Transcript /userfiles/3843/my files/grammatical person and register.pptx?id=555400

Grammatical Person
First, Second, and Third Person Pronouns
First Person

First person is used when you are referring to yourself.

First person singular: I

First person plural: we

“I asked Sam to help me with my Happy New Year mailing, and we
somehow got the project done early during the last week of December
in spite of our packed schedules. I’m quite proud of us and ended up
calling the project ours instead of mine.”
Geoff Pope
Second Person

Second person is used when referring to an addressee.

Second person singular: you

Second person plural: you all, you guys, you

“Before you go to London, remember to leave your keys under the
doormat. I’ll miss you.”
Geoff Pope
Third Person

Third person is used when referring to any person, place, or thing
other than the speaker and the addressee.

Third person singular: he, she, it

Third person plural: they

“Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without
having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested.” (Franz Kafka,
The Trial)

“He” is in the singular third-person masculine subjective case.
Geoff Pope
Grammatical Person

First Person


Second Person


I saw U2 at the Rose Bowl.
You saw U2 at the Rose Bowl.
Third Person

She saw U2 at the Rose Bowl.
Geoff Pope
Register
Very Formal
Formal
Neutral
Informal
Very Informal,
Casual
How do you
do?
Hello
Hello
Hi
Hey
What’s up?
Lund University
Academic writing calls for the use of
the formal register.
Formal Register vs. Informal Register

Formal language uses the third person point of view.

Formal language does not use personal pronouns (I, you, we).

Informal: We think that you should be able to compete.

Formal: One who has been committed to practicing his or her sport for an
entire season should be permitted to compete.
Lund University
Formal Register vs. Informal Register

Formal language makes use of complex sentence structures.

Informal: In 2001, the bridge was built. This was good politically. Two
countries united.

Formal: The bridge was completed in 2001, which resulted in a positive
political move that united two countries.
Lund University
Formal Register vs. Informal Register

Formal language does not use contractions.

Informal: When considering staffing in hospitals in the future, it's difficult
not be concerned.

Formal: When considering staffing in hospitals in the future, it is difficult
not be concerned.
Lund University
Formal Register vs. Informal Register

Formal language is objective.

Informal: I think/believe that the issue of global warming will be the
primary concern at the meeting.

Formal: There is little doubt/It is clear that the issue of global warming
will be the primary concern at the meeting.
Lund University
Formal Register vs. Informal Register

Formal language does not use colloquialisms (language which is
common to spoken English).

Informal: Sweden's Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, totally flipped out
when he read the latest report from the press.

Formal: The Prime Minister of Sweden, Fredrik Reinfeldt, expressed his
concern when he viewed the most recent report from the press.
Lund University
Formal Register vs. Informal Register

Formal language focuses more on vocabulary choice.

Informal: The research assistant checked out the incident and got back to
him the next day.

Formal: The research assistant investigated the incident and reported to
him the following day.
Lund University