Narrative Point of View

First Person

"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 acerbically. This caught me off guard. I replied, "I'm just trying to keep you entertained, Shanice." I pleaded. She smacked me down with another sharp comment, "Yeah, well, you should try harder."

Third Person Omniscient

April opened the escape hatch. She was afraid to jump, but she realized that the airship was sinking. She looked at Vince, who was strapping on his parachute. Vince locked eyes with her and then he realized the error in his conduct. "I'm sorry, April. That was ungentlemanly of me. Let me help you with yours." He proceeded to attach the other parachute to April's back. This made him feel a little better.

Second 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 you were the one wearing headphones. You sigh and pull up your tray table as instructed.

Third Person Limited

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.

Third Person Omniscient

This type of third-person narrative shows the author knows the thoughts and feelings of EVERY character. The narrator is "all knowing."

First Person

Uses the pronouns: I, me, we, us, my, mine, our

Third Person

Uses the pronouns: they, he, she, it, them, her, his...

Second Person

Uses the pronouns: you, your

Third Person Objective

A bus drove by Kiko as she sat on the park bench. A woman pushed a double stroller with a set of twins down the sidewalk. Several pigeons approached Kiko. "Go away, flying rats. I do not have any food for you," Kiko shouted at the birds. They squawked and flew off. Kiko crossed her legs and took a deep breath. She picked up the newspaper, flipped through a few pages, and put it back down. Then her phone rang.

Third Person Omniscient

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.

Second 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.

Third Person Limited

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?"

Third Person Limited

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.

Third Person Omniscient

Red looked across the prairie. He didn't see anything concerning. He wondered why Texas Joe had hollered like that. Texas Joe turned to him. The ghost that Texas Joe had just seen was gone. Texas Joe swatted at the air. Now he felt crazy. "You have to believe me, Red. It was just here," said Texas Joe. Red scowled at him in disbelief. "What was just here, Joe?" he asked. Red was angry with Texas Joe for disturbing his sleep for no apparent reason.

Third Person Limited

Suzie applied the lipstick to her lips. She had never done this before. She smacked her lips like she had seen other women do in the movies and looked in the mirror. She felt unsure about what she saw. She turned to her friend Donna and asked, "How do I look?" Donna gasped and said, "You look breathtaking, Suzie." Suzie smiled. She was grateful for these words, even though she didn't believe them.

Third Person Limited

The bell rang. "Oh no! I'm going to be late for science! I've got to go," said Cassie to her friend Tom. Tom rolled his eyes and said, "Little Miss Perfect can't be late." This upset Cassie. She hated when people gave her a hard time for trying to do the right thing, especially Tom. "Quiet you," she said while swinging at Tom with her folder. He narrowly dodged the strike and said, "Be careful now. Attacking another student is a level two offense." Then he smiled a big, cheesy grin at her.

Third Person Objective

The birds were chirping and the sun was shining. Kevin and Juno were sitting on a park bench together. Neither of them was smiling. After a long period of silence, Kevin said, "This isn't going to work. I mean, you're a dog person and I'm a cat person." Juno nodded. A tear rolled down her face. Kevin went on, "If we got married and bought a house, what kind of pet would we get? Some kind of cat-dog? Somebody's going to be unhappy." Juno began sobbing and said, "Ok, let's just end it now. Have fun with your slobbery dogs." She jumped off the bench and ran into the woods.

First Person

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 myg head. I thought of nothing other than the next step and keeping my tempo. I soared over the sidewalks like concrete clouds.

First Person

The green ooze dripped slowly down the steps. We didn't have a Geiger counter with us, but if we had, I bet that it would have been beeping. I noticed Chris moving toward the ooze and said, "Chris, don't!" but it was too late. Chris dipped the front part of his shoe in the ooze and the ooze burned the sole off his shoe instantly. Then it melted his sock, and then it began to go to work on his foot. Vanessa began licking her lips. "I wonder what it tastes like," she said. I screamed, "No Vanessa! Don't!"

Third Person Objective

The parade marched down the street. It was led by a caped drummer. He set a stately pace and tapped the accompanying rhythm. A marching band followed behind him, matching his pace. Behind the band were floats of all sizes and designs. Children and adults were riding on the floats, tossing out penny candies, streamers, and plastic prizes. The street was lined with people. The noises of revelry filled the streets.

Third Person Objective

The scarecrow sagged on the pole. The corn reached for the heavens. A man dressed in gray was walking through the cornfield. The field rustled as he parted the spears. Soon he reached a breach in the field. A road cut across the landscape. The man in gray began walking down the road toward the sun. He walked to a farmhouse and knocked on the door. A man in a white shirt opened the door. "May I help you?" the white shirted man asked. The man in gray responded, "My name is Julius Cornwall. I've travelled from the future to deliver a message to you."

Third Person Omniscient

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 nudged his wife Nadia. Nadia came to slowly. She smiled, still thinking about the pleasant dream that she had been having, until she looked at Ivan's face. She could tell that something was wrong.

Third Person Objective

This type of third-person narrative shows the author knows the thoughts and feelings of NONE of the characters.

Third Person Limited

This type of third-person narrative shows the author knows the thoughts and feelings of only ONE character.

Second Person

You look at the blueprints laid before you. You have no idea how to read them. "Why did I lie to get this job?" you wonder to yourself. The men in the room are watching you. The man in the suit who hired you asks, "Well, what do you think about these plans? Should we go for it?" You pick up the blueprints and pretend to study them carefully. "Um, well, have we done any fault testing?" you ask. The man in the suit squints at you and says, "Fault testing? What's fault testing?" To buy yourself time in a really smooth way you say, "Uhh..."