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Point of View – First-person, Second-Person and Third Person
First-person |
expresses the personal view of the speaker or author.
Pronouns for first-person are: I, me, my, mine, we, our and us.
Example: I will bring the book to Jack. |
Second-person |
directly addresses the reader or listener.
Pronouns for second-person are: you, your and yours.
Example: You will bring the book to Jack. |
Third-person |
is the detached, objective observer.
Third-person pronouns are: he, she, him, her, his, hers, they, them, their and theirs.
Example: They will bring the book to Jack. |
General Rules of Thumb
Use the same point of view throughout the whole paper. Use first-person for personal essays or assignments that ask for your personal perspective or experiences. Do not use second-person in your assignments except if your assignment or rhetorical mode requires it. Use third-person for research papers, literature reviews or other academic writing assignments.
Misuse of Second-Person POV in Assignments
Many students use second-person point of view incorrectly in their papers. The pronoun
"you" indicates that you are using second-person point of view. This means you are talking directly to
the reader (as I am talking directly to you, the reader, in this sentence). Very often, students use what's known as
the "universal you," which is meant to include everyone in the world. Obviously, one cannot speak for everyone in the
world, so this should not be used. An example is below:
"Diversity is more important in today's world because if you are exposed
to other cultures or religions you will learn new things. You will
learn to be more sensitive to others and not so judgmental of others."
Even though this student is writing in second-person, she is not actually telling me, the reader, how
I view diversity. These are her observations or beliefs about the benefits of diversity. She cannot possibly know how I
(or everyone in the world) will respond to diversity. Not everyone will learn to be more sensitive to others. Not everyone
is willing to learn new things when exposed to other cultures or religions. She is making general statements about her
views on diversity, but incorrectly using second-person to describe them and, therefore, claiming that I, the reader,
will experience these benefits.
The example paragraph in first-person looks like this:
"Diversity is more important in today's world because if I am are exposed
to other cultures or religions I will learn new things. I will learn
to be more sensitive to others and not so judgmental of others."
She could also use "we" or "us," but she would have to be sure to word her statements so that
she is not implying that everyone in the world would react the same way. For example:
"Diversity is more important in today's world because if we are exposed
to other cultures or religions we may have an opportunity to learn new things.
We might also learn how to be more sensitive to others and not so judgmental of others."
There are times when it is appropriate to use second-person. Let's say that you were writing an
article on time management for a magazine and you were listing suggestions to your readers, it would be appropriate
to use you there because you are speaking directly to your audience. For example: Good time management consists
of accurately describing goals. First, make a list of your long-term goals. Then list your short-term goals for each
long-term goal.
Second person (you) is not used in academic writing. Use third-person (her, him, he, she, they, them)
when you want to provide an objective point of view and first-person when you are talking about your own experiences or ideas.
Point of View Shifts
Choose your appropriate point of view and use it all way through the assignment. It is incorrect and
confusing for the reader to shift from one point of view to another in the same sentence, paragraph or paper.
The incorrect shift in person demonstrated here is common in student papers:
I think diversity is more important in today's world because if you are
exposed to other cultures or religions you will learn new things. You will learn to be
more sensitive to others and not so judgmental of others."
In this example, the author moves from first person ("I") to second person ("you ").
Check your pronouns carefully to make sure that you maintain the same point of view throughout
your entire sentences, paragraphs and papers.
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