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

4. Paragraph A uses
a. first-person pronouns (I, we).
b. second-person pronouns (you).
c. third-person pronouns (he, she, they).
5. Paragraph B uses
a. first-person pronouns (I, we).
b. second-person pronouns (you).
c. third-person pronouns (he, she, they).
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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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Paragraph A uses the third person (c), while para-
graph B uses the second person (b). Now, which para-
graph do you find more convincing? Most people
would be more convinced by paragraph B. Why?
6. Paragraph B seems more convincing because
a. you puts the readers into the action of the
paragraph.
b. you makes readers pay more attention.
c. you makes readers imagine themselves in that
situation.
d. all of the above.
The second-person point of view does all of these
things (d), and that’s why it is often more convincing
than the other points of view. The second-person point
of view puts you, the reader, directly into the situation.
As soon as you read that word you, you start to pay
extra attention because the writer is addressing you
directly. And you can’t help but imagine yourself enjoy-
ing the benefits of a community garden because the
writer puts you in each scenario. The writer of this
paragraph knows that if you imagine yourself in these
situations, you are much more likely to see the benefits
of a community garden.

S u m m a r y
You can see by now how important point of view is in
writing, for each point of view creates a certain effect.
Sometimes, it brings the reader and the writer closer
together; sometimes, it pushes them apart. Some-
times, it makes an argument more convincing
through third-person objectivity; sometimes, an argu-
ment is more convincing through second-person
involvement; and sometimes, it’s more convincing
through first-person intimacy. Writers choose their
point of view carefully in order to create a certain
relationship both with their ideas and with the reader.