Asked by: Emily Wood

According to the MLA website, you should give the person’s full name and then refer to them by their last name thereafter.

How do you refer to a person in an essay?

When you mention a person for the first time, be sure to use the full name. Only in very rare cases should you refer to a person by the first name. Such usage usually indicates close friendship or inferior status (such as children and servants). For subsequent references to a person, simply use the last name.

Can you say people in a formal essay?

Most of the time, people is the correct word to choose as a plural for person. Persons is archaic, and it is safe to avoid using it, except in legal writing, which has its own traditional language. Peoples is only necessary when you refer to distinct ethnic groups (for example, within the same region).

How do you say I in formal writing?

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.

Can you use he or she in a formal essay?

she/her/hers, they/them/their

In academic or college writing, most formal essays and research reports use third person pronouns and do not use “I” or “you.”

How do you write in first person without using I?

Try recasting sentences that start with ‘I’ more objectively, so that the focus is on the what – the emotion, the object, the person, the action and so on – rather than the sense being used to experience it or the I-narrator doing the experience. Use the principles of free indirect speech to reduce your ‘I’ count.

What can I use instead of you in an essay?

Replace instances of “you” in your essay either by using “individual” or “one” to refer to a single hypothetical person and using “people” to refer to a large group to whom something you’re saying applies. Replace instances of “your” in your essay by using the possessive forms of “individual,” “one,” and “people.”

Can you use someone in an essay?

While first person can definitely be overused in academic essays (which is likely why your teachers tell you not to use it), there are moments in a paper when it is not only appropriate, but also more effective and/or persuasive to use first person.

How do you reference a reader in an essay?

Avoid addressing readers as “you.”

As with first-person pronouns, second-person pronouns can be replaced by words such as “one,” “the reader,” “readers,” and “the viewer.”

How do you refer to yourself in academic writing?

Use first-person pronouns in APA Style to describe your work as well as your personal reactions. If you are writing a paper by yourself, use the pronoun “I” to refer to yourself. If you are writing a paper with coauthors, use the pronoun “we” to refer yourself and your coauthors together.

How do you write in second-person?

The second-person point of view belongs to the person (or people) being addressed. This is the “you” perspective. Once again, the biggest indicator of the second person is the use of second-person pronouns: you, your, yours, yourself, yourselves.

How do you refer to yourself in the third person essay?

For a third person paragraph, use a name or he, she, or it instead of using I. Since this paragraph is about your own opinion, use your own name (for example, Joe spoke) or he, she, or it (for example, He spoke). How do I write in second person? Use “you” instead of “I.” Like you’re referencing your reader.