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.