In grammar person is used to show the relationship between the speaker and the listener or the writer and the reader.
For example, if I talk about myself I use the pronoun I but if someone talks to me, they use the pronoun you.
So depending on the person doing the talking and who they are talking about, pronouns and verb forms can change. Persons can also affect nouns and possessive relationships.
6 Grammatical Persons
English has 3 grammatical persons in the singular and 3 in the plural:
Singular
First person – I
Second person – you
Third person – she, he, it
Plural
First person – we
Second person – you
Third person – they
Quite simply, when a sentence or part of speech (verb, noun, pronoun, etc.) is in the first person singular it refers to the speaker or writer.
When it is in the first person plural it refers to a group that includes the speaker or writer.
If the sentence or part of speech is in the second person they refer to the person we are talking or writing to.
If they are in the third person they refer to someone or something different from the speaker or writer who is being addressed.
With verbs this translates into different forms depending on the person:
Person – Regular, e.g. – Irregular, e.g.
first person singular – I walk – I am
second person singular – you walk – you are
third person singular – he/she/it walks – he/she/it is
first person plural – we walk – we are
second person plural – you walk – you are
third person plural – they walk – they are
Spelling
As mentioned above, verbs add an -s to the end for the third person singular:
walk – walks
laugh – laughs
love – loves
If the verb ends in a sibilant sound /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/ (corresponding to the letters s, ch, sh, x or z) however, we add -es to the end:
hiss – hisses
buzz – buzzes
wash – washes
hitch – hitches
if the verb ends in -o we also add -es to the end:
do – does
go – goes
If the verb ends in -y and there is a consonant before it then we replace the -y with -ies:
copy – copies
try – tries
carry – carries
Verbs ending in -y preceded by a vowel follow the standard rule and simply add -s to the end of the verb:
pay – pays
enjoy – enjoys
say -says
Did you know that if you subscribe to our website, you will receive email notifications whenever content changes or new content is added.
1. Enter your e-mail address below and click the Sign Me Up button.
2. You will receive an email asking you to confirm your intention of subscribing to our site.
3. Click the link in the email to confirm. That’s all there is to it! Note: if you wish to unsubscribe from our site, click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email you received.
Then indicate you no longer wish to receive our emails.
Thank You
IWeb TEFL Team