Two ways texts can differ
Even when two texts are about the same topic, they can be very different. Two big reasons are:
- Viewpoint: who is telling the story or giving the information, and how they see it.
- Text structure: how the information is organized.
Comparing these helps you understand why authors make the choices they do, and helps you read more critically.
Part 1: Point of view in stories
The point of view is the perspective from which a story is told.
First person
The narrator is a character in the story. Look for I, me, my, we.
I couldn’t believe it. My little brother had eaten the entire cake.
- You know the narrator’s thoughts and feelings.
- You only know what the narrator knows.
Third person
The narrator is outside the story. Look for he, she, they, and characters’ names.
Ava couldn’t believe it. Her little brother had eaten the entire cake.
- Third person limited: the narrator follows one character’s thoughts.
- Third person omniscient: the narrator knows everyone’s thoughts. (Omniscient means all-knowing.)
Why it matters
The same events can feel completely different from another character’s view. In The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, the wolf tells his side and claims he just had a cold and wanted to borrow sugar. The events are similar, but the viewpoint changes how we feel about the wolf.
Part 2: Firsthand and secondhand accounts
In nonfiction, we often compare accounts of the same event.
| Firsthand account | Secondhand account |
|---|---|
| Written by someone who was there | Written by someone who was not there |
| Uses I, we | Uses he, she, they |
| Includes personal feelings and sensory details | Includes facts, dates and information from many sources |
| Examples: diary, letter, autobiography, interview | Examples: encyclopedia, textbook, biography, news article |
A firsthand account gives you vivid, personal details but may show only one view. A secondhand account often gives the bigger picture and more facts but less emotion.
Example: the first moon landing
- Firsthand: an astronaut’s memoir describing the grey dust and the silence.
- Secondhand: a textbook explaining the date, the mission’s goals and its importance.
Reading both gives you a fuller understanding.
Part 3: Text structures
Text structure is how an author organizes information. Recognizing it helps you understand and remember.
| Structure | Purpose | Signal words |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Describes a topic’s features | for example, such as, also, characteristics |
| Sequence / chronological | Tells steps or events in order | first, next, then, finally, in 1867 |
| Compare and contrast | Shows similarities and differences | both, similarly, however, unlike, but |
| Cause and effect | Explains why something happens | because, so, as a result, therefore |
| Problem and solution | Presents a problem and how to solve it | problem, solution, solved, one answer is |
Signal words are clues to the structure.
Graphic organizers for each
- Description: web
- Sequence: timeline or numbered steps
- Compare and contrast: Venn diagram or T-chart
- Cause and effect: arrows from cause to effect
- Problem and solution: two linked boxes
Comparing texts with different structures
Two articles about earthquakes might use different structures:
- Article A (cause and effect): explains that moving tectonic plates cause earthquakes and the shaking causes damage.
- Article B (problem and solution): explains that earthquakes damage buildings, and engineers design flexible buildings to solve the problem.
Same topic, different focus. Article A helps you understand why; Article B helps you understand what people do about it.
How to compare viewpoints and structures
- Identify the topic of each text.
- Determine the viewpoint: first or third person? Firsthand or secondhand?
- Look for signal words to identify each structure.
- Fill in a comparison chart.
- Ask: What does each text help me understand that the other does not?
Worked example
Text 1: I was nine when the flood came. Water poured under our door, and I held my cat up high while Dad carried my sister to the attic.
Text 2: In 1997, the Red River flood forced about 28,000 people from their homes in Manitoba. Heavy snowfall and spring rains caused the river to overflow.
- Text 1: firsthand, first person, sequence structure, personal and emotional.
- Text 2: secondhand, third person, cause-and-effect structure, factual.
- Together: Text 1 shows what it felt like; Text 2 explains why it happened and how big it was.
Common mistakes
- Thinking “I” always means firsthand. In fiction, a first-person narrator is a made-up character.
- Ignoring signal words. They reveal the structure quickly.
- Assuming one account is “right.” Different viewpoints show different parts of the truth.
- Naming a structure without evidence. Point to the signal words or organization.
Try it yourself
- What point of view? She tiptoed down the stairs, wondering if anyone was awake.
- Firsthand or secondhand? A letter written by a soldier during a war.
- What structure? Plastic in oceans harms sea turtles. One solution is to use reusable bags.
- What structure? Alligators and crocodiles are both reptiles. However, alligators have wider snouts.
Answers: 1. Third person. 2. Firsthand. 3. Problem and solution. 4. Compare and contrast.
Study tip
When you read nonfiction, circle signal words in pencil (or on sticky notes). After a while, you will spot text structures instantly, which makes note-taking much faster.
Quick recap
- First person uses I; third person uses he, she, they.
- Firsthand accounts come from witnesses; secondhand accounts come from researchers.
- Text structures include description, sequence, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and problem and solution.
- Signal words reveal structure.
- Comparing texts gives a fuller picture of a topic.