make your academic writing more formal and objective, based on the evidence or data you are dealing with, and based less on your personal opinion.

Examples of how to avoid writing «I think…»

1. Use strong adjectives to express your opinion: «The novel is phenomenal, the ending was atrocious, the character is unsympathetic.»
2. Use specific evidence from the text to support your point: «The author’s use of figurative language creates a sense of foreboding.?» «The protagonist’s choices show his lack of moral compass.»
3. Start with the opinion: «The ending was a bit rushed.»
4. Use a «hedge» to express your opinion: «The ending was a bit rushed.» «It seems to me that the character is unsympathetic.»
5. Use modals to express your opinion: «The ending could have been better.» «The character might be unsympathetic.»
6. Use phrases like «in my opinion» or «it seems to me»: «In my opinion, the ending was a bit rushed.» «It seems to me that the character is unsympathetic.»

NOTE: In many fields of study this impersonal, impartial style of writing is normal; however, in certain areas the use of ‘I’ to express personal opinion is accepted and in some cases even preferred.

Make sure you are aware of the style requirements for your particular field of study/department before writing your paper/essay.

FAQ

How to avoid using I in writing?

«I» is a very common pronoun in the English language, and it can be easy to overuse it in your writing.

When you use I too much, it can make your writing sound overly personal or even egotistical. In order to avoid using I too much in your writing, try to use other pronouns like you, they, or we.

Also, try to focus on the other people or things in your story instead of making everything about you. By doing this, you’ll create a more well-rounded and interesting piece of writing.

How to avoid personal pronouns?

There are a few ways to avoid personal pronouns in your writing.

Use a third-person point of view. This means avoiding words like «I,» «me,» and «you» altogether.

Use gender-neutral language. This means using words like «they» instead of «he» or «she.»

By avoiding personal pronouns, you can make your writing sound more objective and professional.

What are some words to avoid in academic writing?

Some words to avoid in academic writing are: informal, contractions, first-person pronouns, and slang. While these words may be perfectly fine in other types of writing, they can make your academic writing sound unprofessional or sloppy. If you want to maintain a clear, concise, and professional tone in your work, it’s best to steer clear of these types of words.

What should you avoid in academic writing?

In academic writing, it is important to avoid using informal language. This includes contractions, such as «don’t» or «can’t», as well as slang and colloquialisms. Additionally, academic writing should be objective and factual, so avoid using first person pronouns like «I» or «we». Finally, avoid using biased or emotional language.