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October 2026 - Author's Point of View Study Guide for nursing students in
Point of view covers two things the exam asks about separately: the grammatical position a text is written from — first, second or third person — and the stance the author takes on the subject. Both are decided by evidence on the page, not by what a reasonable person would think.
The three grammatical positions
| Person | Pronouns | Effect | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | I, me, we, our | Immediate and personal; limited to what the narrator knows | Memoir, case reflection, opinion column |
| Second | you, your | Addresses the reader directly | Instructions, procedures, patient information |
| Third | he, she, they, the patient | Observational distance | Reporting, textbooks, research writing |
Third person is not one thing
When a passage is in third person, the exam may ask how much the narrator knows.
- Third person limited — access to one character's thoughts only. Everyone else is described from outside.
- Third person omniscient — access to what several people think and feel, and often to information no character has.
- Third person objective — no access to anyone's thoughts. Actions and speech only, like a camera.
Point of view as stance
The more common question asks what position the author holds. Three things reveal it: which facts were chosen, which words describe them, and what the passage does with an opposing view.
A neutral text gives competing positions in comparable detail and in comparable language. Once one side is described in warmer words than the other, or given three sentences to the other's half sentence, the author's stance is visible however carefully the sentences are hedged.
Reporting a view is not holding it. "Critics argue the policy is unworkable" tells you what critics think, not what the author thinks. Look for the sentence where the author speaks unattributed — that is where the stance lives.
Terms to know
- Point of view
- The position a text is written from, grammatically or attitudinally.
- First person
- Narration using I or we.
- Second person
- Writing that addresses the reader as you.
- Third person
- Narration using he, she or they, from outside the events.
- Omniscient
- A third-person narrator with access to more than one character's inner life.
- Bias
- A consistent lean towards one position, visible in selection and wording.
- Objective
- Presenting competing positions in comparable detail and language.
What the TEAS asks most
The same core ideas appear in different wording. If you can answer these without stopping to think, you have what this section requires.
From what point of view is the passage written?
Check the pronouns first. I and we mean first person, you means second, everything else third.
What is the author's attitude towards the subject?
Read the unattributed sentences and the adjectives. Selection and wording give the stance away.
How does the point of view affect the passage?
First person gives immediacy at the cost of breadth; third person gives distance and range; second person implicates the reader.
Key points
- Pronouns identify the grammatical point of view: I and we, you, or he, she and they.
- Third person splits into limited, omniscient and objective by how much the narrator knows.
- Stance is revealed by which facts are chosen, how they are worded, and how opposition is handled.
- A view attributed to someone else is not the author's view.
- Neutral writing gives both sides comparable space and comparable language.
Review quiz
4 questions on this topic, each with the reasoning worked through. Pick an answer to see how it went, or open the explanation straight away.
Read the passage, then answer the questions below
I had read the guidance on restraint a dozen times before I ever had to think about applying it. On paper it is clear enough: least restrictive option, documented rationale, continuous review. In the corridor at three in the morning, with a confused patient trying to leave through a fire door, none of those phrases arrived with any of the authority they had on the page. Supporters of the current framework say its wording is deliberately general because circumstances vary so widely. They may be right. What I know is that generality is a poor companion at three in the morning, and that the training I was given did not once put me in a corridor.
-
Question 1 of 4
From what point of view is the passage written?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. First person
The narrator uses I and me throughout and reports only their own experience, which is first person. Second person would address the reader as you, and either third-person option would describe the narrator from outside.
-
Question 2 of 4
What is the author's stance on the restraint guidance?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. It reads clearly but offers little help in a real situation, and the training was inadequate.
The author grants that the guidance is clear on paper and then says plainly that generality is a poor companion and that the training never simulated the real situation. Nothing calls for abolition or strict rules, and no motive is imputed to managers — the criticism is about usefulness, not intent.
-
Question 3 of 4
What is the effect of the sentence "Supporters of the current framework say its wording is deliberately general because circumstances vary so widely"?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. It presents an opposing view, which the author then partly concedes.
The view is attributed to supporters and followed by "They may be right", which is a concession — and then the author returns to their own position with "What I know is". Reporting a view is not holding it, the closing sentence shows the author's opinion is settled, and quoting others does not change the passage's person.
-
Question 4 of 4
A different passage on restraint reports the guidance, quotes two supporters and two critics at similar length, and closes by noting that no trial has compared the frameworks. What point of view does it take?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. It is objective, presenting competing positions in comparable detail.
Equal space for both sides and a closing acknowledgement of what remains unknown is what objectivity looks like on the page. Nothing in the description indicates advocacy either way, and nothing suggests the reader is being addressed directly.
Put this TEAS topic into practice
Build a set on author's point of view and use the rationale on every question to reinforce what you just reviewed.
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