Is "author" in third person?

Question

"The author is brilliant" - here, is "the author" in third person? Usually, he, she, and they are considerd to be third persons. Is the above considered to be in third person?

Answer 1

Yes, When the subject is a noun, not a pronoun the verb takes the third person. "The cat is asleep."

It is rather rare in English to use nouns to refer to oneself when writing or speaking. But if we do, we still use third person.

The author is grateful to his mother.

You could use this to mean "I am grateful" in some contexts, but as I said, it is rare.

Answer 2

Yes:

• The first person is the speaker (I, me). It can also be extended to a group including the speaker (we, us)
• The second person is the audience (you).
• Anyone else mentioned is the third person.

Occasionally, perhaps as literary device or for comic effect, the first person may refer to themselves or the audience 'in the third person'. For example:

-My best friend is an idiot.
-I thought I was your best friend?
-Exactly.