Narrative Paragraphs WHAT IS A NARRATIVE PARAGRAPH n

Narrative Paragraphs

WHAT IS A NARRATIVE PARAGRAPH? n Narratives tell stories. Everyone has read narratives, watched them on television or heard them from other people. A narrative paragraph tells a short story or describes an event. n In other words, it is a story about a personal memory. n It’s about a time so important that you don’t ever want to forget.

What Would Make a Good Narrative and What Wouldn’t? n Good Choice n. A house fire n A car accident n A death n Getting lost n A scary time n Bad Choice n Getting out of bed n Eating dinner n Meeting your friend

A Personal Narrative is. . . a story that really happened ( a true story). n a story that happened to or observed by the writer. n a story that makes the reader think or feel the same as the writer felt at that time n a story that shows strong feelings. n n a story that is written in the first person. Use these words: I, me, my, us, we

A good Narration It reveals something of importance to you (your main point) n It includes all of the major events of the story. n It uses details to bring the story to life. n It presents the events in a clear order, usually according to when it happened. n

Common time transitions n n n n n Before After During First Next Second Then Finally while n n n n n Later At last Last Eventually Meanwhile Since Now Soon when

Writing a Narrative Paragraph A narrative paragraph has 3 parts: 1. The topic sentence – introduces the experience 2. The body sentences – share details that re-create the experience 3. The concluding sentence – reflects on the experience

Guidelines of a Narrative Paragraph 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Write out the topic sentence and circle the point of view. List any background information. Briefly summarize the incident (write several sentences telling what happened in your own words) Write all of these sentences support your point of view? Are the events in the story in chronological order?

A UFO Sighting I never believed in aliens before one night last year. It was a cold, dark winter evening, and I was walking home from a friend’s house. I stopped to tie my shoe. When I looked up again, I saw a round object coming toward me. It was very large and shiny. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Before I could shout or run, the object suddenly moved and then disappeared. After the object disappeared, I ran all the way home and called my best friend. When she picked up the phone, I couldn’t say anything. I knew she would think I was crazy. I never told anyone about my UFO sighting.

Ask yourself questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. When was an important time in my life? What has happened in my experience that I would enjoy writing about? Is there an event in my life that other people would enjoy hearing about? How did I feel about a particular experience? Who was involved? Why do I remember this event so strongly? What effect did it have on me? Did anything change because of this experience? What interesting experiences do I know of that happened to other people?

1. Write about a recent experience or incident you witnessed that left a strong impression on you. 2. Write about an event when you were proud of someone in your family. 3. Think of a time when you had to do something against your wishes. Or 4. Think of a memorable experience you have had – it could be frightening or amusing.

Activity: Complete the middle parts of the two stories below. 1) A Fright in the forest - Suddenly I felt very cold and scared. I grew up in a small town in the countryside. Near my house was a large forest, and my parents told me not to play there. After that day, I never went back to the forest. One day, I was playing in the forest with some of my school friends. - 2)- A Strange Day in Class: - I have been studying English for a few years and I really enjoy the classes. I heard everyone laughing. I woke up and realized it was a dream. One day something unusual happened in class. The teacher was explaining grammar when I saw something strange

Verb Tenses in Narration (1)- Simple Past: It is used to express a completed action at a definite time in the past. It is also used to describe the sequence of events in a narrative. 1. Mohammed was driving along the road when suddenly he saw a camel run out in front of him. He braked as hard as he could but couldn't stop in time. The car hit the camel. The man got out of the car and checked to see if the animal was alive. 2. The two men were crossing the desert when they heard a loud bang. It sounded like a rifle but they were not sure. They heard another shot but this time something hit the side of the car. Now they were sure it was a gunshot.

Verb Tenses in Narration (2)- Past Continuous: (1) It is good for setting the scene; it is used to describe the situation in which the events of the narrative occurred. 1 - When I woke up at 8 am (1) the sun was shining (2) and the birds were singing (2). I had a shower (3), ate some breakfast (4) and left for work at 9 am. (5) (2) It is used for an action that was in progress for some time and is usually used with an action in the simple past. n n n Mohammed was driving along the road when suddenly he ran out of petrol. As the two men were crossing the desert, they saw a camel. When the lights went out, I was talking to my brother.

