First, second, and third person are ways of describing points of view.
First-Person Point of View
When we talk about ourselves, our opinions, and the things that happen to us, we generally speak in the first person. The biggest clue that a sentence is written in the first person is the use of first-person pronouns. In the first sentence of this paragraph, the pronouns appear in bold text. We, us, our,and ourselves are all first-person pronouns. Specifically, they are plural first-person pronouns. Singular first-person pronouns include I, me, my, mine and myself.
I think I lost my wallet! I can’t find it anywhere! Oh, I could just kick myself!
We could do ourselves a favor and make a reservation for our group.
Many stories and novels are written in the first-person point of view. In this kind of narrative, you are inside a character’s head, watching the story unfold through that character’s eyes.
When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.
Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games
Second-Person Point of View
The second-person point of view belongs to the person (or people) being addressed. This is the “you” perspective. Once again, the biggest indicator of the second person is the use of second-person pronouns: you, your, yours, yourself, yourselves.
You can wait in here and make yourself at home.
You should be proud of yourselves for finishing this enormous project!
Stories and novels written in the second person exist, but they are much rarer than narratives written from a first- or third-person perspective.
You are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this at this time of the morning. But here you are, and you cannot say that the terrain is entirely unfamiliar, although the details are fuzzy.
Jay McInerney, Bright Lights, Big City
Third-Person Point of View
The third-person point of view belongs to the person (or people) being talked about. The third-person pronouns include he, him, his, himself, she, her, hers, herself, it, its, itself, they, them, their, theirs, and themselves.
Tiffany used her prize money from the science fair to buy herself a new microscope.
The concert goers roared their approval when they realized they’d be getting an encore.
You can’t always rely on pronouns to tell you the perspective of a sentence. Not all sentences include pronouns, especially in the third person:
Mike always hated school.
But if you look at this sentence and think “Mike isn’t me,” you can eliminate the first person. You can also think “I’m not talking to Mike,” so that eliminates the second person. You’re left with the third person.
Plenty of stories and novels are written in the third person. In this type of story, a disembodied narrator describes what the characters do and what happens to them. You don’t see directly through a character’s eyes as you do in a first-person narrative, but often the narrator describes the main character’s thoughts and feelings about what’s going on.
Sam Vimes sighed when he heard the scream, but he finished shaving before he did anything about it.
Terry Pratchett, Night Watch
Speaking in the Third Person
Most of the time when people talk about themselves, they speak in the first person. It would certainly be eccentric to talk about yourself in the third person all the time, but you may do it once in a while for comedic effect or to grab someone’s attention.
Tina: Let’s get sushi for lunch. It’s Jeff’s favorite! Tom: No, Jeff hates sushi. I think he’d rather get burritos. Jeff: Um, does Jeff get a vote?
When using multiple verbs in a clause, it’s important to keep them in the same tense. For example: I went to the store, buy an apple, and ate it on the way home. ‘Went’ and ‘ate’ are both in past tense, but ‘buy’ is in present tense.
To fix this sentence, use ‘bought,’ which is the past tense of ‘buy.’ I went to the store, bought an apple, and ate it on the way home.
Another example: I went to the store and bought an apple, and now I am eating it.
‘Went’ and ‘bought’ are both in past tense and ‘eating’ is in present tense. In this case, the two different verb tenses are in two separate clauses, separated by a comma, so it is ok that they’re in different tenses.
For more information on verb tenses, read this blog post about the difference between gone and went.
Here’s a tip: A complement is related to completion, while a compliment relates to flattering words or acts.
Everybody loves a compliment. Or is it a complement they love? If there is a published list of commonly confused words, complement and compliment are almost certain to appear. However, these two terms don’t have to be on your personal list of befuddling vocabulary! Here’s the breakdown.
Remember to check your understanding with the Compliment vs. Complement Quiz.
Complement Definition
Complement and compliment used to share some meanings, because they derive from the same Latin root word. Complement used to mean “to compliment,” but that meaning is obsolete. Compliment has an archaic meaning also; it used to mean “gift.”
How can you define complement? If you think complement looks a little like the word complete, that can help you to remember some of its most useful meanings. A complement is something that completes or perfects.
Her dress perfectly complements the shade of her eyes.
They make a great couple; their personalities are a perfect complement to one another.
