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NARRATIVES

What’s a narrative?
A narrative is a story which tells us about
something that happened (usually) in the past.
It is a real or an imaginary story that
describes events or incidents often
unexpected, funny, surprising or problematic.
Parts of a Narrative
• 1st Part: Usually 1 paragraph.
We introduce the story:
We can write a short summary of what we are going to narrate.
or
We can set the action and tell what was happenning before the main
event.
• 2nd Part: Usually 1 or 2 paragraphs.
We tell the story or main events. We give as many details as we can.
We usually use the different past tenses.
• 3rd Part: Usually 1 paragraph.
We write the ending of the story, what happened afterwards or what
we learnt or the consequences of the story.
We cdan also talk about how we feel about it or how what happened
affected our life.
Essential Elements of Narrative Essays
The focus of a narrative essay is the plot, which is told using
enough details to build to a climax. But… how???
*It is usually told chronologically.
*It usually has a purpose, which is usually stated in
the opening sentence or the first paragraph.
*It may use dialogue.
*It is written with sensory details and vivid
descriptions to involve the reader. All these details
relate in some way to the main point the writer is
making.
Beginnings and endings
A narrative needs an
interesting beginning to catch
the reader’s attention and
encourage him or her to read
on, and a clear ending to
round the story off
satisfactorily.
A weak beginning or ending
can spoil the effect of the
story, so it’s worth spending
time working out how to
start and finish.
It was a day at the end of June. My mom, dad, brother, and I were at
our camp on Rangeley Lake. We arrived the night before at 10:00, so it
was dark when we got there and unpacked. We went straight to bed.
The next morning, when I was eating breakfast, my dad started yelling
for me from down at the dock at the top of his lungs. He said there
was a car in the lake.
My eyes were red and burning as blood slowly ran down my forehead.
My cramped and trembling fingers hovered over the keyboard like it
was a Ouija board. I closed my eyes and, when I opened them again, the
blog post was finished. It was like nothing I had written before.
The story

It’s usually easiest to write a story which is based on your


own experience, but don’t be afraid to change the
details slightly or invent new parts if this helps to make
the story more interesting or entertaining.

It’s usual to describe events in the order in which they


happened and to use a new paragraph for each main
stage of the story. The sequence of events is also shown
by verb tenses and time links.
Verb tenses
• We use:
* The simple past to describe the main events:
I ran to answer the phone but it stopped ringing as I
picked up the receiver.
*The past continuous to set the scene:
It was raining heavily as we set off.
*The past perfect to describe events which
happened before the main events:
When I got on the bus all the seats had been taken.
* Present participles to show two actions which are
linked:
Noticing that she looked lost, I asked if I could help.
* Perfect participles to show that one action was
complete before another started:
Having reported my stolen passport to the police, I
returned sadly to the hotel.
Time links
Try to use these words:
Before… while… when… then… finally,
At first, during… as soon as… next… eventually
meanwhile, immediately… later… in the end,
once… after that…
afterwards…

Notice the difference between:


First(ly) / at first; lastly/at last; after/afterwards;
While/during/meanwhile
Adding variety and interest
There are various ways of making your story more
lively and interesting. These include:
a) Using direc speech occasionally, for dramatic
effect: “no”, he yelled, “don’t touch that switch!”
b) Using a range of reporting verbs for reporting
speech: accuse, admit, advise, argue, ask,
complain, deny, encourage, explain, invite,
promise, recommend, remind, suggest, warn.
c) Using a range of adjectives and adverbs to describe
actions and feeling as precisely and vividly as
possible:
I was absolutely horrifed when I saw the bill.
He shook his arm threateningly at us.
• a memorable wedding or funeral
• one minute of a football game (or other sporting
event)
• your first day at a new school or college
• your first day at a new job
• your last day on a job
• a disastrous date
• a moment of failure or success
• an encounter that changed your life
• a first date
• a strange job interview
• an experience that demonstrated how labor-saving
devices can be more trouble than they're worth
• an experience that left you disillusioned
• an embarrassing experience
• a frightening experience
• a memorable journey
• an encounter with someone or something you were
afraid of
• an occasion when you experienced rejection
• your first visit to the country (or to a large city)
• the breakup of a friendship
• an experience that showed how we should be
careful of what we wish for
• a significant misunderstanding
• a dangerous experience
• an experience that showed how appearances can
be deceiving
• an account of a difficult decision that you had to
make
• an event that marked a turning point in your life
• a historic event
• a memorable encounter with someone in
authority
• an act of heroism or cowardice
• an imaginary encounter with a real person
• a rebellious act
• a brush with death
• a time that you took a stand on an important issue
• an experience that altered your view of someone
• a trip that you would like to take
• a vacation trip from your childhood
• a traffic accident
• a day when everything went right (or wrong)
• an experience that made you laugh until you cried
• the day you decided to change your life
• the experience of being lost
• an unexpected encounter
• surviving a hurricane or a tornado (or other natural
disaster)
• an experience that taught you a lesson
• an important discovery
• an eyewitness account of an important event
• an experience that helped you grow up

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