Using "You" in Articles - What are Your Thoughts?

[dsletten]

I've been writing for several publications and have found some publications that do not allow the use of second person, "you, your or you're", in articles. Yet, they want the articles to be written to the reader. I find that a bit odd since, to me, the best way to write to the reader is to bring "you" into it. Here at CC we don't have that limitation and articles sell like crazy. So, I was wondering what all of you thought about this. Does writing in the third person sound more professional? Do you think that buyers here at CC would like the third person more than second? I'd be interested in Ed's thoughts too.

Thanks,
Deanna

[Celeste Stewart]

One of my favorite English teachers taught us never to use "you" and he was a stickler for it. For years, I didn't. But writing has become more casual since then and almost all of my Web articles are in the second person. But these are for the Web - and the voice works in this medium. When writing for magazines, it pays to read several issues and get a sense of the magazine's voice. If the publication leans toward the academic and none of the articles are written in second person, then it's doubtful that they'll accept an article written that way.

I think where "you" is objectionable is when it slips in unintentionally. If the article is written primarily in third person, and a single sentence switches to second and addresses the reader, then that's a problem. On the other hand, if the entire article is talking to the reader, then it's staying true to its voice.

Is it possible to address the reader without resorting to "you and your"? I think so, but it's harder. Using "one" instead of "you" sounds stuffy to me today, so I try avoiding that. Sometimes, simply dropping the "you" or "one" is good enough. For example, "When one thinks about it, isn't it obvious?" or "When you think about it, isn't it obvious?" can be reworded as "When thinking about it, isn't it obvious?" This lame little sentence still addresses the reader but doesn't use "you" or "one."

[Lysis]

Using "you" is not proper grammar. I think it's accepted (even required) to use it in articles because bloggers have butchered the English language so badly that I can hear my high school and college professors dropping dead from disgust. The reason you think it feels more natural is because that's how you speak. However, in any English class, a professor will tell you not to write as you speak. I use it more naturally, too. It's easier to write "you" but it's not correct in terms of grammar rules.

Now that I'm off my soapbox, I ain't perfect neither, so don't shoot the messenger's message. ;)

[Ed]

Using "you" sounds conversational and is a way to engage the reader with what you're writing. It is acceptable for web content, and it is preferable over the stuffy and formal use of the pronoun "one." Third person is a better choice when the article *is* more formal in tone - for example, you're writing about cancer treatments rather than how to clean your kitchen. It's important to consider the subject matter and your intended audience. I think customers are also sensitive to these nuances.

For all writers - whatever POV you choose, please be consistent. Writers sometimes can't pin one down, and they end up using a confusing mixture of we, you, one, and maybe even he/she.

To touch on a related issue, "he/she" or "he or she" is wordy, unnecessary, and just plain old fashioned. It's okay to write an article about how to get your toddler to eat peas by referring to the child as "he" in one paragraph and "she" the next. This is in keeping with today's style and acknowledges the author's inability to predict the gender of the reader's child.

Thanks,
Ed

[dsletten]

I vaguely remember my college English professor saying “you” do not belong in the story. She also said “got and gotten” are completely banned and “lots” are parcels of land. Yet, all of those words are used freely today. Apparently, what happens in English class, stays in English class. :)

As for he/she, I have trouble with that sometimes. I know it is accepted to use them alternately so the article doesn't sound gender specific, but if I start by using "he", I want to continue using "he" throughout the article. Always using "child", "person", "individual", etc., sounds so awkward to me though. I wrote one article where I was giving the parent tips on how to treat a specific childhood illness and I wasn't allowed to use "you" so there were a lot of "the child" in it instead of "your child". After a time, it sounded strained, but there weren't a lot of alternatives. That was why I wanted to see what all of "you" thought. :)

[Ed]

Alternating between he and she can break up the monotony of using only one of these pronouns as long as you use the noun referred to at the beginning of each paragraph. Some readers may think that the exclusive use of the word "he" indicates sexism on the author's part, whether or not this assessment is correct.

If your child is a picky eater, she . . .
(new paragraph)
On the other hand, if your child likes lots of different foods, he . . .

[Lysis]

yeah, my english professor said pick a pronoun (he/she) and use it. Oddly, I prefer "he" I guess since in Spanish it always defaults to masculine.

[cbhrbooth]

[quote="dsletten"] I wrote one article where I was giving the parent tips on how to treat a specific childhood illness and I wasn't allowed to use "you" so there were a lot of "the child" in it instead of "your child". After a time, it sounded strained, but there weren't a lot of alternatives. That was why I wanted to see what all of "you" thought. :)[/quote]

I wrote for one parenting magazine that wouldn't accept any submissions written in 2nd POV. The editors said the "you" POV drew a line b/w the writer/magazine and parent and this led to a teacher-student relationship instead of bringing the parent alongside the writer/magazine into a shared problem solving (us/we) relationship. The upshot was that "you" was almost forbidden and we were expected to do 3rd person plural (parents/they/children) or 1st plural (we/us/our children). It doesn't come easily to me so I'm constantly scanning for good articles (print and web) to study and dissect. I notice that many above average web parenting articles might use "your child" once in an article but then switch to 3rd plural or use the understood "you" and go straight to the verb. Also, the tone of the article tends to be joking or self-deprecating to soften its authoritarian effect. (Exceptions for experts/doctors/columnists.)

Just two cents. . .Mary B.

[thepaintguru]

I use "you" a lot, since most of my articles are instructional in nature. I'm sure there's some second person in every one of them, and, since I used to run my own blog, I find it comes more naturally to me to write that way. I wouldn't use it in an essay, but most web articles aren't essays, so I don't really see the problem. In some cases where I would probably be using some first person (IE the review I just resubmitted), I end up using "you" a lot. After all, if we use only the third person, we're left with only 3 pronouns to work with.

- Lysis, I'm curious to think how simply using the second person can be improper grammar. Even the first person is proper grammar, it's just not proper form.