Here’s an example from the web:
In grammar, it’s a word or group of words that completes a grammatical construction: A complement is part of the predicate of a sentence and describes either the subject of the sentence or the direct object. If it modifies the subject, it is called a subject complement. If it modifies or renames the direct object and follows it, it is called an object complement.
—K12Reader.com
In science, the complement system refers to proteins that circulate in your blood. The name of the system derives from its function. Specific proteins match specific antibodies. In other words, the proteins complement the antibodies. Here is a brief explanation from Washington.edu:
The complement system is a set of over 20 different protein molecules always found in the blood. . . . With an infection, this system of molecules is activated, leading to a sequence of events on the surface of the pathogen that helps destroy the pathogen and eliminate the infection.
Complements also appear in mathematics. A complement is an amount added to something to complete it. In geometry, it’s the quantity that an angle or an arc is short of ninety degrees.
Here are some examples from math websites:
If our universal set is the states of the United States, then a possible subset is the set of the New England states . . . {Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont}. The complement of A would then be the set containing all of the other states that are not part of New England.
—Study.com
When two angles add to 90°, we say they “complement” each other. Complementary comes from Latin completum meaning “completed” because the right angle is thought of as being a complete angle.
—MathIsFun.com
In economics, the definition of complementary goods is interesting. These items have little or no value on their own, but they add value to other items. Investopedia gives hot dog buns as a real world example of this concept. Most people don’t use hot dog buns alone, but they love them filled with hot dogs and all their favorite fixings.
Complement as a Verb
As a verb, what does complement mean? In general, it means “to complete, to provide something lacking, or form a complement to.” Here’s one example of complement in a sentence from the web:
“One technology doesn’t replace another, it complements. Books are no more threatened by Kindle than stairs by elevators.” —Stephen Fry
Complement Synonyms
Addition is a synonym when the amount added completes a whole.
A companion is a mate or a match. Some Bible versions use “a helper as [the first man’s] complement” to describe the first woman.
Completion is the state of being whole, fulfilled, or concluded.
A counterpart is one of two parts that complement or complete one another. In the context of relationships, it often refers to a fitting match.
Enhancements intensify or raise the value of something. This definition most closely corresponds to a complement good or service.
Makeweights complete a desired weight on a scale. If you had eight pounds of a substance and you wanted to have ten pounds in total, the two pounds that you add to reach the correct weight are your makeweight.
Compliment Definition
How do you define compliment? It’s is an expression of praise, commendation, respect, or regard. It can be a formal act or as simple as a courteous greeting or wishing someone well. Notice these examples:
“To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.” —George MacDonald
“I take no leave of you, Miss Bennet. I send no compliments to your mother. You deserve no such attention. I am most seriously displeased.” —Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Compliment as a Verb
The verb compliment means to praise, congratulate, or say something admiring to someone. It can also include showing kindness. Compliments may come in the form of a friendly gesture or a gift.
“Compliment people. Magnify their strengths, not their weaknesses.” —Joyce Meyer
Praise is not the only definition of compliment. Merriam-Webster Learner’s Dictionary helps demonstrate how native speakers might use the phrase “compliments of” with some examples. In the first example below, the phrase identifies the provider of something given at no charge. The second example uses the phrase sarcastically to refer to the source of something unwanted.
We were served free drinks, compliments of the casino. I woke up with a stiff neck, compliments of that uncomfortable mattress in their guest room.
Compliment Synonyms
Adulation is an excessive form of flattery related linguistically to a Latin word for the way dogs fawn over their masters.
Flattery refers to favorable comments about a person, but it can also refer to insincere remarks.
Homage is respect or honor paid to a person, sometimes in a public or formal setting.
Praise is the act of expressing favor or admiration. Singing someone’s praises is expressing high approval.
Compliment vs. Complement Video Summary
Compliment vs. Complement: Tricks to Remember the Difference
How can you differentiate between compliment and complement? One trick is to give yourself a compliment:
Are you smart, creative, or compassionate? Tell yourself so, and then acknowledge:
I love how smart I am!
When you acknowledge your compliment, you will recall that the letter I is the difference between compliment and complement. These terms are homophones, words that sound alike but have different definitions and spellings. This trick will also help you decide how to spell each word correctly in the proper context. If you are not a fan of tooting your own horn, you could associate the I with insult. An insult is the opposite of a compliment. To remember complement, think of the word enhance when you look at the E. Enhancement is a synonym of complement.
