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Pioneers English

English · Analytical reading

Narrator & POV

First person, third person, and reliability.

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What is point of view?

Point of view (POV) means who is telling the story. The narrator is the voice that speaks to the reader. First-person uses 'I' or 'we'; third-person uses 'he', 'she', 'they'. Different narrators share different amounts of information.

First-person narrators

A first-person narrator is a character in the story. They use 'I' to describe events. We only know what that character sees, thinks and feels. We experience the story through their eyes alone.

Third-person narrators

A third-person narrator stands outside the story. They refer to characters as 'he', 'she' or 'they'. Some third-person narrators know everything (omniscient). Others follow one character closely (limited). Omniscient means all-knowing.

Reliable and unreliable narrators

A reliable narrator tells the truth and understands events correctly. An unreliable narrator might lie, misunderstand, or have a skewed view. Young children, biased characters, or people hiding secrets often make unreliable narrators.

Why does point of view matter?

POV shapes what readers know and how we judge characters. A first-person narrator creates closeness but limits our view. Third-person can show multiple perspectives. Spotting unreliable narrators helps us read critically and question the story.

Worked examples

  1. 1. I crept downstairs and saw the broken vase. Mum would blame me, but it wasn't my fault! What is the POV?

    1. The narrator uses 'I' and 'me', so this is first-person.
    2. We only know the narrator's thoughts and feelings.
    3. The answer is first-person.

  2. 2. Tom didn't know that Sarah had planned the surprise for weeks. He opened the door, stunned. What is the POV?

    1. The narrator uses 'he' to describe Tom.
    2. The narrator knows Sarah's secret and Tom's reaction—information Tom doesn't have.
    3. This is third-person omniscient because the narrator knows more than one character.

  3. 3. I'm the best player on the team. Everyone says so. My coach barely lets me play. Is this narrator reliable?

    1. The narrator claims to be the best, but the coach doesn't play them much.
    2. These facts don't match—either the narrator is wrong or exaggerating.
    3. This is likely an unreliable narrator with a biased view of their own skill.

Try it yourself

Ella watched the man shuffle papers nervously. She couldn't hear his conversation, but his frown told her enough. What is the POV?

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