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When
students write formal papers for classes, they may be expected to
write their papers in the third person. This means that the use
of first person pronouns as well as the use of the understood
or indefinite you is avoided throughout the paper.
Though it is not always the case, the use of third person is expected
for the more formal papers students write for classes. Some
papers that are less formal and more personal, such as personal
narratives, require the use of first person pronouns and are
generally enhanced by their use.
Examples:
:
Though there are many speeders on the interstate highways, there is a
noticeable absence of Highway Patrol officers assigned to enforce the
limits.
First Person:
Though I have seen many speeders on the interstate highways, I
seldom see Highway Patrol officers enforcing the limits.
Indefinite You: Though
there are many speeders on the interstate highways, you seldom
see Highway Patrol officers enforcing the limits.
Understood You:
Notice that there are many speeders on the interstate highways, but
there is a noticeable absence of Highway Patrol officers assigned to
enforce the limits. ("You notice…" The you is
understood, even though it is not written in the sentence.)
Another
Example
This is another
example of writing in different points of view (third person, second
person and first person) from Jeff Colburn. It comes from one of his
short stories called "First Blood."
Third Person, also
called Omniscient (This is how it was written for publication.):
"Damn
them all to the seven hells of Anthion," Klempf yelled, as he took
another direct hit. His head throbbed from being thrown against the
control panel. A small trickle of red blood ran down between his blond
eyebrows.
Second Person:
"Damn
them all to the seven hells of Anthion," you yelled, as your ship
took another direct hit. Your head throbbed from being thrown against
the control panel. A small trickle of red blood ran down between your
blond eyebrows.
First Person:
"Damn
them all to the seven hells of Anthion," I yelled, as my ship took
another direct hit. My head throbbed from being thrown against the
control panel. A small trickle of red blood ran down between my blond
eyebrows.
As you can see, each
paragraph has a distinctly different flavor.
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Learn
more about Point of View in writings
first
person |
In the first
person point of view one character tells the story. This
character reveals only personal thoughts and feelings of
what s/he sees. The writer uses pronouns such as
"I" or "me" or "my."
Example:
I woke up this morning feeling terrific. I hopped out of
bed excited to start the new day. I knew that today was
the day my big surprise would come.
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| second
person |
With the
second person point of view the narrator tells the story
using the pronoun "you". The character is
someone similar to you.
Example:
You jump out of bed feeling really terrific. Then you hop
out of bed excited to start the new day. You know that
today is the day that your big surprise will come.
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third
person |
The third
person point of view is the most commonly used in fiction.
When writing in the third person you will use pronouns
such as "he", "she", or
"it".
Example:
Brian woke up feeling terrific. He hopped out of bed
excited to start the new day. He knew that today was the
day that his big surprise would come.
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