first person

Meanings

1. 1nounsingular

   The grammatical point of view in which the speaker or writer is included through forms such as I, me, we, and us.

   Grammar: Usually singular as a grammar term; use in the first person to describe the style.

   Patterns

   • in the first person
   • write in the first person
   • first-person pronouns

   The poem is written in the first person, so the I feels immediate.

   In the first person, the narrator cannot know what other characters are thinking unless told.

2. 2nounsingular

   A style of storytelling where the narrator speaks as I or we and reports events from inside that limited viewpoint.

   Grammar: Often follows in the or switches to first-person before a noun: a first-person narrator.

   Patterns

   • first-person narrator
   • first-person account
   • shift to the first person

   A first-person account of the rescue made the danger feel close.

   The novel begins in the third person but shifts to the first person in chapter two.

Common combinations

first-person narrator

The first-person narrator admits early that he misread the clue.

first-person pronoun

I and we are first-person pronouns.

first-person point of view

The memoir uses a first-person point of view throughout.

Synonyms and how they differ

I-form

Rare and informal; first person is the standard grammar and writing term.

Opposites

Word family

first-person adjective

describing a view, game view, or style using I or we

person noun

a grammatical category for speaker, addressee, or others

Commonly confused: first person or third person?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “first person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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