third person
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.12 in modern English
Meaning
noun
The words, word-forms, and grammatical structures, taken collectively, that are normally used of people or things other than the speaker or the audience.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
the form of a verb used when the subject of a sentence is not the audience or the one making the statement. In English, pronouns used with the third person include he, she, it, one, they, and who.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A form of narrative writing using verbs in the third person in order to give the impression that the action is happening to another person.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A form of video game in which the graphical view depicts the player character, rather than the view through the character's eyes.
Countable; Uncountable
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”."
- "The plaintiffs here are third persons, and cannot be made responsible for the inadequate judgment or the improper exercise of power by the defendant's wife."