1. Point of View And Tone

2. Point of View The author is the person who wrote the story. The narrator is the person who is telling the story. The narrator tells the story from a certain point of view, or perspective. The narrator can be telling the story from the point of view of a character in the story, or the narrator can be telling the story from the point of view of a person outside the story.

3. Point of ViewDefinitionCluesExamples First PersonA first-person narrator is always a character in the story. He or she only knows what that character knows, sees, thinks, and feels. This type of character cannot tell you what is happening anywhere else. The narrator uses words such as I, we, us, and our. The narrator only knows what him or herself is thinking. When I walked into the kitchen, I saw Mandy sitting at the table. I had no idea what she was doing there. She looked up and smiled at me when I said, “hello.” Third PersonA third-person narrator is not a character in the story. He or she may know what one or more characters are thinking and feeling and what is happening in another place The narrator tells the story using the words he, she, him, her, they, them. The narrator knows what one or more people are thinking. Mandy sat at the table, anxiously waiting for Ted to arrive. When he came in, she looked up and smiled at him. He was nervous and stammered, “hello.”

4. Point of ViewDefinitionCluesExamples Omniscient Third Person An omniscient third- person narrator knows everything about all characters and events at all times and is not part of the story. The narrator uses words such as he, she, they, and them. Mandy sat at the table, anxiously waiting for Ted to arrive. When he came in, she smiled at him. He was too nervous to say anything. Limited Third Person A limited-third-person narrator is not a part of the story and knows what only one character is thinking (usually the main character.) The narrator tells the story using the words he, she, him, her, they, them. Mandy sat at the table, anxiously waiting for Ted to arrive. Ted came in and stared at her. She was wondering what he was thinking.

5. Tone The tone is how the author feels about the story or something in it. When you identify the tone, you figure out the author’s attitude toward his or her subject matter.

6. The tone of the passage is the author’s attitude about what he or she is writing about. Examples of Tone Fun (the author writes in a playful way that makes you smile) Mysterious (the author writes in a way that makes you wonder what is happening) Suspenseful (the author intentionally builds up tension to make you feel anxious about what is going to happen Serious (The author writes in a serious and straightforward way) Funny (the author writes in a humorous way, designed to make you laugh) Mocking (the author intentionally makes fun of the story or something in it) When considering the tone of a story, think about the author’s approach to the story. Ask yourself how the author feels about the subject matter. Ask yourself how you feel when you read the passage.