Employing Narrative Voice

First person refers to the speaker. Second person point of view: Second person refers to the addressee. Third person point of view: Third person refers to a third party individual. The speaker is referring to him as the addressee.


  • First, Second, and Third Person: Definition and Examples - Writing Explained!
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He prefers coffee to hot cocoa. When using the different points of view, verbs need to be conjugated appropriately to fit the pronoun use.

First person pronouns always refer to the speaker himself. These pronouns are only used when the speaker is making a statement about himself or herself. Second person pronouns always refer to the addressees of the speaker himself. Second person pronouns are only used when the speaker is making a statement to the addressee, i. Third person pronouns always refer to a third party.

How to Fix Mistakes in Your Writing. Third Person Limited Narrator: Third Person Omniscient Narrator: Citing Textual Evidence to Support Analysis. Interpreting Figurative Language in Fiction. Cause and Effect and Comparison Questions. Theme Lesson for Kids: Test Prep and Practice.

Intro to Criminal Justice: Jeff Calareso Jeff teaches high school English, math and other subjects.

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Just who is telling this story? Point of View Everywhere I go, people ask me for my point of view. First Person If you're like me, it makes sense to start with me. Second Person But first, we need to talk about you; and by you, I mean second person point of view.


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  3. First, Second, and Third Person: How to Recognize and Use Narrative Voice!
  4. Third Person You know what is common? Try it risk-free No obligation, cancel anytime. Want to learn more? Select a subject to preview related courses: Using and Identifying For your own writing, it's critical that you're consistent with your point of view within a work. Learning Outcomes After this lesson, you should be able to: Define point of view Describe the three points of view in writing: Unlock Your Education See for yourself why 30 million people use Study. Become a Member Already a member? Earning College Credit Did you know… We have over college courses that prepare you to earn credit by exam that is accepted by over 1, colleges and universities.

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    Your goal is required. Email Email is required. Email is not a valid email. Email already in use. Is this meant to be a private telling or public?

    Grammatical person

    This will affect the tone and the language of your piece. It is also important to consider how much time has passed between events. If the events are happening right now, there will probably be a larger emotional reaction from the narrator. But if the events of the story have occurred in the past, your narrator may be more objective. In addition, you must decide who is telling the story. Will your protagonist be telling the story, or will a witness tell the story? Perhaps the events happened a long time ago, and the story is being retold.

    So many decisions to make! Every choice has implications. Allowing your protagonist to tell the story gives more intimacy between reader and character. It might also allow you to play with an unreliable narrator. If a witness tells the story, you could argue that the witness is more objective or less, in the case of poor Nick Carraway of The Great Gatsby. If an impartial member is retelling the story, it's possible that the narration is more reliable.

    So, what do you think? Lots to consider, right? Well, don't choose this point of view just yet—we still have two more to play with. The second-person point of view is by far the least common, but when used correctly, it can have a great effect. This narrative voice is often used for your protagonist to speak to an earlier or younger version of himself or herself. It's difficult to pull off because, often, it's unclear to the reader whom the writer is addressing. You can also use this point of view to speak directly to the reader, as illustrated by Calvino in the aforementioned example.

    If you make it very clear from the beginning whom the narrator is addressing, it is possible to pull off the second person.

    First, Second, and Third Person: Definition and Examples

    So don't discount it from the get-go. However, it's not just a gimmick, so a lot of deliberation is necessary. Here it is, at last. The third-person point of view dominates most popular and contemporary literature. That's because it's so diverse, and there are so many ways to play with it. Let's take a look. There are three main types of third-person point of view: The limited point of view is arguably the most popular.

    We're allowed a close look into a single character, which often links the reader to your protagonist.

    Point of View: First, Second & Third Person - Video & Lesson Transcript | theranchhands.com

    It's fun to play with because you can manipulate the distance a bit. A close third-person limited point of view looks into the thoughts and feelings of only a single character. Many novels step back from this to allow for a wider scope. It's all about distance.

    So if we're linking to a single character, don't tell us how another one is feeling. Stepping back every now and again to examine another character distances us from the protagonist, which can be used advantageously. A lot to consider. The objective point of view is when the narrator tells you what the narrator sees and hears without describing the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist.

    Ah, the omniscient point of view, hammered into the brains of students everywhere. It is, of course, the all-knowing narrator. This narrator knows everything about everyone it's like the Gretchen Weiners of narrators. But don't be fooled. What your teachers didn't tell you is that not everything has to be shared. Just because this narrator knows everything doesn't mean the narrator is not selective about the information garnered.

    Most fun of all? You can play with the tone and voice of your narrator in any of the third-person points of view. It doesn't have to be linked to your character's voice, or yours, at all. Maybe your narrator is sarcastic or pities your main character. Maybe he or she is really tired and doesn't even want to be telling this story. Or maybe the narrator of the story was secretly the villain all along dun, dun, dun. Not to be the soccer mom handing out popsicles because " all the kids are the most valuable players," but each point of view has its own strengths to be used for different advantages.

    That said, they also still have limitations.

    Identifying Narrative Voice

    Sorry, Timmy, but you cannot score a goal from across the field just yet. Taking all this knowledge into consideration, we want to see those brains storming away! Putting a pen to paper to try all the different narrative voices is the best way to see which one will work for you.

    All you need to do now is give it a shot.