First-Person Pronouns

We use first person when talking about:

• Myself / ourselves (subjective)

• Things that have happened to me / us (objective)

• Items I / we own (possessive)

Examples: 

I always bring my laptop with me.

We need someone to help us with our homework.

Second Person Pronouns

You normally write in second person when addressing your audience directly.

Second person pronouns include:

Examples:

Do you listen to your inner voice?

Is this copy yours?

Third Person Pronouns

Third person is the most common point of view, and is traditionally preferred when writing academic papers.

(See section below for the use of singular "they").

Examples:

He sure seems happy to ride his bike with her. She adores her purple helmet; it has a new flower sticker.

They both got new bikes for their birthdays. They have been riding them all day!

Singular "They" 

In recent years, dictionaries and citation styles have added to their definitions and guidelines to include the common use of "they" as a singular third-person pronoun in writing where appropriate.

Some situations include:

• When the gender or number of the person/people being referred to is unknown;

• When drawing attention to gender is unnecessary or clunky in the sentence, or;

• When a person being referred to uses they/them pronouns.

Examples (from Merriam-Webster and the APA 7 Style Guide):

• Every client got a care package delivered to them. 

• The person who answered the phone said they didn't know where she was.

* Note that singular "they" still uses the same verbs as plural "they." For example, it would still be "they are," never "they is."

Citation Styles and Singular They

• APA - Singular "They"

• Chicago - Chicago Style for the Singular They

• MLA - How do I use singular they?