Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

2. The point of view of note A is more effective
than the point of view of note B because
a. note A feels less formal.
b. note A speaks personally to the reader.
c. note A addresses the reader as an individual.
d. all of the above.
Most people would prefer note A for all of these
reasons, so the answer is d. First of all, in note A, the
writer speaks directly to the reader (you). In note B,
the writer speaks in the third person (“students”); the
note never acknowledges that you are a student. As a
result, note B sounds more formal or official. The sec-
ond-person point of view, however, addresses you
personally. It singles you out as an individual, not as a
category (student). It is almost like note A was written
just for you.
Second Person and Audience
In fact, because note A uses the second-person point of
view, you can make certain assumptions about the
audience for this note. Reread note A and then answer
this question:
3. Note A was most likely written for
a. students considering the financial planning
class for next year.
b. instructors at the school.
c. students enrolled in the financial planning
class only.
d. all students at the community college.
Because note A uses the second-person pronoun
you, you can assume that it is written for c, only stu-
dents enrolled in the financial planning class. It must
be, because it can’t work for any other audience because
of its pronoun.
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A M AT T E R O F P E R S P E C T I V E : P O I N T O F V I E W
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9 2

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Note B, on the other hand, could be used for a
much larger audience. In fact, the note could be a
description in a course catalogue designed for all stu-
dents at the college as well as the general public. So, the
third-person point of view may have been used in note
B not to create a distance between the reader and the
writer, but to allow for a wider audience.
Writers may also use you to make readers feel as
if they are taking part in the action or ideas being
expressed in the text. For example, let’s imagine that a
writer wants to convince readers in a particular town
that a community garden is a good idea. The writer
could use the third-person point of view as in the fol-
lowing paragraph: