The small but mighty pronoun

Pronouns are small but mighty. Using them boosts reader trust, engages readers and saves time. And the ISO plain language standard recommends using them to: ‘Address readers directly so they can better relate to the information.’ (page 7).

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun: usually ‘we’, ‘you’, ‘they’, ‘it’, ‘he’ or ‘she’. For example: ‘Plain English Foundation offers plain language training and editing services. We transform writing at work into writing that works.’

Pronouns boost reader trust

When writers avoid pronouns, they might hear the siren call of the passive voice. For example, passive voice might seem like a natural way to avoid repeating ‘the agency’ if you don’t want to use a pronoun. For example, ‘It was decided to proceed with the project.’

But who decided? Was it the agency, a committee or the CEO? The passive voice makes sentences more ambiguous, less accountable and less transparent. Pennebaker identifies it as one of the most common linguistic markers of deception (page 141).

For example, ‘Mistakes were made when the calculation was done for our yearly income.’
Try instead: ‘I made a mistake calculating our yearly income.’

If you use pronouns and the active voice, your writing will seem less ambiguous, and readers will be more likely to trust it. This doesn’t automatically make your content worthy of trust, but it’s a good start.

Pronouns engage readers and save time

We’re often good at using pronouns for people, but balk at using them for organisations. But if we wouldn’t accept the formality of the following paragraph about a person, why take a similar approach to organisation names?

Before: Lily Oleander is a senior accountant. Since joining In the Black Accounting, Lily has helped hundreds of In the Black’s clients. Lily’s passion for accounting began with a childhood trip to Lily’s parents’ accounting company.

After: Lily Oleander is a senior accountant. Since joining us, she has helped hundreds of our clients. Her passion for accounting began with a childhood trip to her parents’ accounting company.

Sun and his coauthors found that using pronouns led to more personal and engaged conversations. And Pennebaker suggests that ‘Those using “you” are looking at or thinking about their audience.’ (page 150). Thinking about your readers and their needs is key to clear communication.

Taking the time to engage your readers with pronouns can even save you (and them) time. Sun’s research found that using pronouns in emails saved time with fewer questions, shorter responses and more positive feedback.

Don’t be afraid of pronouns – they’re here to help you connect with your readers. If you need help adding them to your writing, we have plain language training and editing services for you. Contact us today.