LilbutMightyEnglishBlog CreativeWriting 5 1 1

Exploring Points of View (POV) in Composition Writing

Hi! My name is Mrs Loh and I’m a teacher at Lil’ but Mighty. If you are an avid reader like me, you will agree that a good story is often one that has a logical sequence of events and one that is written from a consistent point of view. When you write a story, you must decide who is telling the story and who owns it. This is called the points of view in English composition writing.

There are many ways of writing a story from different points of view but I will not be discussing all of them. Instead, I will be focusing on two points of view that are commonly used in composition writing – the first person point of view and the third person point of view. Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages when writing in the first person and in the third person. In this blog post, we will be weighing the pros and cons of using each point of view.

Points of View in Composition Writing


The First Person Point of View

When you choose to write a story in the first person POV, you write as if you are in the story. You are telling the story from your point of view. You own the story and you are in the story. Hence, the story will contain pronouns such as ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘my’, ‘we’ and ‘us’. Below is an example of a paragraph written in the first person point of view:

Points of View in Composition Writing

The greatest advantage of writing in the first person, is that it feels personal. When you write in the first person, the person reading the story feels an emotional connection because the main character in the story is speaking directly to the reader. Stories written in the first person can be very engaging because the person reading the story enters the private thoughts and feelings of the main character in a very personal way.

The downside to writing in the first person is that it can be limiting. The story can only include what the main character sees or experiences. The writer cannot describe the thoughts of other characters in the story. Thus, the person reading the story would not know what the other characters in the story are thinking, which at times can add another layer to the story and make it more interesting.

To ensure that the reader remains engaged, it is important to remember to describe the actions and reactions of the other characters as seen by the main character. For instance, in the example above, although the reader was not privy to what the narrator’s brother was thinking, he/she can still clearly see how angry his brother was through the use of dialogue and a description of his actions (bellowing and striding).


The Third Person Point of View

When you write a story in the third person, you are telling a story involving two or more characters in which you are not one of them. You are not in the story or part of the story. Hence, the story will contain pronouns such as ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they’, ‘his’, ‘hers’ and ‘theirs’. The only time the pronouns ‘I’, ‘my’, ‘our’, ‘we’ and ‘us’ are used is when they are used within speech tags. Below is an example of a paragraph written in the third person point of view:

Third Person Point of View

There are two major advantages of writing in the third person:

  • You can write about the thoughts and feelings of more than one character in the story. In the example, we know what both John and Peter were thinking.

  • You can describe the expressions on all the character’s faces (John’s face turning pale, Peter’s eyes blazing with fury) and can write about what continues to happen even though one or more characters have lost consciousness or if they are no longer present in the scene.

As such, the person reading a story written in the third person is able to experience the thoughts and feeling of all the characters in the story. This might allow him/her to have a richer and deeper overall understanding of the story.

There is, however, a major downside to writing in the third person. If you fail to show how each character is feeling or reacting, or if you fail to include the personal thoughts of the characters in the story, your story can end up sounding like a boring report about which character did this and which character did that. This is something that we want to avoid so if you do choose to write in the third person, you must ensure you power up your characters with descriptions of their thoughts, feelings and actions!


Which point of view should I choose?

So, should you write in the first person point of view or the third person point of view? Well, it’s really all up to personal preference and writing style. Before starting your story, always think about what you want to achieve.

If you want to raise the emotional stakes for the reader, you might want to consider writing in the first person. If your purpose is to tell a story objectively and to get the reader to experience the emotions and thoughts of all the characters in the story, writing from a third person point of view might be better.

Whichever point of view you choose, remember to maintain consistent points of view in English composition writing. Always check and edit your writing to make sure that there are no pronoun changes from the first to the third person.

In my next blog post, I will discuss three common point of view errors students make when writing in the first person point of view so do look out for it! Meanwhile, have fun experimenting with your writing!


Write and Shine

Introducing LBM’s newest Paper 1 Focused P6 Writing Programme for 2022 – Write & Shine!

Duration: 1.5 hr Weekly

Composition Writing (with 20 Composition Topics covered)

Situational Writing

Elaine
Ms. Elaine

I believe that language learning is not just about getting a good grade in school, it is empowering every child with the ability to express himself creatively and confidently. To me, the ability to use language to do just that is what makes us human. As a teacher, I always encourage every child I teach, to get out of his comfort zone in order to experiment with new writing techniques and to never be afraid of making mistakes because making mistakes often shows us how to do things even better!

Have something to share? Drop us a comment below!

