Does this sentence use first/second person narration or is it factual?

Question

Hundreds of years since the Romantic Era, one would think that people’s way of life, actions and thinking have changed but this is not necessarily the case.

This is from one of my writings.
It is hard to tell if this is a fact based sentence or a first/second person narrative sentence with a pov when it says "one would think"

Anonymous · Answer

Sentences can be factual in first/second -- or ANY -- person.

? · Answer

First, first/second person narratives can be factual, and 3rd person narratives can express opinions. Your sentence expresses an opinion (that things have not changed since the Romantic Era) despite the fact that you've changed it to 3rd person. There are no facts in your sentence, other than that the Romantic Era was "hundreds of years ago" (it wasn't. It was from about 1800-1850).
I'm concerned that you don't know what "facts" are. Say that something is thought to have changed but hasn't is an opinion. Others might disagree with you.

busterwasmycat · Answer

The generic person "one" is third person.  similar to "it" (a generic thing).  Gets a bit strange when the common use of "You" as a generic person is employed, because you is second person in grammar, but the idea is third-person.

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Does this sentence use first/second person narration or is it factual?

3 Answers