LANGUAGE AND STYLE

Prof. Alaoui
 LANGUAGE AND STYLE

No matter what the text, if you read carefully, you’ll find

plenty of clues about its meaning. Some of the most helpful
clues are found in the writer’s language and style.
How does the author write? What types of words does the
author use? What types of sentences? What point of view
does he or she choose?
The lessons in this section are all about language and style.
You’ll learn about:
Point of view

Word
Style
choice

Tone
 Point of view

*LESSON SUMMARY
This lesson is about point of view: the perspective that writers
use to tell a story. You’ll learn the three main points of view
and the effects each point of view has on the reader.
 Point of view

Point of view (also often called Perspective) is the person or

position through which you see things.
*You can look at an object, for example, from many different
points of view (above, below, behind, beside, and so on).
*How you see the object and what you see often depends upon
your position as you’re looking at it.
You can look at ideas and events from many different points
of view, too.
In writing, the point of view is like a filter. It’s the voice
through which the writer shares his or her ideas.
*Point of view is an important decision for writers to make:
Who will talk to the reader? Who will narrate the story?
 THE THREE POINTS OF VIEW

There are three points of view writers can use:

the first person, second-person, and third-person point of view.

*Each point of view is available to writers, but only one of

them will create the exact effect that the writer desires.

*That’s because each point of view works differently and

creates a different relationship between reader and writer.
 THE FIRST-PERSON POINT OF VIEW

The first-person point of view is a very personal point of view.

The writer uses the pronouns I, me, my, we, and us.
*The writer or narrator using the first-person point of view
shares his or her own feelings, experiences and ideas with the
readers.
Here are two examples:
I couldn’t wait for the weekend. I would finally get to meet my
relatives from Romania, the people I’d been writing to for years
but had never seen.

We wandered around for hours and finally admitted that we were

hopelessly lost. What were we going to do now?
 THE SECOND-PERSON POINT OF VIEW

The second-person point of view uses the pronoun you.

*By doing so, the writer or narrator puts the reader in his or
her shoes or in the situation he or she is describing.
Here are the examples above rewritten in the second person
point of view:
You couldn’t wait for the weekend. You would finally get to
meet your relatives from Romania, the people you’d been
writing to for years but had never seen.

You wandered around for hours and finally admitted that you
were hopelessly lost. What were you going to do now?
 THE THIRD-PERSON POINT OF VIEW

The third-person point of view offers readers the voice of an

“outsider.”
*There is usually no direct reference to the writer or narrator
(the first person I or we).
*Instead, the writer uses the pronouns he, she, it, or they.
Here are our examples again, rewritten in the third-person
point of view:
She couldn’t wait for the weekend. She would finally get to meet
her relatives from Romania, the people she’d been writing to for
years but had never seen.
They wandered around for hours and finally admitted that they
were hopelessly lost. What were they going to do now?
 DETERMINING POINT OF VIEW

Of course, writers can’t be restricted to one pronoun, so

sometimes you need to read carefully to determine which
point of view the writer is using.
For example, read the following sentence:
I was watching her carefully, wondering what she would say to
you.
*Here, we seem to have all three points of view, don’t we? (I,
you, her and she).
*But really this sentence only uses one point of view.
*The question to ask is, who is talking? Who is telling the story
or sharing the information?
The answer should tell you the correct point of view.
 DETERMINING POINT OF VIEW
EXERCISE 1

1. As Xavier held tightly to the rope, Paul used all of his

strength to pull his friend up out of the gorge.
a. first-person b. second-person c. third-person
2. By now you’re settled into your routine. You wake up at
5:00 A.M., walk the dogs, shower, gulp down a quick breakfast,
and meet Mr. Walton in the cafeteria for a challenging game of
chess before school.
a. first-person b. second-person c. third-person
3. I thought and thought but could not come up with any
reason why she would be angry with me.
a. first-person b. second-person c. third-person
 DETERMINING POINT OF VIEW
EXERCISE 1

4. We’d never talked much before, and he always thought I was

a shy person, so he couldn’t believe how much I talked when
we went out to dinner.
a. first-person
b. second-person
c. third-person

5. They knew that he wanted to join their club, but they were
afraid to make an exception for him.
a. first-person
b. second-person
c. third-person
 THE EFFECT POINT OF VIEW

THE RELATIONSHIP TO THE READER

Perhaps the most important difference among the points of view
is the kind of relationship they create between reader and writer.

