Using 'one' & 'we' interchangeably or not?

Question

Should we use 'one', 'we' and 'I' interchangeably in a piece of writing? Or should we stick to one of them throughout?

For instance, if I am writing about my opinion on a particular event, and I say 'If one looks at previous incidents, it is evident that...' while saying 'we should be able to...' somewhere within the piece of writing. What should I do?

Thanks

PBF

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,
Very generally speaking, try to be consistent.

If you are writing specifically about your opinion, say 'I'.

In very formal essay writing, it's good to avoid both 'I' and 'we'. Instead, the third person is recommended.

Clive

Peaceblinkfriend · Answer

Thanks for replying Clive.

When you said the third person is recommended, you were referring to 'one', right?

Also, I was wondering if you know of any good book or guide that I could refer to about things like this?

Thank you again

PBF

Clive · Answer

Hi,

When you said the third person is recommended, you were referring to 'one', right? Yes. Or, instead of things like 'I believe that . . . ', you can say for example 'Some people believe that . . . '.

Also, I was wondering if you know of any good book or guide that I could refer to about things like this? I'm not familiar with such guides myself, although there are plenty around. Here is a list of some, and some discussion of them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Style_guide

Best wishes, Clive

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