How can I tell when I'm reading something that's in the second-person point of view?

Answer 1

Second person point of view tells how a story is told to the reader. It happens when the narrator tells the story to another character in the story using the words "you," "your," and "you're." The author could be talking to the audience by using the same three words (you, your, and you're).

Answer 2

Hello.

Second person point of view always involves the word "you". It isn't a very popular POV and is usually more of a stylistic choice. An example:

"The wind whispers through the trees as you watch the sunset in the park. You wonder if the sunset looks the same anywhere and everywhere in the world. It is a question you've pondered many times before but still have no answer for..."

Keep in mind that there are 3 other POVs:

1. First-person: always uses the word "I".

2. Third-person limited: uses "He, she, they..." BUT through the POV of only ONE character. A great example is the Harry Potter series. We only ever really see the story through Harry's eyes, unless he's watching someone else memory through a Pensieve, and even then, he only sees the memory but has no idea of the other person's thoughts or feelings, and, because of that, WE the readers also do not know.

3. Third-person omniscient POV: uses "He, She, they..." BUT we know what everyone within a particular scene is thinking or feeling. The explanations and narrative is seamless. A good example is Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. She doesn't do this in every scene of dialogue, but her narration in the prose sections makes us very aware of each character's attitudes towards everyone else (ex: Mr. Bennet's feelings towards his daughters or to his wife or to other gentlemen).