Is the word we first or second person

When you tell a story, an important thing to choose is the point of view that the story should take. Point of view determines who tells the story, as well as the relationship that the narrator has to the characters in the story. A story can have a much different feel depending on who is doing the telling.

The main points of view are first person and third person, with second person appearing less frequently but still common enough that it gets studied in writing classes. These are also the terms used to distinguish the personal pronouns. The pronouns I and we are first-person pronouns; they refer to the self. The pronoun you, used for both singular and plural antecedents, is the second-person pronoun, the person who is being addressed. The third person pronouns—he, she, it, they—refer to someone or something being referred to apart from the speaker or the person being addressed. Narratives are often identified as first, second, or third person based on the kinds of pronouns they utilize.

In first-person narration, the narrator is a person in the story, telling the story from their own point of view. The narration usually utilizes the pronoun I (or we, if the narrator is speaking as part of a group). The character who tells the story might be in the middle of the action or more of a character who observes the action from the outer limits, but in either case you are getting that character’s recounting of what happens.

It also means that impressions and descriptions are colored by that character’s opinions, mood, past experiences, or even their warped perceptions of what they see and hear.

There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner (Mrs. Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further outdoor exercise was now out of the question.

I was glad of it: I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons: dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie, the nurse, and humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed.

— Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847

In Jane Eyre, the narration is provided by the story’s title character, a governess. The information shared comes from her memories and impressions—of the weather, her knowledge of Mrs. Reed’s dining habits, and her dread at receiving a lecture from Nurse Bessie. We are likewise shielded from information that Jane doesn’t know.

Many classic works of fiction feature characters made memorable by their first-person voices: The Catcher in the Rye (Holden Caulfield), The Handmaid’s Tale (Offred), or To Kill a Mockingbird (Scout Finch). In some stories, such as in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the first person narrator (Nick Carraway) is an observer of the character around whom the story is centered (Jay Gatsby).

Second Person

Second-person narration is a little-used technique of narrative in which the action is driven by a character ascribed to the reader, one known as you. The reader is immersed into the narrative as a character involved in the story. The narrator describes what «you» do and lets you into your own thoughts and background.
The most well-known piece of fiction that employs second-person narration might be Jay McInerney’s novel Bright Lights, Big City.

At the subway station you wait fifteen minutes on the platform for a train. Finally a local, enervated by graffiti, shuffles into the station. You get a seat and hoist a copy of the New York Post. The Post is the most shameful of your several addictions.

— Jay McInerney, Bright Lights, Big City, 1984

You will also find second-person narration used in the «Choose Your Own Adventure» style of books popular with younger readers, in which readers determine where the story goes by which page they turn to next. Allowing the reader to «be» the central character in the story provides an immersive reading experience, enhancing what is at stake for the character and reader.

Third Person Point of View

In third-person narration, the narrator exists outside the events of the story, and relates the actions of the characters by referring to their names or by the third-person pronouns he, she, or they.

Third-person narration can be further classified into several types: omniscient, limited, and objective.

Third Person Omniscient

Omniscient means «all-knowing,» and likewise an omniscient narrator knows every character’s thoughts, feelings, and motivations even if that character doesn’t reveal any of those things to the other characters.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott serves as a good example of third-person omniscient narration:

«Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,» grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

«It’s so dreadful to be poor!» sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.

«I don’t think it’s fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all,» added little Amy, with an injured sniff.

«We’ve got Father and Mother, and each other,» said Beth contentedly from her corner.

The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly, «We haven’t got Father, and shall not have him for a long time.» She didn’t say «perhaps never,» but each silently added it, thinking of Father far away, where the fighting was.

— Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, 1868

The story is not told from the point of view of Meg, Jo, Beth, or Amy, but from someone who is observing the four sisters as they talk to one another. Each character is therefore referred to by their names or the third-person pronoun she. The narrator does not exist as a character in the story, and the girls do not acknowledge the narrator’s presence.

However, the narrator is omniscient, which means that they know what the characters are thinking. This is demonstrated in the last line of the excerpt, when the girls silently ponder the thought of their father never returning from the war.

Third Person Limited

In third-person limited narration, the narrator still exists outside the events of the story, but does not know the motivations or thoughts of all the characters. Rather, one character is the driver of the story, and the reader is given a closer peek into that character’s psyche than the others.

