One vs. You

[sumzup]

I'm always trying to decide which one to use, so I thought I'd get the opinions of others. In the case when you are saying something in general, do you use 'one' or 'you'? I get the feeling that 'one' is slightly antiquated, yet I feel incorrect when using 'you.'

Example:

One should be careful while fencing; one's teeth could get chipped and that would suck.

vs.

You should be careful while fencing; your teeth could get chipped and that would suck.

Edit: Before anyone asks, yes, one of my teeth was chipped while fencing. Somehow, my opponent's foil lifted up my mask and got in my mouth and chipped the back of my tooth.

[reptile3141]

Re: One vs. You

"One." It's best to stay away from "you" and "I" in essays and such (unless it's a personal narrative).

[Quigly]

Re: One vs. You

I say one because it makes me feel like I know more than the person who I'm talking to.

[sumzup]

Re: One vs. You

I guess it depends on the situation. I definitely use "you" in conversation, but for essays and such I use "one," and on forums (informal writing) I'm not sure which to use. I have been told that for essays, choose either "you" or "one" and be consistent with it, and I agree with that, but choosing is sometimes difficult in the first place.

[Flaming_Dingleberry]

Re: One vs. You

I did it wrong xD I voted "you" because I though I was being referred as "you", and I usually win against people so I voted for "myself", but I guess I lost this time :l

[Svaz]

Re: One vs. You

'One' is an essay or speech sort of term, for general purposes, 'you' is a bit less stuffy, if someone used 'one' in a normal setting I would consider them a douche

EDIT: Unless you are making a SRS bizness topic (and hell, perhaps not even then) stick to 'you.'

[Bluearrowll]

Re: One vs. You

I use both equally .

[rzr]

Re: One vs. You

I guess it depends on the situation. I definitely use "you" in conversation, but for essays and such I use "one," and on forums (informal writing) I'm not sure which to use. I have been told that for essays, choose either "you" or "one" and be consistent with it, and I agree with that, but choosing is sometimes difficult in the first place.

That's pretty mag exactly what I would have said.

[GuidoHunter]

Re: One vs. You

Unless you are actually personally addressing someone, use "one".

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[Professor Raine]

Re: One vs. You

Professor Raine refers to everyone in the third person