Language is all about talking. People talk to and about other people and things of interest.
The grammatical concept of person has to do with a speaker’s viewpoint.Viewpoint is established by the subject of the verbs.
English recognizes three viewpoints or “persons”:
First Person: the person speaking.
First person can be singular or plural. Either one person is speaking, or one person speaks for himself and others:
I live in Vermont.
We bought a house together.
James and I plan to visit in the spring.
Second Person: the person spoken to
When we address another person, we say “you.”
When do you intend to leave?
Where did you put the car keys?
You are awesome!
English used to have different “you” forms. Other words for “you” sometimes encountered in reading are thee, thou, and ye. In modern English we use you for both singular and plural:
Charlie, do you have a pencil I can borrow?
Ladies and gentlemen, you are here for the grand opening of our new school.
NOTE: because you was originally a plural pronoun, we use a plural verb with it, whether we are speaking to one person or several:
You are my friend.
You are my friends.
Third Person: the person or thing spoken of
When we’re not speaking for ourselves, or addressing another person, we speak in third person:
The bank didn’t open today.
The wrecked semi blocked the highway.
Everybody wanted to see the movie.
The line stretched out into the parking lot.
Most non-fiction is written in third person.
How-to articles are often written in second person.
Most novels and short stories are written in either first person or third person. Most readers find fiction written in second person too awkward for comfort. Some specialized genres, however, make use of the second person viewpoint.
