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Should the pronoun "I" really be used in formal English?
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Anonymous  #184004  Mon, 16 Jan 06 11:17 AM
Should the pronoun "I" really be used in formal English?
  
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pieanne  #184010  Mon, 16 Jan 06 11:20 AM

I don't see why not (as a subject, of course). What else would you use?  Tongue Tied [:S]

  
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goldmund  #184078  Mon, 16 Jan 06 01:50 PM

Dear sir,

It is a most interesting question. Smile [:)]

It is my opinion that you may use the subject pronoun «I» only to denote the first person singular. It is further my opinion that you may use «I» in formal and informal English. Smile [:)]

Kind regards, Smile [:)]

Goldmund
  
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Sam C  #184116  Mon, 16 Jan 06 02:27 PM
i do not know.

sam
  
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Clive  #184128  Mon, 16 Jan 06 02:36 PM

Hi,

Should the pronoun "I" really be used in formal English?

It seems like an odd question. I wonder if you are thinking about formal essay writing? 'I' should be avoided here, and everything should be in the third person, although I find that this 'rule' is not being taught today in high school as much.

Best wishes, Clive
  
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Anonymous  #184176  Mon, 16 Jan 06 03:14 PM
 Pieanne wrote:

I don't see why not (as a subject, of course). What else would you use?  Tongue Tied [:S]

One might use "one".
  
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pieanne  #184184  Mon, 16 Jan 06 03:21 PM

Of course, one could.

Could one ask you for some examples of the formal English you are thinking of, Anon?
  
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Anonymous  #184190  Mon, 16 Jan 06 03:29 PM
 Pieanne wrote:

Of course, one could.

Could one ask you for some examples of the formal English you are thinking of, Anon?

Things like, formal business letters, lawyer reports and contracts, diplomats' speeches, and academic papers.
  
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pieanne  #184229  Mon, 16 Jan 06 03:48 PM
On second reading, I'm not sure, Anon... "One" involves more than the person who's talking, in my opinion. It's more a synonym of "we", or "everybody". It's mostly used in proverbs or maxims, and sounds rather pontificating. 
  
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