Narrative Point of View

Narrative Point of View is the perspective the story or writing is being told from.

It is shown in the use of pronouns and there are three main types:

What are the Different types of POV?

	What is it?	Effect
First Person	Pronouns: I, me, my, mine, ours, we. First person tells us the thinking inside the head of the character or author. I woke up this morning and went to the shops. I saw Sarah there.	The reader or viewer easily connects emotionally with the character. Know their motivations, thinking and ideas more easily. But it makes it harder to see what other characters are experiencing, and harder to see the bigger picture.
Second Person	Pronouns: You, your Second person is used for instructions or talking directly to the audience. You, dear reader, know what’s really happening. Clean up your room. Mix three cups of flour with water.	Used mostly for giving instructions in how tos and procedures. Not used for narratives often except when ‘breaking the fourth wall’.
Third Person Omniscient	Pronouns: he, she, they, his, her, then Third person omniscient is used for informative writing and telling a story from multiple perspectives. Omniscient means ‘all seeing, all knowing’ (like ‘God’). Carrots are a root vegetable. They originate from Europe and Southwest Asia (Wikipedia, 2020). Lou went to the shops to buy carrots. Unbeknown to him, Sarah was also out of potatoes. When their eyes met across the produce shelf, it was love at first sight.	Useful to show objectivity. In narratives, it is useful to show the thoughts, motivations and experiences of multiple people at once. The disadvantage is that it is harder to make a connection with the narrator as it creates a distance between the reader/viewer and teh characters.
Third Person Limited	Pronouns: he, she, they, his, her, then The narrator sits outside the main character’s mind, but is still focused only on their thoughts and feelings. This is kind of like First Person. Lou woke up this morning and went to the shops. When he saw Sarah, his heart skipped a beat.	Useful to show the actions of multiple characters, but still maintain an emotional connection with the reader/viewer. This is kind of like the best of both worlds.

The different types of Narrative Point of View explained by referring to video games.

Check out Flocabulary’s Point of View rap. Yes, really. https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/point-of-view/

Which should I use?

If you are writing narratives, you can use any (usually third or first person). It depends on whether you are telling the story of one character (first person) or multiple characters (third person).

If you are writing informatively you should use third person.

If you are writing a personal persuasive argument, like an opinion piece, you can use first person.

If you are writing a formal or academic persuasive argument, like an essay, you should use third person.