This flowchart will help you to determine the narrative perspective/point of view of a narrator in a story.
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You have a first-person narrator.
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YES
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Does the narrator tell the story using pronouns like "I," "me," "we," "us," "our," "my," and "mine"?
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YES
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Is the narrator participating in the action of the story?
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NO
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Does the narrator tell the story using pronouns like "you," "your," and "yours"?
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YES
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Does the narrator treat you, the reader, as though you are participating in the action of the story?
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NO
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YES
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NO
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YES
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Does the narrator tell the story using pronouns like "he," "she," "they," "it," "him," "his," "her," "hers," "their," "theirs," or "its"?
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Time to do a double-check! Are words like "you" used WITHOUT treating the reader as though he/she is taking part in the action of the story?
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NO
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You have a second-person narrator! This is very rare!
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YES
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You have a third-person, objective narrator!
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NO
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You have a third-person narrator!
Does the narrator seem to have insight into or knowledge of at least one character's thoughts, feelings, and/or background?
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YES
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Does the narrator seem to have insight into or knowledge of ONLY ONE character's thoughts, feelings, and/or background?
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YES
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You have a third-person, limited narrator!
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NO
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You have a third-person omniscient narrator!
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Point of View
