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The use of first, second, and third person creates the perspective of a piece of writing. First person refers to the speaker, second person addresses the reader, and third person uses “he”, “she”, or “it”. Third person can be limited or omniscient. In academic writing, third person is preferred. It’s important to use only one type within a piece of writing and not switch perspectives.
The use of first, second, and third person creates the perspective or “point of view” of a piece of writing. Writing in the first person uses the personal pronouns “I”, “we”, “me” and “we” and the possessive forms “my”, “my”, “our” and “our”; while the second person uses “you” and the possessives “your” and “your”. The third person, on the other hand, uses pronouns such as “he”, “she”, “it”, “they” and “them”, together with the possessive “his”, “she”, “is”, “they” and “they”. The third person can also have an effect on the verb forms used, and writers should choose the right perspective for different types of writing.
First person perspective
If someone speaks or writes in the first person, they are talking about themselves. An example is the simple statement “I like movies.” Indicates an expression about the speaker or the subject of a sentence from his point of view. If the speaker or writer uses a plural to indicate a group they belong to, the sentence will change to “We like movies.” Writers use “me” and “we” for first-person objects, such as “He gave me a box” and possessive forms such as “mine” and “our” express ownership of an object such as “I drove my blue car.” ”
Second person perspective
The second person is exactly the opposite of the first person in that instead of referring to “I”, the speaker refers to “you”, as the writer is addressing the reader directly. Using the above examples, in the second person they might read “You like movies” or “You drove your blue car.” Modern English lacks a second person plural pronoun, which has led to the creation of slang words like “y’all” or “yins” in several regional dialects. Writers typically don’t use the second person in formal writing, although it is common in some technical applications, such as instructions.
Third person perspective
If a person writes in the third person singular, the speaker or writer is referring to “he”, “she”, or “it”; although the gender-specific objective forms become ‘he’ and ‘she’. In English, the third person singular in the present tense often changes the form of the verb, usually by adding the letter “s” to the end of the verb, if it’s a regular verb. For example, “I like movies” becomes “He likes movies”. Possessive forms like “His blue car isn’t as nice as hers” are simple enough; “is” can be difficult for some writers who mistakenly add an apostrophe as the word “is,” a conjunction for “is.”
There are two main types of third-person writing: limited and omniscient. Limited form means that the “narrator” of a work presents only what a main character knows. In this type of writing, the action typically follows one or more main characters and reveals only the events they see or directly participate in. Omniscient writing, however, can jump from character to character and reveal more of what they see, giving the reader information beyond the scope of the main character’s actions.
academic writing
Teachers typically advise students in academic courses, or engaging in other types of formal writing, to avoid second or first person and use third person instead. Most writers consider these perspectives informal and inappropriate for academic audiences. They may be acceptable in academic writing if a teacher asks students for a personal opinion or experience of an informal nature.
Professional use
The first person is quite common in professional “personal” writing, such as someone’s memoir. Some creative works use this perspective to tell a story from the point of view of a character within it. Second person is quite rare in creative writing, although it can draw a reader into a story when used well. In other professional texts, such as business documents or product descriptions, writers commonly prefer the third person over the other two.
Changing perspectives
It is important for a writer to use only one type within a piece of writing and not switch perspectives, which can be confusing for readers. All three could be used together in some rare situations, such as emails or letters between friends and colleagues. It’s not unusual for someone to write in the first person to indicate personal opinions or needs, switch to the second when addressing the recipient directly, and use the third person to discuss someone else.
Other languages
The major change of the verb in the English perspective is in the third person singular. However, in many other languages, these forms can change almost every time the grammatical person changes. Understanding how to use each perspective and forming them accurately often distinguishes a new language learner from one who has mastered it.
