[Linguists’ Forum] Navigating the Dynamics of Person in Writing, By Lateef Kugbayi, PhD

The highly revered linguist, Noam Chomsky, describes language as a system of rules by which humans produce an infinite number of sentences. Consistency in the use of those rules makes them relevant to generations of language users. If a construction is not consistent with the grammatical rules of the language, such a construction will be considered ungrammatical and unacceptable. In essence, last week’s episode of Linguists’ Forum foregrounds the central role of consistency in achieving good writing. Such writing is characterised by sentences and paragraphs that are intra/inter-connected and free of confusing shifts, either in tense, person or number. For a review of consistency in the use of tense, readers are encouraged to read the episode of Friday, 14 November, 2025.

From the perspective of persons, consistency in writing involves a smooth transition of thoughts within a sentence, from one sentence to another, within a paragraph or from one paragraph to another without shifting from the position of the person that is speaking, the person being spoken to or the person/thing being spoken of to another position of person. There are three categories of persons in the English language. The three persons are usually identified as personal pronouns. They are:
1st Person Pronoun: It refers to the speaker(s)/writer(s). Examples of 1st person pronouns are I, we, me, us. These pronouns have to connect to the same speaker(s) or writer(s) when they are used in sentences.
2nd Person Pronoun: This refers to the listener(s)/reader(s). Regardless of the various levels where it can occur, the pronoun is usually realised as “you.” It is used to address the listener(s)/reader(s) directly.
3rd Person Personal Pronoun: The pronoun refers to person(s) or thing(s) spoken/written about. It includes he, she, it, they, him, her, them. These pronouns are usually used to discuss general truths.

Note: Nouns are categorised as third persons. When they are changed to pronouns, they take 3rd person pronoun position as in Tunde (he), Chioma (she), Ahmed and Tukur (they), Nigeria (it/she), Imasayi (it/she), farming (it), etc.

To maintain consistency in the use of persons, the writer needs to avoid unnecessary shifting from one of the persons to another throughout the sentences, paragraphs and essay. A grammatical error will be committed by the writer if he/she begins the sentence with, maybe, a 1st person pronoun and shifts to a 2nd or 3rd person pronoun or vice versa before the end of the sentence. Other categories of pronouns crucial to the consistent use of persons in writing are reflexive pronouns (themselves, ourselves, myself), possessive pronouns (his, her, their), reciprocal pronouns (each other, one another) and indefinite pronouns (one, somebody, all).

Examples of sentences with the inconsistent use of persons are:
1. My wife and I respect “ourselves” (inconsistent).
This suggests that the action does not move from “My wife” to “I” and vice versa. The wife loves herself, not the speaker. The speaker loves himself, not his wife.
2. My wife and I respect “one another” (inconsistent).
“one another” is used when those involved in the action are more than two. It is not consistent with “My wife and I”.
3. My wife and I love “each other” (consistent).
“each other” is a reciprocal pronoun that is used for two individuals who reciprocate the same act. It is consistent with “My wife and I”.
4. If “one” works hard, “you” may succeed (inconsistent).
“one,” a 3rd person pronoun, is not consistent with “you,” a 2nd person pronoun.
5. If “one” works hard, “one” may succeed (consistent).
“one,” a 3rd person pronoun, is only consistent with “one” as an antecedent to it whenever it is referred to within a sentence. Shifting from it to another pronoun for the same person in the same sentence will render the choice inconsistent.
6. “Each student” will submit “their” work tomorrow (inconsistent).
7. “Each student” will submit “his” work tomorrow (consistent).
8. “Each student” will submit “her” work tomorrow (consistent).
9. “Each student” will submit “his/her” work tomorrow (consistent).
10. “I” said she would travel, didn’t “she”? (inconsistent)
11. “I” said she would travel, didn’t “I”? (consistent)
12. The philosopher rejected other people’s views on smoking, gambling and drunkenness (inconsistent).
The use of gerunds should have been maintained in the list. Consider (13).
13. The philosopher rejected other people’s views on smoking, gambling and drinking (consistent).
To ensure consistency in the use of persons in their essays, candidates in WAEC, NECO and IELTS, as well as in answering some UTME questions, have to avoid unnecessary shifting between persons in sentences, identify the antecedent of each noun/pronoun they use and be sure that both the noun/pronoun and the antecedent agree or refer to the same person or thing. Sticking to one category of person(s) in a sentence or paragraph will make the essay coherent and clear.