Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

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A M AT T E R O F P E R S P E C T I V E : P O I N T O F V I E W
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9 1

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W h e n W r i t e r s U s e
S e c o n d P e r s o n
When is 
you
an appropriate pronoun? What effect does
it create for you, the reader? 
You
generally is used to
address the reader directly, particularly when the writer
is giving directions. Imagine, for example, that you
have registered for a financial planning class at the local
community college. Prior to the first class, you receive
the following note:
Note A
As a student in our financial planning class, you will
need several items. First, you must purchase the
book 
Financial Planning: The Basics
by Robin Wexel.
Second, you must outline your current financial sit-
uation by making a list of your income sources as
well as your bank accounts, investments, and retire-
ment plans. Finally, you should prepare a financial
wish list that documents where you would like to see
yourself financially ten years from now. You should
be as specific as possible when putting this list
together.
Now, imagine you receive this note instead:
Note B
Students in our financial planning class will need
several items. First, they must purchase the book
Financial Planning: The Basics
by Robin Wexel. Sec-
ond, they must outline their current financial situ-
ation by making a list of income sources as well as
bank accounts, investments, and retirement plans.
Finally, they should prepare a financial wish list that
documents where they would like to see themselves
financially ten years from now. They should be as
specific as possible when putting this list together.
Which note would you rather receive? _____
Most likely you’d rather receive note A. Now,
here’s the tougher question: