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Online Writing Center

Online Writing Center

STYLE, TONE & VOICE

Point of View: who is telling the story or narrative.

Writing should use a consistent point of view throughout the work. Pronouns indicate which point of view is being used.  Creative and reflective writing is often done in the first person while research and technical writing use the third person point of view.

FIRST PERSON
writer's point of view		 SECOND PERSON
reader's point of view		 THIRD PERSON
outsider's point of view
pronouns
I  me  my  mine  our  ours  we

pronouns
you  your  yours

 pronouns
they  their  them  theirs  he  him  his  she  her  hers  it  its 
I do not think tobacco products should be marketed to children. You can see why tobacco products should not be marketed to children. Researchers have concluded that exposure to ads for tobacco products can increase a child's chances of smoking by 17%.
I often see fake news stories when I'm on Facebook. When you scroll through social media sites like Facebook, you’ll often see many fake news stories. Fake news stories often appear on social media sites like Facebook.
I think GMOs are harmful to the environment. You would think GMO's are harmful to the environment. GMOs are harmful to the environment.
Our country needs to provide welfare recipients with better access to nutritional information so we know which groceries are healthier to purchase. If the United States provided welfare recipients with better nutritional information, you could tell which groceries were healthier to purchase. The United States needs to provide welfare recipients with better access to nutritional information so people can purchase healthier groceries.

Academic Language: writing that is formal in tone and vocabulary.

AVOID

EXAMPLES

FIRST-PERSON
I, me, my, mine, our, ours, we

SECOND- PERSON
you. yours

NO - I think GMOs are harmful to the environment.
YES - GMOs are harmful to the environment because... 


NO - Internet companies use an algorithm to record data from you and document data to show you more content you are likely to view or items you are likely to purchase.
YES - Internet companies use an algorithm to record personal data to feed users information or products they are likely to select.
CONTRACTIONS
don't, can't, won't		 NO - Companies don't understand why composting is important.
YES - Companies do not understand why composting is important.
SLANG
LOL, totally, as if

NO - Dumping plastic in the oceans is totally wrecking the environment. -YES - Dumping plastic in the oceans is wrecking the environment by destroying natural ecosystems.

GENDER BIAS &
STEREOTYPES

 NO - There have been a lot more women doctors in the last 25 years.
YES - In the last 25 years, there has been an increased number of female doctors. 
GENERALIZATION

NO - Everyone knows how important the First Amendment is.
YES - The First Amendment is important to the American public.

EXAGGERATION
 

 NO - If companies refuse to compost their waste, the world will be buried in garbage!
YES - If companies refuse to compost their waste, the environment will be negatively impacted.

Video | Never Use 1st or 2nd Person