Point
of View refers to
the viewpoint from which a story or essay is written. There are three
primary points of view - first, second and third. What is important
to remember is that point of view should be consistent throughout a
document or essay.
FIRST
PERSON: First person is written in the point of
view of the author. For example, if you are remembering a childhood
memory, you would use first person. Pronouns associated with first person
include I, me, my, myself, etc. You might begin your
essay like this:
"I
remember when I was in first grade. Mrs. Dilley, my art teacher..."
SECOND
PERSON: Second person uses the pronoun you.
This document is written in second person because instructions are being
given directly to you, the reader. You have probably heard that you
shouldn't write your school essays in second person. In formal or scholarly
writing, you should avoid the use of second person. It should be reserved
for writings of direct address - personal letters or documents that
give specific instructions, for example. Many writers make the common
mistake of switching to second person when referring to an example:
"I
remember when I was in first grade. Mrs. Dilley, my art teacher, gave
me an assignment to knit a small item. You know how you feel when you
get an assignment you don't quite know how to accomplish..."
vs.
"I
remember when I was in first grade. Mrs. Dilley, my art teacher, gave
me an assignment to knit a small item. I felt uneasy about an assignment I didn't know how to accomplish..."
Now, the passage is written consistently in first person.
THIRD
PERSON: This is
the required point of view for formal and preferred for business communications.
It helps to make the writing objective by removing personal references.
It uses pronouns such as he, she, they, it, etc. Most students have the greatest difficulty in changing their second
person writings into third person. For example:
"For
more information on this subject, you can see their website at..."
to
"More
information on this subject can be found on their website at..."
For a step by step discussion on POV and Using Third Person Perspective, take a look at this PowerPoint presentation. Be sure to view this in PRESENTATION VIEW in order to see all slides properly.
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