To make this assignment a little more challenging, in the instructional paper, the writer cannot use the second person. No “you.” The use of the word “you” in a formal or business essay is not appropriate. Many people react to the word “you” the way they react to someone telling them what to do or not to do—they tune it out, ignore it, or get angered by it. Business essays should be written in the third person, including instructions. While difficult at first, it soon becomes second nature to write in the third person. The essay below is an instructional essay and is written almost entirely in the third person. The writer must be careful. If one says, “preheat the oven to 350°,” the subject of that sentence is “you.” This is called the “understood you” and it counts as a “you” just as much as if the word is actually typed into the sentence. The best way to ensure that “you” is not used is to ensure that there is always a stated subject for every sentence. Following is an example of an instructional essay.