Leave a Reply

Share

Other related posts

Understanding Purpose-Related Questions in Visual Text Comprehension
Verbs: More than Just Action Words! | Part 3: Changes in Verb Forms
Ketchup on English! – is, are, was and were!
Audience In Visual Text | Visual Text Comprehension
Metaphors For? | Part II – Implied Metaphors
10 Beautiful Vivid Verbs to Boost Your Writing and Oral! | Primary School English
Metaphors For? | Part I – An Introduction to Metaphors
3 Family-Friendly Shows on Netflix (Educational & Entertaining)!
Verbs: More than Just Action Words! | Part 2: Tenses
2021 Father’s Day Contest Winners
Verbs: More than Just Action Words! | Part 1: Subject-Verb Agreement
10 Beautiful Words You Can Use in Narrative / Descriptive Writing | Secondary School
Creative Writing | 3 Easy Steps to Write Your Own Haiku!
Ways To Create A Well-Rounded Character | Creative Writing
How Playing Video Games Can Improve Our English (With Practical Tips for Parents!)
Primary School Composition | Onomatopoeia – What’s That?
2021 Mother’s Day Contest Winners + Our Founder’s Journey (Mother’s Day Special)!
Composition Revision: Using Your 5 Senses in Your Writing
How to Create A Dynamic Piece of Writing Using Idioms
Ketchup on English! – Subject-Verb Agreement
Punctuation Marks: Colon Vs. Semicolon
4 steps to Create Suspense
That Simile Though 2 | Using Stronger Similes
That Simile Though | An Introduction to Similes
Applying Common Elements of Fairy Tales into Our Writing!
PSLE ORAL | Compiled Prelim 2021 Oral Topics + Questions!
If you’re looking at getting recent PSLE Prelim Oral topics and practice questions, this will be an excellent resource for you!
5 Steps to Convert a Newspaper Article into a Cloze Passage
I would like to share with you 5 steps on how authentic articles can be transformed into cloze passages easily. Read on here!
PSLE English | Oral Conversation: Free SG50 Sample Practice + Model Answers
In this blogpost we will be touching on the oral stimulus-based conversation topic of National Day and SG50! Read on here!
PSLE English | Oral Conversation: Filling your Story with Details Easily + Free Revision Cards
By simply using the 5W1H, your children will be able to lengthen their stories (hence, the conversation!). Read on here!
PSLE English | Situational Writing: Q&A + Formal vs Informal Writing Comparison Chart
To aid you in your situational writing revision, here is a comparison chart that shows the differences between formal and informal writing!
PSLE English Tips | Oral: Stimulus-Based Conversation Checklist
To help my children handle the Stimulus-Based Conversation examination, here are some instructions again about using the checklist!
A Little Encouragement | DIY Motivational Bookmark (Easy to personalise too!)
A bookmark with a quote to motivate is also a chance for them to see the power of words and how words can mean more than what they seem.
Situational Writing: Step-by-Step Guide + Free Revision Card
I believe a walkthrough on the process of doing situational writing is in order. Here are the requirements for content and language!
I Love Reading | 5 Ways to Motivate Reluctant Readers
One of the most important ingredients necessary for a child or anyone learning English is the habit of reading. Get motivated to read now!
PSLE English | Printable Ultimate Grammar & Synthesis Summary
Today, we are sharing two lists of essentials in our Ultimate Grammar and Synthesis Summary Printable. Download them free here!
How Well Do You Know Your Past Participles?
While we are familiar with the past, present and future tenses, the little less known but equally important tense is the past participles.
Primary Composition Writing | Starting Sentences with Introductory Clauses
Today, we'll be revising the use of sentence starters to help you create variety in your sentence structures. Read on here!
The Sentence Train | Lower Primary English
Today, we are going to learn what makes up a sentence. It will come in handy when you do the word order activity in school! Read on here!
PSLE English Tips | Oral: Reading Checklist
This Oral Reading Checklist can be used by children when they practise reading on their own. Download it now!
Language of COVID | 10 Words Added to the Dictionary
Using Personification to Show, Not Tell!
Expressing Character Feelings Too! | Using Show-Not-Tell (Part 2)
How to Choose a Book to Read: 8 Ways
How to Dress Up A Boring Paragraph | Creative Writing
Ketchup on English! – Halloween Special: Prepositions of Time!
Ketchup on English! – Verbs Are Not Just Action Words!
Expressing Character Feelings | Using Show-Not-Tell
Which Picture Should I Use? | Choosing the Best Picture to Use for Composition!
Oral: Reading Passage | Long Vowels – Have You Been Reading Your Vowels Correctly?
Previous
Next

Like what you are reading?

Subscribe now to receive news and tips hot off the press!

shape icon 06
shape icon 05