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What is a Grammatical Person?
Grade Level:
Class 1
NLP, Law, History, Social Sciences, Literature, Journalism, Communication
Definition
What is it?
Grammatical Person tells us who is speaking, who is being spoken to, or who is being spoken about in a sentence. It helps us understand the relationship between the speaker, the listener, and the subject of the sentence. There are three main types: First Person, Second Person, and Third Person.
Simple Example
Quick Example
Imagine you are talking about your favourite cricket team. If you say, 'I love CSK!', you are using 'I' which is First Person because you are the speaker. If you tell your friend, 'You should watch the match!', 'You' is Second Person because you are speaking to your friend. If you then say, 'They played really well yesterday!', 'They' is Third Person because you are talking about the team, not directly to them.
Worked Example
Step-by-Step
Let's identify the grammatical person in these sentences:
Step 1: "I am going to the market to buy vegetables."
--- The word 'I' refers to the person speaking.
--- So, 'I' is First Person.
Step 2: "Are you coming with me to the market?"
--- The word 'you' refers to the person being spoken to.
--- So, 'you' is Second Person.
Step 3: "He always buys fresh fruits from that shop."
--- The word 'He' refers to someone being spoken about, not the speaker or listener.
--- So, 'He' is Third Person.
Step 4: "We will cook biryani tonight."
--- The word 'We' includes the speaker and others.
--- So, 'We' is First Person (plural).
Step 5: "They are watching a movie right now."
--- The word 'They' refers to people being spoken about.
--- So, 'They' is Third Person (plural).
Answer: I (First Person), You (Second Person), He (Third Person), We (First Person), They (Third Person).
Why It Matters
Understanding grammatical person is crucial for clear communication and helps you frame sentences correctly in English. It's important for writers creating stories, journalists reporting news, and even in daily conversations to avoid confusion. Knowing this helps you speak and write more accurately, which is key for careers in journalism, literature, and public speaking.
Common Mistakes
MISTAKE: Using 'us' instead of 'we' when referring to the speaker and others as the subject (e.g., 'Us went to the park.'). | CORRECTION: 'We' is the subject form for First Person plural. So, 'We went to the park.' is correct.
MISTAKE: Confusing 'he/she' with 'him/her' (e.g., 'Give the book to he.'). | CORRECTION: 'He' and 'she' are subject forms (Third Person), while 'him' and 'her' are object forms. So, 'Give the book to him/her.' is correct.
MISTAKE: Using 'their' instead of 'they' when referring to people being spoken about as the subject (e.g., 'Their are playing cricket.'). | CORRECTION: 'They' is the subject form for Third Person plural. 'Their' shows possession. So, 'They are playing cricket.' is correct.
Practice Questions
Try It Yourself
QUESTION: Identify the grammatical person in the sentence: "She is my best friend." | ANSWER: Third Person
QUESTION: Which grammatical person is used when you are directly talking to someone? Give an example. | ANSWER: Second Person. Example: "You are very smart."
QUESTION: Change the following sentence from First Person to Third Person: "I am learning to play the tabla." | ANSWER: "He/She is learning to play the tabla." (or "They are learning to play the tabla.")
MCQ
Quick Quiz
Which of these pronouns represents the First Person?
He
You
I
They
The Correct Answer Is:
C
I' refers to the speaker, which is the definition of First Person. 'He' and 'They' are Third Person, and 'You' is Second Person.
Real World Connection
In the Real World
When you read news reports online or in a newspaper, journalists often use Third Person ('The Prime Minister said...', 'Scientists discovered...') to maintain objectivity and report facts about others. Similarly, when you write an email to your teacher, you use First Person ('I am writing to request...') and Second Person ('Could you please clarify...?') to communicate clearly.
Key Vocabulary
Key Terms
FIRST PERSON: The speaker or a group including the speaker (I, we) | SECOND PERSON: The person or people being spoken to (you) | THIRD PERSON: The person or people being spoken about (he, she, it, they) | PRONOUN: A word that replaces a noun (e.g., 'he' instead of 'Rahul') | SUBJECT: The part of a sentence that performs the action
What's Next
What to Learn Next
Great job understanding Grammatical Person! Next, you can learn about 'Subject-Verb Agreement'. This concept builds on grammatical person because the verb in a sentence must match the person (and number) of its subject. It will help you write even more grammatically correct sentences!
