The Narrative Paragraph

Narration is a piece of writing that tells a story of an event or experience. It’s usually easy and fun to write.

When you write a narrative paragraph or essay, you tell a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Have you read a good story lately?What did you like about it?

Any time you go to a movie or read a fiction book, you are looking at a narrative.

What specific types of narrative reports have you written in other courses?

As a witness to an accident, a crime, or some other incident, you might report what took place.

Whenever readers need to understand what happened, narrative reporting is essential.

The events you include and the way you describe them create a story that is based on your point of view.

The topic sentence of a narrative paragraph, usually the first sentence gives background information about the action that is going to happen in the story. It sets up the story. It is the point of the narrative and tells what it is about. Although this sentence is the beginning of the paragraph, it is not usually the beginning of the story.

A good Narration

Reveals something of importance to you (your main point) Includes all of the major events of the story. Uses details to bring the story to life Presents the events in a clear order, usually according to when it happened.

Common time transitions

BeforeAfterDuringFirstNextSecondThenFinallywhile

LaterAt lastLastEventuallyMeanwhileSinceNowSoonwhen

Guidelines of a Narrative Paragraph

Write out the topic sentence and circle the point of view.List any background informationBriefly summarize the incident (write several sentences telling what happened in your own words)Do all of these sentences support your point of view?Are the events in the story in chronological order?

Read the following paragraph.My twelfth birthday was originally a disappointment that turned into my best birthday ever. For five or six months preceding the big day, I begged my parents for a certain new bicycle. I had seen one in a medium price range that I figured my folks could afford. I hinted and even pleaded outright, promising to do extra chores if I got it. Pointing out that the only bike I had ever had was a hand-me-down from my older brother. I showed them how rusted the frame was. Meanwhile, my brother was begging for a set of tires for the car he had bought. When my birthday finally came, my hopes were so high. Instead of the bicycle, though, I got a new shirt, a pair of sneakers, and an envelope. At first, I thought it was just a card, but it turned out to have enough money for the bike in it. It also contained five “contracts” for extra work around the house that I could do to earn enough money for a much nicer bicycle. My parents gave me the gift of upgrading from the bike I settled for. I ended up getting a great new bicycle that I helped to buy with money I had earned myself.

1. What is the topic sentence?

2. Which sentence is not in unity with the rest of the paragraph?

3. What do you think is the writer’s reason for writing this paragraph?

Topics

1.Have you ever felt really scared? Describe the situation.

What was going on around you during the scary event? Give some sensory adjectives that describe the surroundings.

How did the situation end?

2. What was the most embarrassing moment in your life? What happened? What was the result?

3. The happiest day of your life?

4. The most memorable movie you have seen?

5. An important lesson that you learned?

When writers tell a story, they usually use the past tense. Watch out for verb tense consistency.

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Choose a topicBrainstorm the events in your storyWrite a topic sentence with controlling ideas.Write supporting sentences for the beginning and middle of your narrativeCheck for consistency in past tense verbsWrite the end of the story.

Ask yourself questions:

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?

Write a narration paragraph on one of the following topics.

1.Explain the most important or interesting event that has happened to you in college.

2.Tell about a recent experience or incident you witnessed that left a strong impression on you.

3. Write about an event when you were proud of someone in your family.

or

Write about an event when you were proud or ashamed of your behavior.

4. Think of a time when you had to do something against your wishes.

Or

Think of a memorable experience you have had – it could be frightening, sobering, or amusing.

5. Talk about an interesting, incredible story you heard on the news recently.

6. How did you meet your sweetheart?

After you have a suitable topic, brainstorm some ideas about your topic.Organize your ideas. Remember that it’s not necessary to tell every detail of the story. Include only the most important actions or events that move the story forward.

The End!