Point of View

Revision Review

What is Point of View?

• Point of view determines the perspective of the essay. Whose viewpoint is it? Is it a personal response? Is it more detached and factual?

• Essays may be written in one of two perspectives – first person point of view or third person point of view.

First Person Point of View

• If an essay is written in first person point of view, it gives the writer’s personal thoughts.

• The pronouns used in first person point of view can include the following: I, me, we, us, my, mine, our, ours, myself, ourselves.

• To decide if an essay should be written in first person, look at the prompt or question. Does it ask for a personal response?

Test Yourself• Read the following prompts. On scrap paper,

write “yes” if the essay should be in first person or “no” if it should not.

• Tell about your favorite childhood memory.• Explain why students should be able to carry

backpacks.• Justify why you think students should each get

their own tablet.• Justify why students should go on field trips.

Check Your Answers

• Yes• No• Yes• No

Third Person Point of View• An essay written in third person tells about a

subject. It does not include any personal reflection.

• Pronouns that can be used in a third person point of view essay include: he, she, it, they, him, her, them, his, her, hers, its, their, theirs, himself, herself, itself, themselves.

• To decide if an essay should be written in first person, look at the prompt or question. Does it ask for a personal response?

Test Yourself• Read the following prompts. On scrap paper,

write “yes” if the essay should be in third person or “no” if it should not.

• Explain why every student should have to read the story “The Lottery.”

• Compare and contrast plant and animal cells.• You are a Civil War soldier. Describe what

happens in your first battle.

Check Your Answers

• Yes• Yes• No

The Word “You”

• Essays should never contain the pronoun “you.” “You” is a second person pronoun. That means the writer is talking directly to someone. Essays do not talk to anyone.

Practice

• Read the following thesis restatement. On separate paper, re-write it to remove the second person pronoun.

• As you can see, marine animals need protected from commercial fishermen.

Check Your Answer

Marine animals need protected from commercial fishermen.

It is important that marine animals be protected from commercial fisherman.

Commercial fishermen should not be allowed to harm marine animals.

Practice• Recopy this paragraph on scrap paper to make it

completely in third person.

• I think all young children should participate in a recreational sports team. It would be good for them. You could learn good things like team work and dedication. We could also get fit. I believe we should play sixty like the NFL players suggest. As you can see, participating in a recreational sports team is vital.

Check Your Answer

• All young children should participate in a recreational sports team. It would be good for them. They could learn good things like team work and dedication. Players could also get fit. They should play sixty like the NFL players suggest. Evidence proves that participating in a recreational sports team is vital.

Apply What You Have Learned

Now that you have completed this review, get a review quiz from your teacher. Take the quiz and return it to her. Then, access your essay on google docs. Look at the comments about point of view. Make any corrections on the document. Then, get your rubric from your folder. Take the rubric and computer to your teacher to add points back to your essay score.