Identifying Point of View
Identifying Point of View
When you read a story, one of the most important questions you should ask is, "Who is doing the talking?"
Often a story is told by a narrator, a character whose job is to deliver information to the reader. Sometimes the narrator is an actual character in the story. Other times, the narrator is just a background voice that simply tells about the story. Each type of narrator comes with a different point of view.
Knowing what point of view the story is told from can help you figure out what is going on in the story.
There are three main points of view that a story, or the narrator of a story can have:
- 1st Person
- 2nd Person
- 3rd Person
1st Person Point of View
I, me, my, myself, we, us, our, ourselves
If you're reading a story that frequently uses the pronouns I, me, my, myself, we, us, our, and ourselves, you can guess that it is written using a first person point of view.
With first person point of view:
- The narrator is often a character in a story
- The narrator's observations and comments are limited to what that person can see, hear, and understand
Examples:
I opened the door to the haunted house and peered inside. My heart was beating fast and my knees were shaking, but I knew I had to figure out what was going on.
It was a typical summer Saturday. Dad was in the kitchen making pancakes. Mom was sitting on the deck reading a book. I was putting on my swimsuit so I would be ready to head to the pool right after breakfast.
2nd Person Point of View
you, your, yourself
If you're reading a story that frequently uses the pronouns you, your, and yourself, you can guess that it is written using a second person point of view.
With second person point of view:
- The narrator talks to directly to the reader
- The reader is a character in the story
- The story is often written in present tense
Second person point of view is the least common style of narration for a story. It is typically used for non-fiction instructions and directions.
Examples:
You open the door to the haunted house and peer inside. Your heart is beating fast and your knees are shaking, but you know you have to figure out what is going on.
It was a typical summer Saturday. Dad was in the kitchen making pancakes. Mom was sitting on the deck reading a book. You were putting on your swimsuit so you would be ready to head to the pool right after breakfast.
3rd Person Point of View
he, she, they, him, her, their, it, his, her, its, theirs
If you're reading a story that frequently uses the pronouns he, she, it, they, him, her, their, etc., you can guess that it is written using third person point of view.
With third person point of view:
- The narrator tells the story or tells about the story
- The narrator often uses character names
The narrator of a story with third person point of view can also be omniscient or limited.
- An omniscient narrator knows everything that is going on, including the characters' inner thoughts and feelings
- A limited narrator only knows part of what is going on and that point of view is usually only focused on the inner thoughts and feelings of one or two characters.
Third person point of view is the most common point of view used when telling story.
Examples:
Carlos opened the door to the haunted house and peered inside. His heart was beating fast and his knees were shaking, but Carlos knew he had to figure out what was going on.
It was a typical summer Saturday. Dad was in the kitchen making pancakes. Mom was sitting on the deck reading a book. Lola was putting on her swimsuit so she would be ready to head to the pool right after breakfast.
Now that you know all about point of view, try to answer a few practice questions before tackling the worksheets.
Related Worksheets: