Page 620 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

Look at the regular verb confess in the present tense. Here, when the
verb already ends in s, the third-person singular form also changes,

adding es.

Singular Plural

First person I confess we confess

Second person you confess you confess

Third person he, she, it confesses they confess

Using Third Person

Third person is sometimes confusing. One reason is that it is the only

person for which the verb form changes. The biggest reason,

however, is that third person includes much more than just the

pronouns he, she, it, and they. Third-person singular also includes any

noun or pronoun that can be replaced by he, she, or it. James, Ms.
Smith, cat, table, child, one, bank teller, and Abraham Lincoln are all

third-person singular. Thus, each requires a present-tense verb

ending in s or es.

Any noun or pronoun that can be replaced by they is third-person
plural. The Joneses, both, washer and dryer, beds, automobiles, and

several are words that can be replaced by they. Thus, all are third-