A Complete Guide to First, Second, and Third Person

Choosing the right point of view can transform any piece of writing – from immersing readers in a character’s thoughts to guiding them through a how‑to article. In English, writers usually choose between the first, second, or third person to establish the reader’s perspective. 

In our complete guide, we cover everything you need to know about first-, second-, and third-person points of view:

• How each point of view works
• When (and when not) to use each one
• Examples of each point of view in action

Let’s get started. 

What Are First, Second, and Third Person?

We use the terms first person, second person, and third person to describe a narrative point of view – that is, the perspective from which an author is voicing a piece of writing.

You can often identify the point of view by looking at the pronouns the writer uses:

What Is a First-Person Point of View?

In the first-person point of view, the author delivers the content from the perspective of the “speaker” – the person relaying the information. This person may be a real individual giving a personal account in a piece of nonfiction or a narrator or character describing events and objects in a work of fiction.

When to Use First Person 

Writing in the first person feels immediate and personal. It helps readers step inside the narrator’s or character’s head and understand their thoughts, arguments, and feelings up close.

The first person can be used to achieve several purposes:

• Build intimacy – Memoirs, personal essays, and character‑driven fiction rely on a strong “I” voice to forge a connection with the reader.
• Share lived experience – Travel blogs, case studies, and thought‑leadership pieces sound more authentic when the writer speaks directly from experience.
• Guide reflection – In academic or professional pieces, it’s fine to use “I” when you need to describe what you did – such as in a methodology section or a short reflective commentary.

We see the first person most often in narrative writing, but it can appear in formal documents and some academic work where personal insight is essential and clearly signposted.

Keep in mind that first‑person narration can also be unreliable. Because the story unfolds through one set of eyes, the reader’s picture of events is limited to what that speaker knows or chooses to reveal. If you need a wider lens, balance the “I” perspective with external evidence, quotations, or contrasting viewpoints.

When Not to Use First Person 

First person isn’t always the best tool. Skip it when your writing calls for distance, neutrality, or clear step‑by‑step focus:

• Formal essays and reports – Most academic writing calls for an impersonal tone. Using third person (e.g., this paper argues …) keeps attention on the evidence, not the writer.
• Technical or instructional materials – Readers care about the process, not the author.
• Panoramic or multi‑view storytelling – If the story needs scenes that the narrator can’t witness, third‑person limited or omniscient will serve you better.

When you must bring your own perspective into a formal context – say, in a short reflective note – signpost it clearly and keep the rest of the piece objective.

Examples of the First Person

Below are three excerpts that demonstrate how first-person narration can work in different contexts: immersive fiction, thought-leadership writing, and personal storytelling on a blog.

1. The opening of Daphne du Maurier’s novel Rebecca offers a classic example of fiction written in the first person. The narrator describes a dream with vivid detail and emotion, immersing the reader in her inner world:

Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me that I was passing through the iron gates that led to the driveway. The drive was just a narrow track now, its stony surface covered with grass and weeds. Sometimes, when I thought I had lost it, it would appear again, beneath a fallen tree or beyond a muddy pool formed by the winter rains. 

2. In a company blog post titled “Brand Loyalty: A Practical Guide for Long-Term Growth,” the writer uses the first person to establish authority and share their professional experience:

I’ve seen countless businesses transform their growth by attracting loyal buyers instead of constantly chasing new shoppers. I’ll walk you through everything you need to start building brand loyalty, including seven actionable tactics and real-world examples to inspire your strategy.

3. And in a post from the Expert Vagabond travel blog, Matthew Karsten reflects on how he first decided to travel full time. His use of first-person narration invites the reader into his personal journey:

It was 2009 when I first began planning to quit my job and travel. I was inspired by two friends. Both were traveling very cheaply, on a backpacker’s budget, living on less than it takes to live in the United States. I was completely enthralled with their photos and stories from exotic destinations around the world. They had me reading inspiring books and quotes about travel, and I was hooked!

What Is a Second-Person Point of View?

In the second-person point of view, the writer delivers the story or information from the perspective of the person being addressed. 

When to Use Second Person

Second-person narration speaks directly to the reader, which can be highly engaging when used effectively. The second-person point of view is rare in fiction, but’s widely used in:

• Marketing and sales copy to connect with readers by addressing their needs or aspirations
• How-to guides and instructional writing, where writers give clear, direct instructions
• Choose-your-own-adventure stories and role-playing games, where the reader is cast as the protagonist
• Experimental fiction, which sometimes uses the second person to challenge or immerse the reader in unconventional ways (e.g., Italo Calvino’s If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler)

When used well, second-person narration can create a persuasive or immersive experience that feels personal and immediate.

