person

(noun)

A linguistic category used to distinguish between the speaker of an utterance and those to whom or about whom he is speaking. See grammatical person.

Related Terms

  • mass noun
  • subject

Examples of person in the following topics:

  • Subject-Verb Agreement

    • "Person" is a way of saying who the subject is.
    • There are three levels of "person" in English: first person, second person, and third person.
    • Second person is you or you all.
    • Third person is she, he, it, or they.
    • Writers need to consider whether the subject of the sentence is singular or plural, and whether the subject is first person, second person, or third person.
  • Pronouns as Subjects and Objects

    • Personal subject pronouns refer to the one or ones completing an action.
    • Personal subject pronouns are I, he, she, it, we, you, they.
    • Personal object pronouns refer to one or ones who receive the action.
    • Personal object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, them.
    • Their forms are determined primarily by their grammatical function or antecedent rather than by person.
  • Introduction to Pronouns

    • Personal pronouns refer to a specific grammatical person.
    • "Grammatical person" means either the first-person, second-person, or third-person.
    • The first-person refers to yourself and therefore uses the pronoun "I."
    • The second-person pronoun is "you," and the third-person pronouns are "he," "she," "it."
    • Person or being (as object): To whom was the letter addressed?
  • Making Subject and Verbs Agree

    • It is important to make sure that verbs agree with their subjects in person and number.
    • To assure this, writers need to consider whether the subject of her sentence is singular or plural, and whether the subject is first-person, second-person, or third-person.
    • The title demonstrates agreement between a third person singular subject and the corresponding verb.
  • Using the First Person in Academic Writing

    • Avoiding the use of first person pronouns in your paper can improve its persuasive power by changing how it is perceived by a reader.
    • While paragraph does employ the first-person plural pronoun "we," it does so to invite the reader into the wider scholastic conversation it means to address.
    • You may have been told before by teachers or professors to take out any first person references to yourself, particularly within persuasive papers where you trying to convince a reader to take a specific position on a given topic.
    • The use of first person pronouns demonstrates how the author's biographical particulars enhance or expose something significant about the topic that they are writing about.
    • Identify two reasons why it is important to avoid using first person pronouns in academic papers
  • Introduction to Writing in Business

    • Writing in the business world is always formal and uses a third-person voice ("he," "she," "they"), although you may use contractions to sound more natural.
    • You probably already know how to properly address the primary audience (the person or persons who are the intended recipients).
  • Representing Objections Fairly

    • Presenting opposing views fairly is essential to good writing, and demonstrates why an intelligent person might disagree with your argument.
    • Support your balanced outlook by demonstrating that you understand why an intelligent person might disagree with your argument.
  • Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

    • Their antecedent will always be singular: just one person or object.
    • These pronouns must have an antecedent that is more than one person or object.
    • Sometimes you can distinguish between the two by saying "you all" if you are speaking to more than one person.
  • Writing in Different Academic Disciplines

    • Research-based writing in the sciences generally uses a formal tone, third-person voice, and avoids personal references and needless adjectives.
    • Format is key to a well-written business document, since its structure should allow the reader to quickly find particular sections and a contact person who can answer further questions.
  • Appropriate Language

    • Academic writing should be more formal than personal writing.
    • Additionally, the use of first person in academic writing can be appropriate in certain situations.
    • You may have been told before by teachers or professors to take out any first-person references to yourself in formal writing, particularly within persuasive papers where you are trying to convince a reader to take a specific position on a given topic.
    • The use of first-person pronouns demonstrates how the author's biographical particulars enhance or expose something significant about the topic that they are writing about.
    • Omitting first-person pronouns from your writing aids in developing a formal tone within your argument.
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.