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    • What Is Second-Person Point of View (POV) in Writing?

    If you’re a fiction writer, you may have been told never to write in the second-person point of view. Or perhaps you’re a business writer who’s been told to always use it?

    But what exactly is second-person narration and why do people have such fixed opinions about when it’s okay to use it?

    This guide gives you everything you need to know, including helpful examples and practical exercises so you can get it right.

    What Is Narrative Point of View?

    Point of view is the narrative voice you use to write in. It tells us who is speaking and is split into first, second, and third person.

    You might hear people talking in different terms to describe narrative point of view, including the acronym "POV", "narrative voice", and "perspective". They all mean the same thing.

    You can usually tell the narrative voice easily by looking at the pronouns used:

    • First person: I
    • Second Person: You
    • Third person: she, he (or a character’s name)

    First Person Perspective

    In the first person point of view, a character is telling their own story. It creates an intimate atmosphere, making the reader feel as if they know the character well already. First person can also intentionally restrict the information shared with a reader.

    The narrator is limited to their own perspective on events and can only talk about the things they have experienced.

    Second-Person Perspective

    With second-person point of view, the writer addresses the reader using the pronoun "you". It forces the reader into the story, making them part of the action and complicit in events. This is hard to sustain over longer pieces of writing, which is one reason it is rarely used in narrative texts.

    Third Person Perspective

    In the third person point of view, the author is telling the story of different characters, but is not part of the action themselves. This perspective is further divided into "omniscient", "neutral", and "limited" perspectives.

    First Person, Second Person, and Third Person: Learn Point of View

    First, second, and third person are ways of describing points of view.

    • First person is the I/we perspective.
    • Second person is the you perspective.
    • Third person is the he/she/it/they perspective.
    • Point of view in writing refers to the perspective from which a story or piece of text is discussed.
    • Here are some point of view examples: I love my dog (first person); You love my dog (second person); She loves my dog (third person)

    It helps to think of first-, second-, and third-person points of view as the perspectives from which a speaker or author voices a sentence. Establishing a clear point of view is essential because it dictates how readers interpret characters, events, ideas, and other important details.

    Here are some essential guidelines and examples for understanding point of view.

    Table of contents

    What do first person, second person, and third person mean?

    What is first person point of view?

    What is second person point of view?

    What is third person point of view?

    How do I use point of view correctly in writing?

    What do first person, second person, and third person mean?

    First person, second person, and third person refer to the different ways of describing point of view. In grammar, the concept of person allows us to tell the difference between the writer or speaker (first person), the person being addressed (second person), and all other subjects, objects, and ideas being discussed (third person).

    The term “point of view” in grammar and literature refers to the perspective from which a story or piece of text is narrated. Here’s another way to look at it: Point of view determines whose eyes a story is told through. It can significantly affect how information is presented and how readers interpret and engage with a text.

    Different personal pronouns are used to express first, second, and third person (more on those in

    Second Person

    What Is Second Person?

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    The term "second person" refers to the speaker's audience (i.e.,"you"). For example:
    • I am speaking to you about her.
      • ("I" is the speaker, so "I" is in the first person. "You" is the person being spoken to, so "you" is in the second person. "Her" is in the third person.)

    Table of Contents

    • "Second Person" Explained
    • Second Person in Grammar
    • Examples of Second Person Pronouns in Different Cases
    • First, Second, and Third Person Pronouns
    • Why the Second Person Is Important
    • Video Lesson
    • Test Time!

    "Second Person" Explained

    "Second person" is another way of saying "you." In other words, it is the person or people being spoken to. For example:
    • The teacher is speaking to you.
    • The policeman is looking at you.
      • (Even though this example is about looking, the speaker is talking to "you.")
    • You are a star!
    The idea of first person, second person, and third person becomes clearer when they are explained together. All the personal pronouns(i.e., "I," "you," "he," "she," "it," "we," "they") are grouped into one of three categories: Note: First person refers to the speaker himself or a group that includes the speaker (i.e.," I," "me," "we," and "us"). Third person refers to everybody else (e.g., "he," "him," "she," "her," "it," "they," "them"), including all other nouns (e.g., "Bill," "Russians," "termite," "lions").

    Second Person in Grammar

    Examples of Second Person Pronouns in Different Cases

    Here are the second person pronouns in the subjective case, the objective case, and the possessive case: Note: There is no difference in how the "second person singular" and "second person plural" forms are written. We have to rely on context to tell us whether "you" means one person or more than one.

    First, Second, and Third Person Pronouns

    The table below shows the first, second, and third person pronouns. The second person pronouns are shaded.

    Why the Second

    6 Examples and Excerpts of Second Person Point of View in Fiction

    Did you ever read those pick-your-path books as a child – the ones where you got to choose how the plot progressed?

    Those stories are the perfect example of second person point of view fiction writing. They put you – the reader – at the very centre of the action.

    But second person isn’t a POV we come across very often in fiction.

    Here I take a look at why that’s the case and share some excellent examples of second person point of view from fiction writers who chose to go against the grain.

     

    What is second person point of view?

    Second person point of view is written in the second person, using the pronoun you.

    It’s a point of view that we associate with self-help books and advertising slogans. We also come across it in poetry and in song lyrics. But in fiction? Not so much.

    In fact, this POV is probably the least utilised of the lot.

    First person, third person limited and third person omniscient points of view are much more familiar to readers – and writers too.

    However, some writers have used the format to great effect (as we’ll see in a few second person point of view examples a little later on).

    But – first things first - who is the you in a second person point of view story? There are actually a few different possibilities:

    1. The narrator is addressing the reader

    2. The narrator is addressing themselves

    3. The narrator is addressing another character

    So let’s take a closer look at why a writer might choose to use a second person point of view for their story – and why they might avoid it.

    Advantages of using second person point of view

    • In a second person narrative, the writer casts the reader as the main character. The reader is placed at the very centre of the story, which makes for an intense and immersive reader experience.

    • This POV can also be used to reinforce the key themes and ideas of the story. Perhaps the narrator wants to distance themselves fr