Download grammatical structure of thesis/project report

GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE OF THESIS/PROJECT REPORT
Research reports are designed as records that convey information for the benefit of
readers. It employs the indirect speech tense structure using a third person pronoun
to report on what has been accomplished in the research process. That is, the final
Project or Thesis Report must be written in the simple past tense to record what
you found, saw, did, etc. during the research process.
There are three grammatical persons in English:
First person, Second person and Third person
1) First person singular is “I” which is the pronoun used to talk about yourself.
“we” is the first person plural pronoun which is used to talk about a group
including yourself.
2) Second person pronoun is “you” which is used when referring to the
addressee. The addressee may be singular or plural, depending on how
many individuals are being addressed.
3) Third person pronouns are “he, she, it, and they”. These are used when
referring to any person, place, or thing other than the speaker and the
addressee.
NOTE:
1. In the final Project or Thesis Report, avoid the use of First person singular or
plural and Second person pronouns.
2. Use only Third Person Pronouns to report your findings.
For example: “She investigated the…”
3. It is also acceptable to replace the third person pronoun with “the researcher”
followed by the simple past of the verb tense.
For example: “The researcher investigated the…”
This rule is not applicable in Synopsis writing, which constitutes the initial research
plan. It is written in the future tense grammar. The future tense structure that
combines the present form of a verb with the auxiliary will or shall, because the
activity of research is yet to take place. This grammar indicates the action that will
occur or to happen in the future.
For example “The researcher will investigate the…”
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Compiled by Dr Godfred Annum of KNUST Gh
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Updated 14/07/2016 10:05 PM [email protected]