Point of View

Uses YOU

2nd person pronoun

Uses the pronouns: he, she, her, him, his, them

3rd person pronouns

Limited Third Person definition

A narrator has partial knowledge of just one character

3rd Person Omniscient definition

A narrator is all-knowing and knows the feelings and thoughts of every character in the story

Uses I, me, my, we

First Person Point of View Pronouns

First Person defintion

The narrator is a character in the story, it uses the pronouns I, we, me , my,...

The stage was bordered with colorful lights but otherwise dark, yet in the center was a single spotlight, and in the center of that was microphone stand. I slowly walked across the stage with my hands by my side. The crowd murmured. I grabbed the microphone from the stand and cleared my throat. Then I held it a few inches from my face and said, "Greetings, my fellow Thunderhawks. Are you ready to get excited for the pep rally?" One guy clapped slowly. What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 1st person (Pep rally)

The stars were burning brightly in the night sky. The evening breeze felt cool on my skin. It was the last night of summer break and I was calm, oddly calm. It's not that I was excited to go back to school. I wasn't. School is a lot of work for me. But I was excited to see my friends again. What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 1st person (sky)

The dew on the grass made my running shoes damp. It didn't bother me. The sound of my feet hitting the street formed a rhythm, a steady pattern of light thumps. I timed my breathing with the rhythm. These sounds filled my head. I thought of nothing other than the next step and keeping my tempo. I soared over the sidewalks like concrete clouds. What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 1st person.

If you are confused about something in class, don't wait. Raise your hand and ask for help immediately. Do it while your teacher is still explaining the material. Your teacher will probably be happy that you are taking an active part in your education and should attempt to explain the material in a different way. If you are still confused, ask your teacher if he or she is available after class to give you additional instruction. You are worth it. Don't give up on yourself. What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 2nd person

As you buckle your seatbelt, safety instructions are broadcast over the inflight system. A stewardess models the actions in sync with the broadcast. You turn to your right. An extremely rotund man is snoring. He looks like he is about to fall onto your shoulder. You look to your left. You see a man with a Mohawk is listening to loud punk music. You can hear it as though your were the one wearing headphones. You sigh and pull up your tray table as instructed. What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 2nd person (Airplane)

Grilling chicken is easy. First, give yourself plenty of time. If the temperature rises much past 350 degrees, you may burn your chicken. So, keep the temperature low, and give yourself plenty of time to cook the chicken. Set your burners on low and leave the chicken on the top rack. Flip your chicken every 15 to 20 minutes. During final twenty minutes of cooking, brush some barbecue sauce on your chicken. Now prepare to eat a delicious meal! What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 2nd person (Chicken)

Chad tightened his grip on the rope. He could feel his fingers weakening. "Come on, Chad! Pull! We're losing ground!" shouted his teammate George. Chad gazed at the mud puddle toward which he and George were being dragged. Then he looked up at his opponents. They were screaming something, but Chad couldn't quite hear it. The muscles in his arms and shoulders were tightening. "It's now or never!" George shouted. Chad dug his heels in the dirt and pulled with all his strength. What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 3rd person limited (Chad)

Jeremiah squinted from the sun. He was thinking about the game. They could have won. He could have won the game for them. All he needed to do was catch the ball, but he didn't. He dropped it. His coach talked to him. "Jeremiah, we had a great season. Nobody's perfect. Look at me. Ha ha," he said. Jeremiah smiled at the coach, but he couldn't forgive himself so easily. What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 3rd person limited (Jeremiah)

Penny pedaled her bike as quickly as she could, but she couldn't seem to build up enough speed. She started rolling down the hill. "I can't do it," she thought to herself. Her friend Melissa was riding behind her. "Keep trying! Stand up on your pedals. You can do it!" Melissa shouted. Penny decided to take her advice. She stood up on the pedals and put all of her weight into the climb. She started going up the hill. This made Penny very happy. "Thanks Melissa!" she said as she got to the top of the hill. Melissa smiled and said, "What are friends for?" What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 3rd person limited (Penny)

Pete didn't feel like doing homework. He felt like playing baseball. He grabbed his mitt off the shelf and began to fantasize about being out in the field. His fantasy was interrupted shortly by the opening of his bedroom door. It was his mom. She started to yell, "Pete, you're not failing baseball class! You're failing math class! You need to study. Put the mitt away!" Pete put the mitt away, but he didn't know the first thing about studying math. What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 3rd person limited (Pete)

Sid saw the ball floating through the air. He knew it was coming to him. He positioned himself where he thought it was going to land. Then a large cloud moved in the sky. The sun blazed and Sid couldn't see anything. "Thump!" the ball landed right in front of Sid. Coach yelled across the field, "Pick it up, Sid! Throw it to second." Sid couldn't see the ball in front of him. All he could see were spots. The coach threw his hat on the ground and continued to yell, "Pick it up, Sid!" What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 3rd person limited (Sid)

Anthony was making a snowman in his front yard. He wanted to make the tallest snowman ever. "Making the tallest snowman ever is hard," he thought to himself. As Anthony rolled the snow around to form huge spheres, Justin was watching him from the bushes. Justin had plans too, only his plans involved karate kicking Anthony's very tall snowman. Justin figured that no snowman deserved to be as tall as Anthony's. Justin stretched in preparation for his attack. What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 3rd person omniscient (Anthony)

Carrie and Kylie giggled. Neither of them knew what they had just found. They thought that they had discovered a cool looking rock. They had no idea that they were holding a real life dinosaur egg. This surprise would dawn on them later, when they brought the egg home. Carrie was using the egg as a paperweight, so she kept the egg under her desk lamp. But this egg would soon hatch, and Carrie and Kylie were about to have the adventure of a lifetime. What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 3rd person omniscient (Carrie & Kylie)

The sun was rising. Ivan saw the light piercing through the drawn curtains in his bedroom and knew that he would have to get up soon. He hadn't been sleeping for the last hour. He had been thinking about the future. He whispered to his brother Nate. Nate came to slowly. He smiled, still thinking about the pleasant dream that he had been having, until he looked at Ivan's face. He could tell that something was wrong. What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 3rd person omniscient (Nate)

"You already told me that story," said Shanice. She looked genuinely disappointed. I laughed awkwardly. "Sorry," I said, "I didn't mean to bore you with a rerun." I tried to laugh it off but she just wouldn't let it go. "Don't you even consider your listener before you tell a story?" she inquired. This caught me off guard. I replied, "I'm just trying to keep you entertained, Shanice." I pleaded. "Yeah, well, you should try harder." What is the point of view of this passage?

The passage is 3rd person omniscient (Shanice)

Second Person definition

Used the least in writing, readers are instantly in the writing, and uses the pronoun "You"

Point of View

Who is telling the story. Different narrators have different knowledge about the story and characters.

3rd person with only one character's thoughts and feelings

limited

3rd person with all characters thoughts and feelings

omniscient

Narrator

the voice the author takes on in the story; the person/character telling the story