First, Second,and ThirdPerson: How toRecognize andUse NarrativeVoice

Identifying the point of view in a

novel can be somewhat confusing.

Introduction

First, second, and third person are all

types of grammatical person. To

identify which one is used, you have

to find the pronouns in the sentence.

First-Person Point of View: The text uses the

pronouns "I," "we," "me," "us," "my," "mine," or

"ours."

Second-Person Point of View: The text uses

the pronouns "you," "your," or "yours."

Third-Person Point of View: The text uses the

pronouns "he," she," "it," "they," "him," "hers,"

"them," "their," "his," "its," or "theirs."

What's the Difference?

Let's look at examplesfrom the first lines ofsome famous books!

First Person

First Person

First Person

Second Person

Third Person

Third Person

Third Person

Third Person

Ready for SomeTrickier Examples?These examples are instanceswhere there is no pronoun or thesubject doesn't seem to appear in

the sentence.

Sometimes, it's difficult to identify narrative voiceby a single sentence. Because no pronounsare used here, the novel's third-person point

of view is not yet evident.

This seems to be written from the third-person point ofview, but if you read on in the text, the first-person

point of view is used. Be sure to look at more than onesentence before deciding on narrative voice.

This novel begins, as shown, using the first-personpoint of view. However, it switches to the third-person point of view halfway through! Be sure to

watch for shifts such as these.

By reading on, it becomes clear thatFahrenheit 451 is written from the

third-person point of view.

For more information about narrative

voice, check out the full article here.

Thanks for Reading!

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