J. K. Rowling utilizes third-person limited narration in the Harry Potter novels. Even though the narrator is not Harry, and Harry is referred to as ‘he,’ the reader is allowed into Harry’s thoughts—what he is wondering without saying out loud. We are also, like Harry, left uncertain about what other characters are thinking:

Three days later, the Dursleys were showing no sign of relenting, and Harry couldn’t see any way out of his situation. He lay on his bed watching the sun sinking behind the bars on the window and wondered miserably what was going to happen to him.

What was the good of magicking himself out of his room if Hogwarts would expel him for doing it? Yet life at Privet Drive had reached an all-time low. Now that the Dursleys knew they weren’t going to wake up as fruit bats, he had lost his only weapon. Dobby might have saved Harry from horrible happenings at Hogwarts, but the way things were going, he’d probably starve to death anyway.

— J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1999

Third-Person Objective

In third-person objective narration, the narrator reports the events that take place without knowing the motivations or thoughts of any of the characters. We know little about what drives them until we hear them speak or observe their actions. The resulting tone is often matter-of-fact, not colored by any opinions or commentary, nor of knowledge of what takes place outside the scene.

The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o’clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 25th. But in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o’clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner.

— Shirley Jackson, «The Lottery,» 1948

Part of being a precise and eloquent communicator is conveying the right point of view. Person is used in grammar to distinguish who is speaking, who is being addressed, and who is not speaking or being addressed. Grammatical person includes first person, second person, and third person.

In this post we will help you understand the use of person supported by some examples.

What First Person, Second Person, and Third Person Mean

Each person in grammar represents a different perspective in a narrative.

• The first person is the speaker or a group that includes the speaker. It is expressed by the words “I” and “me” in the singular and “we” and “us” in the plural.
• Second person is used for those who are being spoken to. It is expressed by the word “you” in both the singular and the plural.
• The third person includes anyone or anything else other than I, me, us, or you. It is represented by the words “he,” “she,” and “it” in the singular and “they” and “them” in the plural.

The First-Person Point of View

When you write or speak in the first person, you are telling your own thoughts or ideas or those of a group you belong to. The following are examples of self-directed statements:

I arrived at the party before the other guests did.

There was a ticket waiting for me at the counter.

This has always been a favorite movie for us.

The Second-Person Point of View

The second person addresses the audience whether it is one person or many people:

You are my best friend.

You can feel good about the way you played today.

You all deserve credit for the company’s performance this quarter.

The Third-Person Point of View

We will use the third person to refer to someone or something that is either not us or not an audience we’re addressing:

After leaving late from the meeting, she had to run to catch the bus.

They should be careful when walking around that puddle.

It wouldn’t start because the battery was dead.

Knowing Which Point of View to Use

Now that you understand the different perspectives in English, how do you know which one to use for different things you are writing?

In many cases the answer will be obvious, as shown in the preceding examples. If you are telling your own story, you will speak or write in the first person. If you are communicating with another person or group directly, you will use the second person. If you are saying something about someone or something else, you will refer to the third person.

Sometimes you might choose the voice in which thoughts are expressed to achieve a desired effect (e.g., in fiction). The following general guidelines might be helpful in making those choices:

• First-person points of view tend to be more descriptive and individual.
• The second person is usually recognized as more intimate, immediate, and persuasive.
• Third-person perspectives create more distance and often feel more rational.

By experimenting with different voices in your writing, you’ll learn to use each effectively as it suits your intentions. An essay may be most powerful in the first person, for example, while a science-fiction short story might explore new possibilities in the third person.

Pop Quiz

Identify the person being used (first, second, or third) in each sentence.

1. She is always late for class on Tuesdays.

2. I can’t remember when I started speaking with a French accent.

3. You should try yoga to alleviate the back pain.

4. He could not be convinced of the mistake.

5. I must have left the math book at home this morning.

Pop Quiz Answers

1. She is always late for class on Tuesdays. (third person)

2. I can’t remember when I started speaking with a French accent. (first person)

3. You should try yoga to alleviate the back pain. (second person)

4. He could not be convinced of the mistake. (third person)

5. I must have left the math book at home this morning. (first person)

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Take a look at the following sentences: I am the greatest. Everybody loves me almost as much as I love myself. While we can’t say much for this writer’s humility, we do know, however, that this person knows how to use pronouns. And not just any pronouns. The pronouns they use are based on a first person point of view: they are describing the world as they see it through their own eyes. As you are about to learn, when we need to use the first person, nobody is better at it than me, myself, and I.

What is first person?

