second person

/ˈsɛkənd ˈpʌrsɪn/

/ˈsɛkənd ˈpʌsən/

Other forms: second persons

If you're using the pronoun "you," you're speaking (or writing) in the second person. A second person statement is about the person you're addressing.

While it's unusual to read a novel written in the second person, this narrative form is commonly found in speeches, instructive writing, music lyrics, and advertising. The pronouns "you" and "your" clue you into the fact you're being addressed in the second person, whether Bruce Springsteen is singing, "You can't start a fire," or a phone book commercial is telling you to "let your fingers do the walking."

Definitions of second person

1. noun

   pronouns and verbs used to refer to the person addressed by the language in which they occur
   type of:

   person

   a grammatical category used in the classification of pronouns, possessive determiners, and verb forms according to whether they indicate the speaker, the addressee, or a third party
2. noun

   narration from the point of view of the listener or audience, using the pronoun ‘you’
   type of:

   point of view

   the perspective from which a story is told