Third person helps the writing stay focused on facts and evidence instead of personal opinion.
Third person pronouns include: he, she, it; his, her, its; him, her, it; himself, herself, itself; they; them; their; themselves. Names of other people are also considered appropriate for third person use. Example: “Smith believes differently. According to his research, earlier claims on the subject are incorrect. ”
First person pronouns include: I, me, my, mine, myself, we, us, our, ours, ourselves. [3] X Research source The problem with first person is that, academically speaking, it sounds too personalized and too subjective. In other words, it may be difficult to convince the reader that the views and ideas being expressed are unbiased and untainted by personal feelings. Many times, when using first person in academic writing, people use phrases like “I think,” “I believe,” or “in my opinion. " Incorrect example: “Even though Smith thinks this way, I think his argument is incorrect. ” Correct example: “Even though Smith thinks this way, others in the field disagree. ”
Second person pronouns include: you, your, yours, yourself. [4] X Research source One main problem with second person is that it can sound accusatory. It runs to risk of placing too much responsibility on the shoulders of the reader specifically and presently reading the work. Incorrect example: “If you still disagree nowadays, then you must be ignorant of the facts. ” Correct example: “Someone who still disagrees nowadays must be ignorant of the facts. ”
Indefinite third person nouns common to academic writing include: the writer, the reader, individuals, students, a student, an instructor, people, a person, a woman, a man, a child, researchers, scientists, writers, experts. Example: “In spite of the challenges involved, researchers still persist in their claims. ” Indefinite third person pronouns include: one, anyone, everyone, someone, no one, another, any, each, either, everybody, neither, nobody, other, anybody, somebody, everything, someone. Incorrect example: “You might be tempted to agree without all the facts. " Correct example: “One might be tempted to agree without all the facts. ”
This is usually done in an attempt to avoid the gender-specific “he” and “she” pronouns. The mistake here would be to use the “they” pronoun with singular conjugation. [5] X Research source Incorrect example: “The witness wanted to offer anonymous testimony. They was afraid of getting hurt if their name was spread. ” Correct example: “The witness wanted to offer anonymous testimony. They were afraid of getting hurt if their name was spread. ”
For instance, a story may include four major characters: William, Bob, Erika, and Samantha. At various points throughout the story, the thoughts and actions of each character should be portrayed. These thoughts can occur within the same chapter or block of narration. Writers of omniscient narratives should be conscious of “head-hopping” — that is, shifting character perspectives within a scene. While this does not technically break the rules of Third Person Omniscience, it is widely considered a hallmark of narrative laziness. This is a good voice to use if you want to remove yourself from the work so the readers don’t confuse the narrator for you. [6] X Expert Source Alicia CookProfessional Writer Expert Interview. 11 December 2020.
In a sense, the writer of a third person omniscient story is somewhat like the “god” of that story. The writer can observe the external actions of any character at any time, but unlike a limited human observer, the writer can also peek into the inner workings of that character at will, as well. Know when to hold back. Even though a writer can reveal any information he or she chooses to reveal, it may be more beneficial to reveal some things gradually. For instance, if one character is supposed to have a mysterious aura, it would be wise to limit access to that character’s inner feelings for a while before revealing his or her true motives.
Do not use first person and second person points of view in the narrative or descriptive portions of the text. Correct example: Bob said to Erika, “I think this is creepy. What do you think?” Incorrect example: I thought this was creepy, and Bob and Erika thought so, too. What do you think?
The thoughts and feelings of other characters remain an unknown for the writer throughout the duration of the text. There should be no switching back and forth between characters for this specific type of narrative viewpoint. Unlike first person, where the narrator and protagonist are the same, third person limited puts a critical sliver of distance between protagonist and narrator. The writer has the choice to describe one main character’s nasty habit — something they wouldn’t readily reveal if the narration were left entirely to them.
In other words, do not use first person pronouns like “I,” “me,” “my,” “we,” or “our” outside of dialog. The main character’s thoughts and feelings are transparent to the writer, but that character should not double as a narrator. Correct example: “Tiffany felt awful after the argument with her boyfriend. ” Correct example: “Tiffany thought, “I feel awful after that argument with my boyfriend. ” Incorrect example: “I felt awful after the argument with my boyfriend. ”
Note that the writer can offer insight or guesses regarding the thoughts of other characters, but those guesses must be presented through the perspective of the main character. Correct example: “Tiffany felt awful, but judging by the expression on Carl’s face, she imagined that he felt just as bad if not worse. ” Incorrect example: “Tiffany felt awful. What she didn’t know was that Carl felt even worse. ”
Correct example: “Tiffany watched from the window as Carl walked up to her house and rang the doorbell. ” Incorrect example: “As soon as Tiffany left the room, Carl let out a sigh of relief. ”
Limit the amount of pov characters you include. You don’t want to have too many characters that confuse your reader or serve no purpose. Each pov character should have a specific purpose for having a unique point of view. Ask yourself what each pov character contributes to the story. For instance, in a romance story following two main characters, Kevin and Felicia, the writer may opt to explain the inner workings of both characters at different moments in the story. One character may receive more attention than any other, but all main characters being followed should receive attention at some point in the story.
Multiple perspectives should not appear within the same narrative space. When one character’s perspective ends, another character’s can begin. The two perspectives should not be intermixed within the same space. Incorrect example: “Kevin felt completely enamored of Felicia from the moment he met her. Felicia, on the other hand, had difficulty trusting Kevin. ”
In a novel-length work, a good time to switch perspective is at the start of a new chapter or at a chapter break. The writer should also identify the character whose perspective is being followed at the start of the section, preferably in the first sentence. Otherwise, the reader may waste too much energy guessing. Correct example: “Felicia hated to admit it, but the roses Kevin left on her doorstep were a pleasant surprise. ” Incorrect example: “The roses left on the doorstep seemed like a nice touch. ”
For instance, if Kevin had a talk with Felicia’s best friend about Felicia’s feelings for him, Felicia herself would have no way of knowing what was said unless she witnessed the conversation or heard about it from either Kevin or her friend.
There does not need to be a single main character to focus on. The writer can switch between characters, following different characters throughout the course of the narrative, as often as needed. Stay away from first person terms like “I” and second person terms like “you” in the narrative, though. Only use first and second person within dialog.
Imagine that you are an invisible bystander observing the actions and dialog of the characters in your story. You are not omniscient, so you do not have access to any character’s inner thoughts and feelings. You only have access to each character’s actions. Correct example: “After class, Graham hurriedly left the room and rushed back to his dorm room. ” Incorrect example: “After class, Graham raced from the room and rushed back to his dorm room. The lecture had made him so angry that he felt as though he might snap at the next person he met. ”
Correct example: “When no one else was watching her, Isabelle began to cry. ” Incorrect example: “Isabelle was too prideful to cry in front of other people, but she felt completely broken-hearted and began crying once she was alone. ”
Let the reader draw his or her own conclusions. Present the actions of the character without analyzing them or explaining how those actions should be viewed. Correct example: “Yolanda looked over her shoulder three times before sitting down. ” Incorrect example: “It might seem like a strange action, but Yolanda looked over her shoulder three times before sitting down. This compulsive habit is an indication of her paranoid state of mind. ”
