Writing without using “I”

Writing in third person is writing from the third person point of view and uses pronouns like he, she, it, or they. It differs from the first person, which uses pronouns such as I and me, and from the second person, which uses pronouns such as you and yours.

First Person For the first time in my life, I had to move out of my parents’ house and onto the college campus. I immediately had to decide whether I wanted to live in a dorm setting or an apartment setting. You can see benefits to both, but I think the dorms are better. In the dorms we have a better opportunity for social interaction while we are adjusting to college. We also have easy access to all-you-can-eat food. Also, a resident assistant acts as your mentor and guide throughout your first year of college. Although the apartments would give me more independence, dorms are a better fit for me because of the social opportunities, unlimited food, and mentorship.

Third person For many students, the first year of college is their first time living outside their parents’ house. These students must decide whether to live in a dorm setting or an apartment setting. Both have benefits, but dorms are the better option. In the dorms students have a better opportunity for social interaction while they are adjusting to college. They also have easy access to bottomless food. Also, resident assistants on the dorm halls provide guidance and mentorship for students. Although the apartments provide more independence to students, dorms are a better fit for first-year students because of the social opportunities, unlimited food, and mentorship.

First Person "I first heard about this coastal island two years ago, when the newspapers reported the worst oil spill in recent history. To me, the story had the impact of a footnote - evidence of my urban snobbishness. Luckily, the mess of that has since been cleaned up; its last ugly ripple has ebbed."

Third Person "Local residents of the coastal island province suffered an ecological disaster in 2006, in the form of an oil spill that was reported by national newspapers to be worst in the country's history. Cleaning up took two years, after which they were finally able to go back to advertising their island's beach sands as 'pure' and its soil, 'fertile.'"

How can we change these sentences? I suddenly realized that people can be great! It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived. I could not unlove him now, merely because I found that he had ceased to notice me. And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy. We surveyed the damage as the wind subsided.

I believe that Odysseus was a great leader. I believe that he was so epic that he could survive anything that came his way. I believe you can stop using “I” when you write your essays. We love playing football at the weekend. It came charging towards us, its teeth bared in an ugly snarl. I graduated at the top of my class and received an all-expenses-paid trip to Egypt as a reward. We wrote this paper together.