What term is defined as the person the sentence is directed to?

What term is defined as the person the sentence is directed to?

• A. Krashen, Steven
• B. Second Person
• C. Alcott, Louisa May
• D. Vocative

Answer: (D)

In direct-address sentences, the word or name used to call the person being spoken to is the vocative. It identifies who is being addressed and is often set off by commas. For example, in "Sam, could you close the door?" the word Sam is the vocative. This term isn’t about who is doing the speaking or the grammatical person of the pronoun; it’s specifically the element used to address someone directly. That’s why the other options aren’t the right term: a person’s name like Steven Krashen or Louisa May Alcott is just a name, and Second Person refers to the grammatical perspective of the pronoun you, not the term for the addressee.

In direct-address sentences, the word or name used to call the person being spoken to is the vocative. It identifies who is being addressed and is often set off by commas. For example, in "Sam, could you close the door?" the word Sam is the vocative.

This term isn’t about who is doing the speaking or the grammatical person of the pronoun; it’s specifically the element used to address someone directly. That’s why the other options aren’t the right term: a person’s name like Steven Krashen or Louisa May Alcott is just a name, and Second Person refers to the grammatical perspective of the pronoun you, not the term for the addressee.