When Not to Use Second Person

Second person is powerful but can feel unnatural if misused. Avoid it when:

• Formality or neutrality is needed, such as in academic writing, research papers, or objective journalism
• Emotional distance is required, since second person can feel overly familiar or invasive
• Narrative complexity increases, as using “you” with multiple characters or viewpoints can confuse the reader
  

Unless you have a clear reason to use second person, and you’re confident it suits the audience and tone, it’s usually best reserved for specific formats and purposes.

Examples of the Second Person

These three excerpts illustrate how writers use the second-person point of view in very different ways, from fiction to marketing and instructional writing.

1. Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus uses the second person to bring the reader into the scene, placing them in the crowd outside the mysterious circus gates:

“What kind of circus is only open at night?” people ask. No one has a proper answer, yet as dusk approaches there is a substantial crowd of spectators gathering outside the gates. You are amongst them, of course. Your curiosity got the better of you, as curiosity is wont to do. You stand in the fading light, the scarf around your neck pulled up against the chilly evening breeze, waiting to see for yourself exactly what kind of circus only opens once the sun sets.

2. This excerpt from Mailchimp’s onboarding guide shows how second person can be used to reassure and motivate readers, anticipating their concerns and guiding them toward the next step:

If you don’t have any contacts yet, don’t worry! We’ll automatically generate a signup form for your audience, which you can post on your website or Facebook page, so you can start collecting contacts right away. Plus, we give you lots of options to customize the design of your signup form, so it’ll fit your brand.

3. Google’s Gmail Help article “Add another email account in the Gmail app” shows how clear, second-person instructions guide the reader through a process:

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Gmail app.
2. At the top right, tap your Profile picture and then Add another account.
3. Select the type of account that you want to add.
4. To add your account, follow the on-screen steps.

What Is a Third-Person Point of View?

The third-person point of view is that of someone other than the narrator or the reader. You can use the third-person perspective to tell stories from multiple perspectives or to take a more distant, “neutral” approach to the information you’re presenting.

When to Use Third Person

Third person is highly versatile and can be used in many types of writing. It can:

• Create emotional distance by observing characters from the outside
• Allow multiple perspectives in a single narrative or article
• Support an objective tone, particularly in academic, technical, or journalistic writing
• Offer narrative flexibility through limited or omniscient viewpoints

In fiction, you’ll often find two main types of third-person points of view: limited and omniscient.

A limited point of view means the author tells the story through the lens of a single character, revealing only what they know or perceive:

She heard a sound from above but chose to ignore it. There were more important things to focus on, such as the battle around her.

An omniscient point of view means the author tells the story from the perspective of an all-knowing narrator who can explain and describe events or information that the main character(s) may not be aware of:

She heard a sound from above. Unfortunately, she was too distracted by the battle to look up, so she missed the sight of a huge phoenix soaring over the castle.

When Not to Use Third Person

While third person is broadly accepted, it may not always be the best choice when:

• You want intimacy or subjectivity – First person might better suit personal essays or reflective writing.
• You need to speak directly to the reader – Second person is more effective for how-to content or persuasive copy.
• The tone requires closeness or vulnerability – Third person can feel too detached for confessional or conversational content.

When used thoughtfully, third person gives you the flexibility to shift perspective, the balance to present different viewpoints clearly, and the control to guide the reader through complex or large-scale narratives.

Examples of the Third Person

Third-person narration is flexible, lending itself to very different effects. The excerpts below demonstrate its range in whimsical fiction, factual reporting, and wry social commentary.

1. In J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, the third-person narrator evokes a sense of wonder and longing while maintaining emotional distance from the central character:

There could not have been a lovelier sight; but there was none to see it except a little boy who was staring in at the window. He had ecstasies innumerable that other children can never know; but he was looking through the window at the one joy from which he must be forever barred.

2. John Hersey’s Hiroshima demonstrates how third-person narration can be used in journalistic writing to present facts with a narrative structure:

At exactly fifteen minutes past eight in the morning, on August 6, 1945, Japanese time, at the moment when the atomic bomb flashed above Hiroshima, Miss Toshiko Sasaki, a clerk in the personnel department of the East Asia Tin Works, had just sat down at her place in the plant office and was turning her head to speak to the girl at the next desk.

3. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen employs an omniscient narrator to deliver one of the most famous – and wittiest – opening lines in English literature:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

Point of View and Dialogue

While the easiest way to identify the first, second, or third person is to look at the use of pronouns, remember to keep dialogue in mind.

When characters are speaking, they may use any number of different pronouns. This can cause confusion when you’re trying to identify the point of view of a piece of writing.

To avoid this confusion, focus only on the pronouns the writer uses in the narration – that is, everything except the dialogue. In the following example, the pronoun I outside the quotation marks tells us that the writing is in the first person, despite the use of third-person pronouns in the dialogue:

“He was there at first, but when she turned around, he had vanished,” I explained. Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to me.

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