Lesson 1(eng)

• Point of view

  The perspective from which an author expresses their ideas (first person, second person, third person)
• Topic

  The subject of a discourse, argument, or literary composition; the general or main subject
• Main idea or theme

  The most important piece of information the author wants you to know about the concept of that paragraph
• How authors express the main idea

  1. State it explicitly somewhere in the paragraph (beginning, middle, or end)

  2. The sentence containing the main idea is the topic sentence
• Supporting details

  • Provide information to clarify, prove, or explain the main idea
  • Demonstrate the validity of the main idea
  • List parts, aspects, steps, examples, causes, effects, or ways in which the main idea is true
• Author's purpose

  • Persuade
  • Inform
  • Entertain
• Persuade

  Convince the reader of the merits of a certain point of view and/or get them to take a particular course of action
• Inform

  Enlighten the readership about a real-world topic by providing facts to educate them
• Entertain


  Keep things as interesting as possible through an action-packed plot, inventive characterizations, or sharp dialogue
• First person


  • A character within the story recounts/retells his or her own experiences or impressions
  • Lets the reader know only what that character knows
  • Uses the pronouns: 1, me, my, mine, we, our, ours
• Second person


  • The story or the piece of writing is from the perspective of "you"
  • Uncommon form of writing
  • Used mainly with instruction manuals, recipes, giving directions, and poetry
  • Uses the pronouns: you, yours
• Third person objective


  • The narrator remains a detached observer, telling only the stories action and dialogue
  • Lets the reader know only what is seen and heard, not what characters think or feel
  • Uses the pronouns: he, she, it, they
• Third person limited omniscient

  • The narrator tells the story from the viewpoint of one character in the story
  • Lets the reader know what one character thinks, sees, knows, hears, and feels
  • Uses the pronouns: he, she, it, they
• Third person unlimited omniscient

  • The narrator has unlimited knowledge and can describe every character's thoughts and interpret their behaviors
  • Lets the reader know unlimited information about the characters
  • Uses the pronouns he, she, it, they