2. WHAT IS A NARRATIVE PARAGRAPH?
Narratives tell stories. Everyone has read stories,
watched them on television or heard them from
other people. A narrative paragraph tells a short
story or describes an event.
In other words, it is a story about a personal
memory.
It’s about a time so important that you don’t
ever want to forget.
3. What Would Make a Good Narrative and
What Wouldn’t?
Good Choice
A house fire
A car accident
A death
Getting lost
A scary time
Bad Choice
Getting out of bed
Eating dinner
Meeting your
friend
4. A Personal Narrative is...
a story that really happened ( a true story).
a story that happened to or observed by the
writer.
a story that makes the reader think or feel
the same as the writer felt at that time
a story that shows strong feelings.
It presents the events in a clear order, usually
according to when it happened.
a story that is written in the first person. Use
these words:
I, me, my, us, we
5. Common time transitions
Before
After
During
First
Next
Second
Then
Finally
while
Later
At last
Last
Eventually
Meanwhile
Since
Now
Soon
when
8. 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
9. 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.
10. Ask yourself questions:
1. When was an important time in my life?
2. What has happened in my experience that I would
enjoy writing about?
3. Is there an event in my life that other people
would enjoy hearing about?
4. How did I feel about a particular experience?
5. Who was involved?
6. Why do I remember this event so strongly?
7. What effect did it have on me?
8. Did anything change because of this experience?
9. What interesting experiences do I know of that
happened to other people?
11. A Fright in the forest
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. One day, I was playing in the forest with some
of my school friends. Suddenly I felt very cold and scared
……………………………………........................................
.......……… After that day, I never went back to the forest.
A Strange Day in Class:
I have been studying English for a few years and I
really enjoy the classes. One day something unusual
happened in class. The teacher was explaining grammar
when I saw something strange……………………........
………………………………………………………………
……………….. I heard everyone laughing. I woke up and
realized it was a dream.
12. 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.
4. Think of a memorable experience you have had
– it could be frightening or amusing.