What Do You Need to Know

About
Narrator and Voice?
What Do You Need to Know
About
Narrator
Feature Menu
and Voice?
Narrator Voice and Tone
Omniscient Narrator Voice
First-Person Narrator Tone
Third-Person-Limited Narrator

Your Turn
 Narrator
When you read a story, the narrator—or
storyteller—controls everything you know about
the characters and events.
 Narrator
A writer’s choice of a narrator determines the
point of view of the story—the perspective from
which the story is told.
Three main types of
narrators—or points of
view—are
• omniscient,
• first-person, and
• third-person limited.
[End of Section]
Narrator: Omniscient Narrator
When the omniscient point of view is used,
the narrator
• is not a character in the
story,
• almost never refers to
himself or herself directly,
• knows all, and
• can tell us what every
character thinks and
feels.
Narrator: Omniscient Narrator
Quick Check
How can you
One day, a young woman looked out
tell this is an
her apartment window and saw a man
omniscient narrator?
playing a saxophone. “Cool,” she
thought as she swayed to his tune. A
big brown dog joined the man and
howled along with the music.
Then a man in pajamas yelled from
another window, complaining that the
noise woke him up and he was going to
call the police. This man, who worked
the night shift and had to sleep all day,
liked cats better than dogs anyway. The
young saxophonist left.
[End of Section]
Narrator: First-Person Narrator
A first-person narrator

• is a character in the story,

• talks to us using first-person
pronouns, such as I and me,
and
• reveals only what he or she
thinks and experiences.

Because the writer has

adopted a personality and is
not the speaker, a first-person
narrator is sometimes called a
persona.
Narrator: First-Person Narrator
An unreliable narrator
is biased about or
ignorant of what has
actually occurred.

Always question whether

a first-person narrator is
credible, or can be
trusted.
Narrator: First-Person Narrator
Quick Check
When I went to bed that night, I had How can you
no idea what the morning would tell this is a first-
bring. I only knew the knot in my person narrator?
stomach as I tossed and turned.
Though I was sure that Nana’s
surgery would go well, doubts
tormented me.
The next morning, I tiptoed
downstairs to the kitchen and saw
the relief on my father’s face. I
heaved a huge sigh of relief, and the
muscles in my face relaxed. [End of Section]
Narrator: Third-Person-Limited
Narrator
In the third-person-limited point of view,
the narrator
• focuses on one character’s
thoughts and reactions,
• uses third-person
pronouns when talking
about that character,
• limits what we know about
other characters, and

• plays no part in the story.

Narrator: Third-Person-Limited
Quick Check
Narrator
At seven o’clock, they sat down to How can you tell this
dinner. Frederick took his seat at the is a third-person-
head of the table, proud host of their limited point of
first dinner party. Looking across the view?
dining table, however, he noticed
that someone was missing. Where
was Suzanne?
Embarrassed, Frederick excused
himself and left his guests to serve
themselves.
Where had Suzanne gone?
[End of Section]
 Voice and Tone
At some point, you may have been told to watch your
tone of voice.
Your tone—your attitude
—affects your voice, or
how you sound to other
people.
Writers use tone and voice
to show attitude and to
make their writing
distinctive.
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 Voice and Tone: Voice
A writer’s voice is his or her unique use of
language and overall style.

Just as you can identify

your friend’s voice on the
phone, you can often
identify a writer from a
work’s voice.
 Voice and Tone: Voice
Narrators are sometimes described as having a
voice created by their

• manner of speaking,
• word choice, and
• tone.

A narrator’s voice can affect

our view of characters and
events, and shape the story’s
tone.
 Voice and Tone: Voice
Quick Check
How does the
“What do you think you’re doing?” I narrator sound as
shouted. “Put it down—or else!” she argues with her
“You’re not wearing it,” Kayla muttered. sister?
“You never wear it. Why can’t I?”
Which words
“Because it’s mine!” contribute to your
“You’re so selfish,” Kayla muttered,
impression?
jamming the shirt back onto a hanger.
She slammed the closet door.
“Get out of my room,” I told her. I’d just
about had it with my younger sister. She
was always stealing my very favorite
clothes.
[End of Section]
 Voice and Tone: Tone
A story’s tone—the attitude its speaker takes
toward a subject, character, or audience—can be

humorous loving

What other tones serious

might a speaker or
writer take?
 Voice and Tone: Tone
In the following passage, notice how individual
words and phrases contribute to the tone.

Sonia lifted the puppy to her chest and stroked

strokedhishissoft
softfur.
fur.
Stretched out, the puppy was almost as big as she was.
Nuzzling her
Nuzzling herface
faceininthe
thepuppy’s
puppy’sneck,
neck,Sonia
Soniawhispered
whisperedgently,
“It’s okay.”
gently, “It’sThe
okay.”
puppy
Theshook
puppyinshook
the presence
in the presence
of the newcomers,
of the
but it softened
newcomers, butnow
he in
softened
Sonia’s now
arms.in Sonia’s arms.

How would you describe the tone?

[End of Section]
 Analyze Point of View
Your Turn
Pair up with a classmate and choose a favorite
fairytale, such as “Cinderella.” Then, take turns
telling parts of the story as
• a first-person narrator
• a third-person-limited narrator
• an omniscient narrator

With each retelling, discuss how the change in point

of view affects your experience of the story.

[End of Section]
The End