Verb Tenses in Narration (3)- Past Perfect Simple: It is to show an action or situation happened BEFORE another event in the past. 1. 2. 3. When I woke up at 8 am (1), the sun was shining and the birds were singing. I had slept (2) really well the night before. I had a shower (3), ate some breakfast (4) and left for work at 9 am. (5) The car was speeding down the deserted highway when the accident happened. The driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and driven straight into a tree. Another car passed by. The driver saw what had happened and stopped his car. He called the police and said that he had witnessed an accident. I woke up at 7 am and left for work after I had a shower and eaten some breakfast.

Verb Tenses in Narration (4)- Past Perfect Continuous: It is used for longer activities that were happening continuously up until a specified time in the past. 1. He looked very tired (1) because he had been working very hard (2) over the past three weeks. 2. He hadn't heard the telephone ring because he had been reading.

Activity 1: Change the verbs in brackets to the past tense: simple, continuous, or perfect 1. 2. 3. While I ____________(play) football I_______(hurt) my leg. The police _____(go) to the bank after a neighbour ______(phone) to tell them what _____(happen). They soon ______ (discover) that the robbers _______ (escape) in a stolen car. The men _____ (kill) one of the guards who _____(try) to stop them as they _______ (drive) away. The guard _______ (jump) out in front of them but they just _________ (run) over him. Suddenly they _____(hear) a strange noise and _______(look) at each other in terror. All evening they ______ (play) cards and ______ (watch) TV without thinking of the ghost.

Activity 2: Change the verbs in brackets to the past tense: simple, continuous, or perfect The Unlucky Burglar One evening Paul (watch) ______ the television and (eat)______ his supper when the door suddenly (open) ______ and a burglar (come) ______ in. He (wear) ______ a mask and (carry) ______ a sack. Before doing anything else, he (tie) ______ Paul to the chair. Then he went upstairs to look for money. Although he (not find) ______ any money, he (find) ______ a lot of jewelry, which he (put) ______ into his sack. In his rush to get downstairs, he (not see) ______ the dog that (lie) ______ at the bottom of the stairs, and he (fall) ______ over it, losing his glasses. ______ the burglar (look for) ______ them, Paul (try) ______ to free himself. Finally, Paul (manage) ______ to escape and he (phone) ______ the police. When the burglar (find) ______ his glasses, he (run) ______ out of the house. However, unfortunately for him, the police (wait) ______ for him at the end of the garden.

Activity 3: Complete the following with a suitable past tense: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. My landlord threw me out of my flat because (not pay the rent for six months and break all the windows) When I eventually got to the meeting, I was bad tempered and exhausted! I (sit in traffic jam for 45 minutes, a motorist bump into me, and get completely lost) By the time 5 o'clock arrived, Brenda was furious. She (wait for an hour, drink six cups of tea, and they not arrive. I was so depressed that I couldn't do the exam. I (study every day for two months and give up see my friends) After I (finish) my lunch, I went back to work. When the police (interview) me, they let me go home. As soon as I got home my brother (go out). The children had to stay in until the rain (stop).

Activity 4: Correct the mistakes with the simple past and the past continuous tense: When I am a university student about two years ago, I enrolled in a scuba diving course. My scuba diving teacher was having a big surprise: I wasn’t knowing how to swim. In fact, I had a big fear of water. When I was a child, my parents try to help me, so they make me take many swimming lessons. Although I try hard, I didn’t learning to swim. When I enrolled in the scuba diving course, I was still afraid of water. Everyday I entered the swimming pool, I battle my fear. Fortunately, my courage won every time. Finally, one day while I practicing my dive, I realized I was do very well. So, finally, after six months of hard work, I completed the course. It is true that I was always the worst of the group, but in my own evaluation, I was a champion because I conquer my fear of water. For me, this experience was very important. It was a test of courage, and I pass it.