The double "P". Many people struggle with this one and who can blame them? Even I struggle this this as English is not my first language, but with time and effort anything is possible.
For those of you who do not know what a pronoun is, it is something that replaces a noun. It is really important to use pronouns as it helps prevent repetition.
Here is a link that I will be using for examples and I highly suggest using this for practice and there are exercises at the bottom with answers: Link
Shift in Person
Person, is the who of the sentence, like "I, me, we, us, etc".
This is a mistake that many people make, they shift from one person to the next. If you start in first person make sure to stay in first person. Shifting between these things can make your paper sound strange.
Some writers use this for specific reasons, but for now just concentrate on getting this right until you become more comfortable with the shifts.
The General “You”
This is a word I use a lot, but it can be really effective in writing. People respond better to a direct address, but make sure you do not make them feel like you are accusing them.
Accusatory: Once you understand the causes of obesity, you can start changing your lifestyle.
Better: Once people understand the causes of obesity, they can start changing their lifestyle.
Sexist Use of Pronouns
Many writers will use there own gender in writing, I will use he as I am a guy, this is normal. But when writing your paper avoid doing this, as some people do become offended when you use stereotypes.
A good doctor will always listen to his patients. (What about the female doctors?)
A student must apply to the nursing program if she wishes to become a nurse.(Men are also nurses.)
Easy ways to avoid this will be to use a few vague pronouns: it, they and their are some great ones you can use.
You can even use the he or she/his or her, these can be quite useful in a more professional paper.
Just on a little side note for self improvement. I will be doing pushups, situps and squats for the amount of $$$ (ratio;$2:1) I earn on this post and will give a short feedback every day at the end of each post. This will be split in equally between all 3. Any not done will carry onto the next day.