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

L E S S O N
A Matter of
Perspective:
Point of View
L E S S O N S U M M A R Y
This lesson introduces you to the concept of point of view, one strategy writ-
ers use to convey their meaning to readers. Aspects such as whether writ-
ers use the more subjective I or the more objective one, whether they
address readers as you or merely refer to an anonymous they, influence how
readers understand what the writer has written.
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T h r e e K i n d s o f P o i n t o f V i e w
When it comes to expressing point of view, writers can
use three distinct approaches:
■
First-person point of view is a highly individual-
ized, personal point of view in which the writer or
narrator speaks about his or her own feelings and
experiences directly to the reader using these pro-
nouns: I, me, mine; we, our, us.
■
Second-person point of view is another personal
point of view in which the writer speaks directly to
the reader, addressing the reader as you.
■
Third-person point of view is an impersonal,
objective point of view in which the perspective is
that of an outsider (a “third person”) who is not
directly involved in the action. There is no direct
reference to either the reader (second person) or
the writer (first person). The writer chooses from
these pronouns: he, him, his; she, her, hers; it, its;
and they, them, theirs.
All these points of view are available to writers,
but not all of them may be appropriate for what they’re
writing, and only one will create the exact effect a writer
desires. That’s because each approach establishes a par-
ticular relationship between the reader and the writer.