Complimentary vs. Complementary
What about the related words complimentary and complementary? Both of these words function as adjectives. Complimentary means “expressing a compliment” or “favorable.” It can also mean “free” in reference to items or services provided as a courtesy. Complementary refers to enhancing or emphasizing the qualities of another person or thing.
Trump speaks often about harnessing the power of her family name. “The nice thing about the things I’m involved in is that they’re all complementary,” she told the New York Times in 2013.
—Washingtonpost.com
Powell Development Director Dave Betz said the developers behind both projects are “making good headway” toward building complementary projects with a shared-parking agreement.
—ThisWeeksNews.com In medicine, complementary refers to alternative medicine or additional treatment that is administered alongside traditional medicine.
According to a 2012 survey, about 33% of American adults and 11% of children use complementary medicine. Between 2002 and 2012, the usage rates for chiropractors, acupuncture specialists, and yoga classes increased among those lacking insurance coverage.
—PharmacyTimes.com
Compliment vs. Complement Quiz
It’s common to mix up homophones. But homophones with mixed meanings take the cake. Use this quiz to test your knowledge of the homophones “compliment” and “complement.”
Do you love nice compliments? If you are ready to remove compliment and complement from your personal list of confusing words, you deserve one! Good job on mastering two easily confused words!
The last time I took a vacation, I almost didn’t want to leave for fear of what my inbox would look like when I got back. (Hint: it wasn’t pretty.) There’s nothing more groan-inducing on your first day back at work than opening your email client to see you have 1,487 emails waiting.
I’ve worked in jobs where getting a flurry of daily email was the norm, which meant that being away for a week resulted in a digital avalanche. Here’s how I prepared and then dug out.
1 Set up an out-of-office message before you leave.
Having a vacation auto-responder won’t cut down on the number of people who contact you, but it will cut down on the number of follow-ups they send. It’s also good form to let people know when you’re not able to answer them.
Your out-of-office message can be simple. Just let people know you’re unavailable, when you’ll return, and who they should contact with any urgent needs while you’re gone. If you’d like to have a little more fun with your message, here are some options.
Here’s a tip: Some people include a vacation clause in their out-of-office message to warn people that they may miss messages due to an overflowing inbox upon their return. Here’s an example:
I expect my inbox to be bursting at the seams when I return. I’ll do my best to get back to you, but if I should happen to miss your message, please do me the courtesy of following up after [date].
2 Weed out the advertising and other unnecessary stuff first.
When I return to my Gmail inbox to find a gazillion emails waiting, the first thing I do is weed out the junk mail. Advertising, of course, is the first to go. But when you’re trying to get back to inbox zero, even the newsletters you’ve subscribed to can get in your way.
Gmail’s tabs system is handy. When my email messages are already pre-sorted, I can go through the social and promotions tabs quickly and eliminate most of those emails right off the bat by selecting them all, skimming the subject lines to make sure nothing looks important, and then hitting archive or delete.
3 Use filters for high-priority senders.
There are likely a few people on your contact list whose emails you don’t want to miss. I have a Gmail folder called Priority Senders where I store important messages that need more immediate action.
You can use filters to have messages auto-sort to this folder, which is what I do when I’m out of my office for a while. Then, when I get back, I know what to tackle first.
Here’s a tip: If you’d rather not set up filters for your priority senders, you can simply sort your inbox by sender. This will help you quickly identify the messages you’ve received from people you need to respond to ASAP and separate them from the rest of your inbox clutter.
You can also filter retroactively by moving messages to the Priority Senders folder for safekeeping while you sort the rest of your inbox.
4 Make a catch-up folder.
Now that you’ve sorted your high priority email into a separate folder, you can deal with the rest . . . by putting it off. At least temporarily.
Staring at an overflowing inbox on your first day back in the office can bring on enough stress to undo the relaxing effects of your vacation. An empty inbox, however, is bliss! This solution may feel like cheating, but trust me, it’s a great way to alleviate the strain of having hundreds of emails to process and no time to process them.
Create a catch-up folder. It’s as simple as that. You can name it whatever you like, from “Email to Process” to “Abandon all hope ye who enter here.” Then, simply Select All and move your vacation email into the catch-up folder. It’ll be out of sight, and instead of feeling like your inbox is a bottomless pit from which you’ll never emerge, you’ll be able to venture into your virtual storage room and sort through those less important emails whenever you have time to spare.
Here’s a tip: Consider putting the inbox zero method into effect before you leave for vacation. Practicing this efficient sorting technique requires a little setup, but once it’s in place it will make your email life infinitely easier.
