Repeat Pronouns

One common way of persuading your reader of a position or point view, is to describe it in a way that feels objective. This is a rather clever tactic. In the following examples, none of the positions outlined are necessarily true! But the fact that the author links his argument with neutral sounding personal pronouns does not antagonize the reader.

If on the other hand each sentence started with 'in my opinion' or 'It is undeniable that...' some readers would get pretty tired of the author. Have a look at the example at the bottom of this screen. Not recommended

Early liberalism was a product of England and Holland and had certain well defined characteristics. It stood for religious toleration, it regarded the wars of religion as silly. It valued commerce and industry; it had immense respect for the rights of property, especially when accumulated by the individual.

The outlook of the discoverer is individualistic: When he arrives at a theory he does so because it seems right to him. He does not bow to authority. He hopes to persuade other people, not by his authority but by arguments which are convincing to them as individuals.

The majority of people supported the Long Parliament. They wished to abolish the King's right to grant trade monopolies. They desired liberty within the Church of England. They supported the position that Parliament should be held at regular intervals, and should not be terminated arbitrarily by the King. They objected to arbitrary arrest, and to the fact that the judges always supported the Crown. But many, while prepared to agitate for these ends, did not want to fight a civil war.

This whole theory of the natural rights of Kings seems incredible to the modern mind. We are not used to deriving political rights from the story of Adam and Eve. We think it obvious that a parent's rights should cease at the age of their childrens' eighteenth birthday. We recognize that the mother has equal rights to the father.

This example is typical of some second language user writing where opinions and statements of certainty are very frequently stated. Not recommended!

Early liberalism was a product of England and Holland and had certain well defined characteristics. It is undeniable that it stood for religious toleration. In my opinion it regarded the wars of religion as silly. It certainly valued commerce and industry; without question it had immense respect for the rights of property, especially when accumulated by the individual.