Point of View in Stories Flashcards

Grade 3 · English · Flashcards

Review the types of point of view and key vocabulary for understanding who tells a story.

Flashcards

Point of view (POV): The perspective from which a story is told; determines what the reader learns
Narrator: The voice telling the story; can be a character or an outside observer
First-person POV: The narrator IS a character; uses 'I,' 'me,' 'my,' 'we' — reader only knows what the narrator knows
Second-person POV: The narrator speaks to 'you' the reader directly; rare in stories but common in directions
Third-person POV: The narrator is outside the story; uses 'he,' 'she,' 'they,' or character names
Third-person limited: Third-person narration that only reveals the thoughts of ONE character
Third-person omniscient: Third-person narration that knows ALL characters' thoughts and feelings
Pronoun clues: 'I/me' = first person; 'you' = second person; 'he/she/they' = third person
Reliable narrator: A narrator whose account of events the reader can trust to be accurate
Character's perspective: How a character sees, interprets, and reacts to events based on their own experiences and feelings
Inner thoughts: What a character is thinking; accessible in first person (narrator only) or third omniscient (all characters)
Bias in narration: When a first-person narrator's personal feelings affect how events are described
Author's choice: The decision a writer makes about which point of view to use based on the effect they want on the reader