“ALL THE WORLD IS A

STAGE, AND ALL THE MEN

AND WOMEN ARE MERELY

PLAYERS” W.S.

PERSONAL NARRATIVEA MOMENT TO REMEMBER

Course: English 11th Grade

Learning Window

Distinguishing attributes, elements and structure of a personal narrative.

Know that personal experiences, when shared with others through writing, can be both helpful and entertaining.

Understand personal narrative as a form of autobiographical storytelling that gives shape to life experiences and the importance of perspective and point of view when reading personal narratives.

Write a narrative to: engage and orient my readers by establishing a context and point of view, and organize a sequence of events or experiences.

• Develop narrative elements (e.g., setting, event sequence, characters) using relevant sensory details.

• Provide a satisfying conclusion that follows from the events, experiences, or ideas.

What Is a Personal Narrative?

It is a true story in which the writer relates

an event, incident, or experience in his or

her own life.

Purpose of a narrative is to inform

Major Differences Between a Memoir

and a Personal Narrative

Focuses on a

relationship between

the author and a

person, place, or

object.

Can only be written in

first person.

Focuses on an event in

a person’s life.

Can be written in first

person [I, me, we] or

third person [he, she, it,

they] (but this is rare).

Memoir Personal Narrative

Characteristics of a Personal Narrative

Focuses on one experience that doesn’t last longer than a day.

Clearly shows why the event was important to the author.

Expresses personal thoughts, feelings, and reactions.

Often presented in chronological order.

Shows, not tells, what happened.

Contains vivid descriptive and sensory details: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

Often contains dialogue.

Has all the elements of a story (setting, characters, plot, theme, and cause and effect).

Show not tell

When describing a character’s feelings, skillful writers

do not just ‘tell’ the reader how the character feels.

They ‘show’ the reader by using imagery.

Imagery is language that paints a vivid picture in the

mind of the reader, often by appealing to the five

senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.

You can do this by: describing using your senses, using

vivid adjectives, and changing linking verbs to action

verbs.

Examples:

use of “show, don’t tell” technique to create a

“movie” in the reader’s mind

TELL = Sarah was angry.

SHOW = Sarah slammed the door, threw her books

on the floor, and screamed, “I hate this place!”

Remember show not tell

Show not Tell

Personal Narrative Structure

Introduction: A beginning that grabs the reader’s

interest. It should introduce the people involved and

describe the setting. Give background information and

a hint about the meaning and importance of the event.

Lets Analyze the Introduction of:

“Love Sick”

Does it have a beginning that grabs the reader’s interest? Yes or No

Does it introduce the people involved and describe the setting?

Yes or No

Does it give background information and a hint about the meaning and importance of the event?

Yes or No

Personal Narrative Structure

Body: A middle that shows the reader important

events, describes people and places, and shows the

writer’s thoughts and feelings. Dialogue and sensory

details need to be present.

Beginning

Middle

End

Lets Analyze the Body of “Love Sick”

Does it have a beginning, middle, and end?

Does it show the reader important events?

Does it describe people and places?

Does it show the writer’s thoughts and feelings?

Are dialogue and sensory details present?

Yes or No

Personal Narrative Structure

Conclusion: The ending should bring your story to a

close, either by showing what you learned from the

experience, or by sharing how you (and anyone

else) felt after it was over.

Lets Analyze the Conclusion

Does the ending bring the story to a close?

How does it come to a close?

Is it by showing what the character learned from the

experience? or

Is it by sharing how the character (and anyone else) felt

after it was over?

Character traits list

Active

Adventurous

Affectionate

Afraid

Ambitious

Angry

Annoyed

Anxious

Argumentati

ve

Astonished

Attentive

Babyish

Bossy

Bored

Calm

Capable

Careful

Cautious

Charming

Cheerful

Childish

Clever

Clumsy

Cold hearted

Compassionate

Confident

Cowardly

Critical

Cruel

Dishonest

Disrespectful

Eager

Easygoing

Efficient

Embarrassed

Energetic

Enthusiastic

Fair

Fateful

Fierce

Funny

Generous

Gentle

Glamorous

Brave

Brilliant

Busy

Curious

Daring

Dangerous

Gloomy

Greedy

Grouchy

Happy

Hateful

Hopeless

Ignorant

Impolite

Impulsive