First, second or third person??!! (1 Viewer)

[gemblack88]

If an essay question asks us in the second person (e.g. How was your understanding of the journey impacted upon by the study of blabla bla...) then do we answer in the first person and use "I" and "my" and stuff, or do we stick to a formal 3rd person response?? please help me out here because im having trouble doing these types of practice questions because it feels wierd answering a second person question in the third person, but it also seems too informal writing in first person!!

 

[silvermoon]

third person.
what you have to understand is that the person writing the question is not your friend sitting next to you asking your opinion on something. this is not a personal question and they neither care who you are nor what your actual opinion is.

 

[bitchgirl]

i have the same problems as well, that's my weakness in losing marks in the english exams. My teacher wrote on my exam papers "3rd text"??? anyone know what it means????? i never had a chance to ask my english teacher

 

[silvermoon]

im confused --> are you asking what 3rd person is or asking what your teacher meant by '3rd text'?
- 3rd person: formal tone. they, one etc. (first: I, we etc; second: you)
- as to your teacher, it's impossible to know without seeing the work in question. either they had a problem with your third text or you didn't address it i would guess

 

[bonniejjj]

third person.
what you have to understand is that the person writing the question is not your friend sitting next to you asking your opinion on something. this is not a personal question and they neither care who you are nor what your actual opinion is.

I disagree. I have read high-range answers that are very eloquently written in the first person. Writing in a personal (not informal or colloquial) manner can add a lot to a response, if used appropriately. I think this is a matter of preference, and how you think you can best write. I think they DO care what your opinion is if it is expressed clearly. If they ask you a question regarding YOUR understanding (and you feel comfortable writing this way,) I suggest go ahead, write in the first person, as it is the most appropriate way to answer a question regarding YOUR opinion or how YOUR understanding has been developed. That is not to say you should abandon good essay writing technique, of course.

 

[Captain Gh3y]

If anyone out there doesn't care about their HSC (which I guess would mean they wouldn't be on this forum), I dare them to write their essay in the 2nd person, especially using phrases such as

"Your opinion on the journey is..."

 

[nwatts]

I disagree. I have read high-range answers that are very eloquently written in the first person. Writing in a personal (not informal or colloquial) manner can add a lot to a response, if used appropriately. I think this is a matter of preference, and how you think you can best write. I think they DO care what your opinion is if it is expressed clearly. If they ask you a question regarding YOUR understanding (and you feel comfortable writing this way,) I suggest go ahead, write in the first person, as it is the most appropriate way to answer a question regarding YOUR opinion or how YOUR understanding has been developed. That is not to say you should abandon good essay writing technique, of course.

Yeah, sure. But maintaing a formal tone in a first person response is difficult. It's far easier (IMO) to write in third person and apply a personal tone (that essentially comes from real evaluation - telling the marker exactly what you think about the question at hand), than it is to write in first and keep it formal.

 

[bonniejjj]

I definately agree. It is difficult, and not worth doing unless you feel you can pull it off. I'm not sure what approach I'm going to take on Monday... I guess it will depend on the question.

 

[nomore3x5]

I think its always best to stick to third person, its more formal. Teachers have always told me and my classmates to stay away from first person essays.

 

[ameh]

Third person.

2nd for angst

 

[TheHeretic]

Depends on the nature of the question, however, they cannot mark you "wrong" for doing either.

To say it is "difficult to write formally" in the first person is a little strange. If you add details such as "my opinion is" it is hardly detracting from your essay's quality.

 

[nwatts]

No, but adding details such as "my opinion is" kills whatever authority your essay has. It reminds the marker that this is a HSC student writing, not an essayist.

 

[hipPo3]

If an essay question asks us in the second person (e.g. How was your understanding of the journey impacted upon by the study of blabla bla...) then do we answer in the first person and use "I" and "my" and stuff, or do we stick to a formal 3rd person response?? please help me out here because im having trouble doing these types of practice questions because it feels wierd answering a second person question in the third person, but it also seems too informal writing in first person!!

Think about what the Q is asking u .. write an interview or speech ? wirte an essay ? write a feature article etc.. from there u should know what/what not to put it

for essay dont put in I or refer to urself, but u can other words to resemble opinions

 

[silvermoon]

Yeah, sure. But maintaing a formal tone in a first person response is difficult. It's far easier (IMO) to write in third person and apply a personal tone (that essentially comes from real evaluation - telling the marker exactly what you think about the question at hand), than it is to write in first and keep it formal.

exactly - thanks for that nwatts, this is, essentially, what i meant to convey (and obviously didn't huh?). A formal tone in an academic essay is essential. yes, there are high range answers using 'I', especially if you look at last year's King Lear responses. HOWEVER, what is usually considered the better option is third person with formal tone --> your 'personal' input is seen in the way you approach the question and how you treat the evidence within the text creatively to support your thesis. If you can't talk about your personal response and engagement to/with the text clearly in thrid person then your answer probably won't deserve a band six.

 

[silvermoon]

Depends on the nature of the question, however, they cannot mark you "wrong" for doing either.

To say it is "difficult to write formally" in the first person is a little strange. If you add details such as "my opinion is" it is hardly detracting from your essay's quality.

yes, it DOES detract from your essay. Generally, the use of phrases such as "my opinion is" and the like create tortological nonsense within your essay which cannot do anything but detract from the quality of the piece.
A phrase such as "my opinion is..." is on a par with the phrase "I saw it with my own eyes" --> whilst you may think it's a perfectly logical statement, in fact it is completely and utterly nonsensical as it implies that you had the opportunity to see the event through someone else's eyes. the same thing goes for "my opinion is" --> as you are, presumably, the creator of the text, it is implicit that everything within the piece is of your opinion or agrees with your own opinion, unless stated otherwise.
If you write in first person it is difficult to avoid such inanities