Odds are good that if you’ve already sorted high priority email messages, nothing in your catch-up folder will be of critical importance. If you’ve accidentally missed something significant (hey, it happens to the best of us) you’re sure to get a follow-up email, at which time you can deal with the issue. If any email remains in your catch-up folder after a month, it’s probably safe to delete or archive it.
5 Practice “last in, first out.”
By now, your inbox should be looking slightly less overwhelming. It’s time to deal with the higher priority messages. Taking a “last in, first out” approach can help.
Some of the email you’ve received has already sorted itself out while you were away. When you read the most recent email first, you can quickly figure out what needs immediate attention and what you can filter into your catch-up folder for later. So start digging into the most recent emails you’ve received, and remember . . .
6 Resist the urge to delay responses.
Once you’ve identified important emails, answer them. Like, now.
We’ve all been there. You’re staring at an email that absolutely needs a response, except that you lack the psychic energy to deal with it in the moment. The temptation to put off those types of emails is intense. Resist! Bothersome emails grow into more powerful monsters the longer you ignore them. When you start going through your urgent emails, make yourself a promise that you’ll deal with each one as you open it. You’ll thank yourself in the long run.
With a little forethought and some organization, you can keep your inbox avalanche from burying you. Now, leave your office email alone until you return, and go enjoy that vacation. You’ve earned it!
Close your eyes. Can you picture the significant women in your life? The images of women whom you interacted with during your lifetime are vivid, but what about those who lived in generations past? Even when no physical traces survive, we can still envision them. How so? Notice how Emily Dickinson gave a glimpse of her physical appearance: “I had no portrait, now, but am small, like the Wren, and my Hair is bold, like the Chestnut Bur – and my eyes, like the Sherry in the Glass, that the Guest leaves – Would this do just as well?” Can you see her in her words? Words can reveal much about the women who lived before you. Here are five books that will allow you to look back in time.
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan conducted a survey of her college classmates for a class reunion. She found that many felt dissatisfied with their careers, or lack thereof, after graduation. Moving beyond her classmates, she discovered that many women experienced discrimination based on their sex. She tried to publish her findings, but it seemed no magazine was interested in what she had to say. In the early 1960s, she compiled her research into a nonfiction book—The Feminine Mystique. History credits this book as an accelerant of the women’s movement.
African American Women Writers’ Historical Fiction by Ana Nunes
How were African American women affected by historical developments? Unfortunately, textbooks haven’t always recorded the minority perspective. This volume explores history through fiction written by women during the last forty years of the twentieth century. The introduction quotes Ralph Ellison: African American culture is “expressed in a body of folklore, in the musical forms of the spirituals, the blues and jazz; . . . a cuisine; a body of dance forms.” Historical fiction can introduce you to characters who won’t appear in a history textbook—the ordinary people who lived in extraordinary times.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
How would it be to grow up in New England during the Civil War? This book offers a portrait, not of one woman, but of several sisters with distinct personalities. There is Meg, the eldest girl, nostalgic for the wealth and luxury of the old country. There’s also Jo, the tomboy, who wanted to follow her father into battle rather than fulfill the traditional roles of a lady of her time. Beth is sickly but emotionally strong. Her sweet nature bonds the family together. Amy is the youngest and the most ambitious. She wants to improve her station in life, so she journeys to Europe to find her destiny. Other strong characters, Marmee and Aunt March, reveal even more about this tumultuous period in history.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
This fictional account chronicles the life of one girl who becomes a geisha in Japan on the eve of World War II. Geishas were young women trained to entertain and please men. Chiyo, later called Sayuri, learns to play instruments, dance, and perform tea ceremonies. When she is older, she faces the mizuage ceremony, where the highest bidder wins her virginity. This book will take you into a secret world where you will learn that sometimes you must choose the lesser of two evils.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Do you remember with fondness the house where you grew up? Young latina Esperanza Cordero feels a connection to her home, family, and community. At the same time, she longs to leave her impoverished Chicago neighborhood. As did other women throughout the centuries, she faced a choice. Should she endure her circumstances or should she break free to try to find a better life?
After you read a page or two of one of these books, meditate on the descriptions the author provides. Think beyond how the characters dressed or how they talked. Think of their emotions and attitudes in the face of changing times. The books can’t take you back in time, but they can paint a vivid picture of how life was for women during different phases of history. And as Emily once asked, “Would this do just as well?”
