third person

Definition

The words, word-forms, and grammatical structures, taken collectively, that are normally used of people or things other than the speaker or the audience.

Example Sentences

• "In English, the third person consists of pronouns such as he, she, it, and they, verbs such as is and has, and most nouns."
• "“Yes,” said Dr Fairbairn. “Very. And then there’s the interesting question of those who use the third person about themselves.” “Oh,” said Irene, vaguely. It occurred to her that she used the third person on occasion when talking to Bertie. She said things such as: “Mummy is watching, Bertie. Mummy is watching Bertie very closely.” That was using the third person, was it not? In fact, it was a double use of the third person; first (I, mother figure) became third, as did second (you, son). What did this reveal about Irene? she asked herself. No, deliberate play; what does that reveal about me?"
• "“Is” is the third-person singular of “to be”."