The first person is the point of view used by a writer or speaker when talking about the world as they see it. First person is used by someone when they want to reference themselves. In literature, the first person is used when a character is narrating their own story.

For example, a story might have a sentence that reads I searched for the pirate treasure. This sentence is written in the first person; it says that whoever is saying or writing this sentence is also the one who is doing the action it is referring to. Authors often use the first person to make fiction stories more immersive, as first person allows the main character to describe everything directly from their own point of view.

In everyday life, we use the first person all of the time to talk about ourselves and to tell others things that happened to us or things we plan to do.

What is a first-person pronoun?

A first-person pronoun is a pronoun that refers to the speaker or writer. Typically, a first-person pronoun doesn’t actually replace a noun and is understood to mean that a writer/speaker is referring to themself or to a group that includes themselves.

List of first-person pronouns

The most commonly used first-person pronouns include:

• I
• me
• we
• us
• mine
• ours
• myself
• ourselves

Each of the above words has specific reasons for its use:

• I and me are singular words that are used when a speaker/writer is referring only to themselves. I is a subject pronoun and me is an object pronoun. The word I is special in English because it is capitalized no matter where it appears in a sentence.
• We and us are plural words that are used when a speaker is referring to themselves as part of a group. We is a subject pronoun and us is an object pronoun.
• Mine and ours are possessive pronouns that are used to refer to possessions, origins, or other special relationships. Both of these words can be either singular or plural.
• Myself and ourselves are reflexive pronouns and intensive pronouns used by a writer/speaker to refer back to their own self as an individual or as part of a group. If used as a subject, myself is treated as singular and ourselves is treated as plural.

Examples of first-person pronouns

The following examples show how we use first-person pronouns in sentences. In each sentence, the first-person pronoun references the speaker/writer either alone or as part of a group.

• I was born in Switzerland.
• Chole met me at the mall.
• We will be at the beach tomorrow.
• Andre’s house is bigger than mine.
• I drew a picture of myself.

Explore even further the dynamic between and uses of subject and object pronouns.

Why and when to use first-person pronouns

There are several different reasons why someone might use first-person pronouns.

To sound natural

In everyday speech and writing, most people naturally want to use the first person when talking about themselves. It is often the least awkward way to refer to oneself and allows for smoother sentences that are easier to understand.

For example, if a person named Matthew was telling his friends about his vacation, he would most likely say:

• I went to the Bahamas.

When they hear this sentence, Matthew’s friends immediately know that Matthew is talking about himself. But what if Matthew did not use the first person and instead said:

• Matthew went to the Bahamas.

Now, Matthew’s friends are confused. Is Matthew talking about another person also named Matthew? To most English speakers, hearing someone refer to themselves in the third person sounds very odd.

To add a personal touch

Using the first person often gives humanity to speech or a piece of writing. For example, look at the following two sentences:

• People need to stop littering in the park.
• We need to stop littering in the park.

Although the difference is slight, the second sentence sounds more personal as the writer/speaker is including themselves as part of the group that needs to take action. A writer/speaker may decide to use the first person if they want to make their writing sound more personal or establish a closer relationship with their audience.

To provide an immersive point of view

In writing, the first person is often seen to be more immersive as the reader is viewing the action from the eyes of the main character as they read the story. Particularly in fiction, a first person point of view is helpful to make a story more exciting, more suspenseful, or more relatable. For this reason, an author may choose to use first-person pronouns over third person pronouns if they feel it is stylistically the best choice for the story they are writing.

Besides using first person perspective, there are many ways to create specific moods in your writing. learn more about atmosphere and mood!

First vs. second and third person pronouns

First person is one of three points of view. The other two are called second person and third person. The second person is used to refer to a person or people that the speaker/writer is addressing and uses pronouns that include you, yours, and yourself. The third person is used to refer to a person or people not including the speaker or the person or people they are addressing. Third person pronouns include he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, they, theirs, and them.

In general, a pronoun is chosen based on who is doing what in a sentence. For example:

• I am a firefighter. (The speaker is a firefighter.)
• You are a firefighter. (The person the speaker is talking to is a firefighter.)
• They are firefighters. (A group of people that doesn’t include the speaker nor their audience consists of firefighters.)

• I helped you. (The speaker helped the person they are talking to.)
• You helped him. (The person that the speaker is addressing helped a person that isn’t the speaker or the person being addressed.)
• They helped us. (A group of people that doesn’t include the speaker helped a group of people that includes the speaker.)

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