{"id":4120,"date":"2013-06-27T17:51:04","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T17:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=4120"},"modified":"2026-03-26T11:38:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:38:39","slug":"point-of-view","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/point-of-view\/","title":{"rendered":"1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person Narratives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_NqdyBhBIVTA\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_NqdyBhBIVTA\" data-source-videoID=\"NqdyBhBIVTA\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person Narratives Video\" height=\"720\" width=\"1280\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person Narratives\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_NqdyBhBIVTA:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_NqdyBhBIVTA {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/new-thumb-2.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_NqdyBhBIVTA\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_NqdyBhBIVTA\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person Narratives\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_NqdyBhBIVTA\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_NqdyBhBIVTA\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_NqdyBhBIVTA\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction qC9_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"qC9\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"qC9_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"qC9\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#First_Person\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">First Person<\/a>\n<ul><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#First_Person_Omniscient\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">First Person Omniscient<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Second_Person\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Second Person<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Third_Person\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Third Person<\/a>\n<ul><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Objective_Third_Person\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Objective Third Person<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Subjective_Third_Person\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Subjective Third Person<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Third_Person_Omniscient\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Third Person Omniscient<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>Most everyone is familiar with the idea of a narrator, the person who\u2019s \u201cbehind\u201d the story as it\u2019s being told. But did you know that there\u2019s more than one type of narrator? Being able to tell the difference can be difficult, so let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"First_Person\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>First Person<\/h2>\n<p>\nWhen you\u2019re reading something from the perspective of a first-person narrator, it\u2019s kind of like you\u2019re reading someone\u2019s diary. You get to hear someone\u2019s unfiltered thoughts and emotions, and see other characters through their eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Some singular keywords you can look for in the text are <em>I<\/em>, <em>me<\/em>, and <em>my<\/em>, and some plural keywords are <em>we<\/em>, <em>our<\/em>, and <em>us<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>An example of standard first-person narration is the popular children\u2019s book, Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left;\">I was now beginning to grow handsome; my coat had grown fine and soft, and was bright black. I had one white foot and a pretty white star on my forehead.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nNow, you\u2019ll notice that this example uses the pronouns <em>I<\/em> and <em>my<\/em>, which tells us the narrator is speaking in the first person.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"First_Person_Omniscient\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>First Person Omniscient<\/h3>\n<p>\nLet\u2019s look at a subtype of first-person narration now called \u201cfirst person omniscient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This type of narrator is very much like a regular first-person narrator, but instead of just relaying their own thoughts to the reader, they also know and discuss the thoughts and emotions of the other characters in the book.<\/p>\n<p>It might be easier to remember the difference between first person and first person omniscient if you break up the word <em>omniscient<\/em>: <em>omni<\/em> meaning \u201call,\u201d and <em>scient<\/em> meaning \u201cknowing.\u201d When we put these together, we come up with a word that means \u201call-knowing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If <em>Black Beauty<\/em> had been told by a first-person omniscient narrator, the excerpt we just looked at might have said something a little bit different, like this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left;\">I was now beginning to grow handsome; when people looked at me they thought, &#8220;My, what a gorgeous horse he\u2019s becoming.&#8221; My coat had grown fine and soft, and my owner felt happy every time he brushed me. I was bright black, with one white foot and a pretty white star on my forehead that reminded my owner of the North Star.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Second_Person\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Second Person<\/h2>\n<p>\nOkay, let\u2019s move on and talk about second-person narration. This type of narration is addressed to a singular audience member, who is actually involved in the story as a character.<\/p>\n<p>One example of using second-person narration can be found in the novel <em>The Fifth Season<\/em> by N. K. Jemisin. While most of the novel is written in the third person, every chapter written about the character Essun is written in the second person. This makes the reader feel as though they are a character in the story.<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left;\">You\u2019re leaning on an old post that someone jammed up against the hill, maybe the remnants of a fence that ended here, drifting off with your hands tucked into your jacket pockets and your knees drawn up.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIn this example, the author uses the second-person pronoun <em>your<\/em> to turn the reader into one of the characters.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Third_Person\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Third Person<\/h2>\n<p>\nNow let\u2019s take a look at the most common type of narration: third person. This type of narration uses words like <em>she<\/em>, <em>he<\/em>, or a character\u2019s name to discuss the characters in the story. There are several different types of third-person narration, which makes it a flexible choice for a writer to use.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Objective_Third_Person\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Objective Third Person<\/h3>\n<p>\nThe first is called \u201cobjective third person,\u201d which doesn\u2019t include any thoughts or feelings belonging to the characters. You can think of this type of writing as if you\u2019ve been asked to recount the factual details of an event, like if you were asked to give a report to a security officer about something you witnessed. That might look something like this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left;\">The woman was wearing a pink sweatshirt with jeans. She walked into the store and looked around for a while. She walked over to the jewelry display, and after fiddling with the bracelets for a minute or two, she left the store. It wasn\u2019t until later that the store manager realized there was a bracelet missing, and by that time, the woman was long gone.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThis piece of writing only presents the observable facts, and there\u2019s not much wiggle room for opinions or feelings to show up. <\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Subjective_Third_Person\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Subjective Third Person<\/h3>\n<p>\nIf the author wanted to include thoughts of characters, they would need to write in subjective third person. That might look something like this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"text-align: left;\">Charlotte was wearing her favorite pink sweatshirt with jeans. She walked into the store and looked around for a while, trying to convince herself that what she was about to do was okay. She walked over toward the jewelry display, and thinking of her niece\u2019s birthday, she slipped a bracelet into her purse. She tried to suppress the guilt she felt, promising herself that she\u2019d come back and pay for the bracelet as soon as she could.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIn this version of the same event, the narrator relays the character&#8217;s thoughts and feelings to the reader. This type of narration is also called \u201cthird person limited,\u201d because the perspective is limited to only one character.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Third_Person_Omniscient\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Third Person Omniscient<\/h3>\n<p>\nThe final type of third-person narration is known as \u201cthird person omniscient.\u201d We already talked about the meaning of the word <em>omniscient<\/em>, so it may be easy for you to figure out what this type of narration looks like. This type of narrator knows all of the characters\u2019 thoughts and feelings and can choose which character they want to feature at will. If we take another look at our same scenario and rewrite it in third person omniscient, it might sound something like this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"transcriptcallout\" style=\"font-size: 92%; text-align: left;\">Charlotte walked into the store and looked around for a while, trying to convince herself that what she was about to do was okay. Linda, the store manager, received a text from the guy she went on a first date with last night. She had really liked him, and was so excited that he\u2019d already texted. Linda was staring at her phone and didn\u2019t notice Charlotte as she slipped a bracelet into her purse and left the store. Philip, a customer looking for a gift for his mom, approached Linda and asked where the bracelets were. When Linda went over to the display, she was horrified to notice that there was a bracelet missing! She called security, and Philip was nice enough to give a statement to them. He felt really nervous that security would think he was guilty, but he tried to be as factual as possible.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThis narration of the event has given us lots of details, which of course, made the narrative a lot longer, since it includes the thoughts and feelings of three people instead of just the basic facts. Notice that this type of narration can \u201cjump\u201d between characters whenever it serves the story best.<\/p>\n<p>All right, we\u2019ve talked about first, second, and third person narration today, including subtypes of each. Now you\u2019ll be able to identify what kind of narrative you\u2019re reading, and who is actually narrating the story!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/reading-comprehension\/\">Return to Reading Comprehension Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Reading Comprehension Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":239845,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-4120","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-reading-comprehension-videos","7":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4120"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":281717,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4120\/revisions\/281717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}