Example 1:
The next afternoon, Alexander anxiously pedaled his bicycle over
to the auditorium where a list of new members was supposed to be
posted. He didn’t think his name would be on the list, but he was
curious to see who’d made it. Quickly, he scanned the list, and then
he read it again more carefully. There must have been some
mistake. His name was on the list, and Kevin’s name was not
 THE EFFECT POINT OF VIEW
This paragraph is the same passage rewritten in the first-person
point of view.
The next afternoon, I anxiously pedaled my bicycle over to the
auditorium where a list of new members was supposed to be posted. I
didn’t think my name would be on the list, but I was curious to see
who’d made it. Quickly, I scanned the list, then I had to read it again
more carefully. There must have been some mistake. My name was on
the list, and Kevin’s name was not.
Though these paragraphs tell the same story, the effects are quite
different.
* When the story is told from the first-person point of view, there’s
suddenly a direct contact between the reader and the storyteller.
Here, Alexander himself is speaking directly to us.
* When the story is told in the third-person, someone else, an
outside narrator, is telling Alexander’s story to us.
There’s no direct contact
 THE EFFECT POINT OF VIEW

The first-person point of view, then, tends to create a sense of

closeness between reader and writer (or narrator).
* The writer (or narrator) shares his or her feelings and ideas with
us.
* The relationship between reader and writer is personal, often
informal, friendly, and open.
The third-person point of view, on the other hand, creates more
distance between reader and writer (or narrator).
* With the third-person point of view there’s no direct person-to-
person contact.
* Instead, someone else (often an unnamed narrator) is speaking to
the reader.
* The relationship between the reader and the writer (or narrator) is
therefore more formal, less friendly, and less open.
 THE EFFECT POINT OF VIEW

EXERCISE 2
Questions Make the following sentences less formal and more
personal by switching the point of view.
1. The ad makes readers feel good about themselves.
………………………………………………………………...
2. The students are upset about the change in the lunch menu.
…………………………………………………………………
3. People often feel betrayed when someone breaks a promise
…………………………………………………………………
 THE EFFECT POINT OF VIEW
SUBJECTIVITY VERSUS OBJECTIVITY
Another important difference between the points of view is the level of
subjectivity or objectivity they create.
The first-person point of view may make the reader feel close to the
writer, but the first-person point of view is a personal point of view.
* It is therefore subjective.
* Sometimes, it’s important not to be too friendly and informal.
Ideas often carry more weight if they are presented in an objective way.
An objective person is outside the action; he or she is not personally
involved.
* Therefore, his or her ideas are more likely to be fair to everyone. But
someone involved in the action is subjective and therefore affected by the
situation.
* His or her ideas may be based on personal feelings and desires and may be
limited by what he or she was able to see.
 SUBJECTIVITY VERSUS OBJECTIVITY

Subjective: based on the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of

the speaker or writer (first person point of view)
Objective: unaffected by the thoughts, feelings, and experiences
of the speaker or writer (third person point of view)
To see the difference, read the following sentences carefully.
A: I think a school uniform policy would hurt us more than it would help us.

B: A school uniform policy would hurt students more than it would help them.

Third-person point of view: not directly involved in the action or situation /

no personal stake in the issue. more objective (and therefore more
reasonable) opinion.

First-person point of view: directly involved and have something personal at

stake.
 SUBJECTIVITY VERSUS OBJECTIVITY

EXERCISE 3
Questions The following sentences use the first-person point of
view. Change the point of view to the third-person to make the
statements seem more objective.
1. Teacher: I think we deserve an additional period each day for
class preparation.
…………………………………………………………….…..
2. Student: We should get less homework. I often feel
overwhelmed by how much schoolwork I have to do at home.
………………………………………………………………...
3. Parent: I often wonder if I’m doing the right thing for my
children.
………………………………………………………………...
 THE EFFECT POINT OF VIEW

WHAT ABOUT
THE SECOND-PERSON POINT OF VIEW?

REFERRING TO THE READER

Writers use the second person you to address the reader directly
GETTING THE READER INVOLVED
Writers also use the second-person point of view for another
reason: to make readers feel directly involved in the action.