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An English Grammar by J. W. (James Witt) Sewell;W. M. (William Malone) Baskervill
page 79 of 559 (14%)


PERSONAL PRONOUNS.


[Sidenote: _Person in grammar._]

74. Since pronouns stand for persons as well as names, they must
represent the person talking, the person or thing spoken to, and the
person or thing talked about.

This gives rise to a new term, "the distinction of _person_."

[Sidenote: Person _of nouns_.]

75. This distinction was not needed in discussing nouns, as nouns
have the _same form_, whether representing persons and things spoken
to or spoken of. It is evident that a noun could not represent the
person speaking, even if it had a special form.

From analogy to pronouns, which have _forms_ for person, nouns are
sometimes spoken of as first or second person by their _use_; that is,
if they are in apposition with a pronoun of the first or second
person, they are said to have person by agreement.

But usually nouns represent something spoken of.


[Sidenote: _Three persons of pronouns._]

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