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What is the Third Person of Worry?

Published in Verb Conjugation 2 mins read

The third person singular form of the verb 'worry' is worries.

In English grammar, verbs often change their form depending on the subject of the sentence. This change is particularly noticeable in the simple present tense for third person singular subjects.

Understanding Third Person Singular

The "third person singular" refers to a single person or thing that is not the speaker (first person: I/we) or the listener (second person: you). Common third person singular pronouns include "he," "she," and "it." It also applies to singular nouns like "father," "dog," "student," or "company."

When these subjects perform an action in the simple present tense, the verb usually ends with an "-s" or "-es." For verbs ending in "-y" preceded by a consonant, like "worry," the "y" changes to "i" before adding "-es."

Conjugation of 'Worry'

To illustrate how 'worry' changes, consider its simple present tense conjugation:

Person Singular Plural
First Person I worry We worry
Second Person You worry You worry
Third Person He/She/It worries They worry

As you can see from the table, only the third person singular form takes the "-ies" ending.

Examples of 'Worries' in Use

Understanding this grammatical rule is crucial for correct sentence construction. Here are some examples demonstrating the use of "worries" as the third person singular form:

  • He worries about his upcoming exams.
  • She worries about the safety of her children.
  • It worries me that the deadline is so close.
  • My father worries about me. (Here, 'My father' is a singular noun acting as a third person singular subject.)
  • The dog worries its bone until it's clean.
  • The community worries about the new development project.

These examples highlight how "worries" is used when the subject is a single entity in the third person. For more details on English verb conjugation, you can refer to reputable grammar resources such as the Purdue OWL.