Writing Task 4 - a Narrative

Narratives can be written in both first-person and third-person about a series of events, real or imaginary, which happened to us or other people.

TIP: In order to make your writing more appealing to the reader you should use past tenses, as well as a variety of adjectives or adverbs.

A narrative should consist of:

a) an introduction in which you set the scene (who was involved, time, place, etc) in an interesting way to make the reader want to continue reading;
b) a main body, consisting of two or three paragraphs, where you develop your story, presenting the events in the order they happened; and
c) a conclusion which includes what happened at the end of the story, as well as people's feelings, final comments or reactions. A surprising ending makes a long-lasting impression on the reader.

LINKING WORDS:

• before
• eventually
• meanwhile
• as soon as
• suddenly
• after a while,
• all of a sudden,
• at first,
• soon,
• finally,
• then,
• as,
• throughout (the years, days, etc)
• at that time,
• from that point on
• since then,
• Up until that point,
• Immediately,
• At last,
• until,
• after that
• while
• (he waited) a while longer

PAST TENSES

Past simple: You can use them to describe actions which started and ended in the past, or actions which happened one after the other in the past.
                       I went to Paris last month
                       I walked past the bank and stopped at the post office to buy some stamps.

Past continuous: to set the scene or to describe events/actions in progres at a certain time in the past - create CLIMAX.
                       It was pouring with rain that evening. We were all sitting in the living room listening to John talking about the strange thing he had found in the garden. Suddenly, out of nowhere, something fell on Alice's lap!

Past perfect: for actions which happened before other past actions or to give the background of the story.
                      I decided to call Mr. Jones and tell hom the truth about what had happened.

USING ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS AND SIMILIES
They will help your narrative become more interesting.

Instead of: John is a good boy with nice ideas.
Use:          John is a great boy with wonderful ideas.

Instead of: He asked for help.
Use:          He desperately screamed for help

Instead of: She ran really fast.
Use:          She ran like the wind.

Here are some ideas of adjectives and adverbs you might want to use:

Big	(great), massive, gigantic, huge, enormous
Small	Miniature, tiny
Bad	Evil, horrible, terrible, wicked
Good,nice	(great), delightful, fabulous, pleasant, terrific, attractive
Very	Great, highly, extremely, remarkably, absolutely
well	Hapilly, successfully, stisfactorily

Here are some similies:

• as white as a sheet
• to swim like a fish
• to cry like a baby
• to run like the wind
• as black as night
• to shake like a leaf
• as fresh as a daisy
• as strong as an ox
• as busy as a bee
• to have a memory like a sieve

You can also use some adjectives to describe feelings and moods:

Adjective	Synonym	Antonym
Thrilled	Excited	Disappointed
Anxious	Worried	Relaxed
Miserable	Depressed	Glad
Unsure	Uncertain	Sure
Entertained	Amused	Bored
Frightened	Scared	Unafraid
Annoyed	Angry	Calm

Summary:

ž  Paragraph 1: set the scene

›      Who?

›      Where?

›      When?

›      What?

ž  Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4: develop the story

›      Detailed description of events in the order they happened. Leave climax for 3rd paragraph and start moving to a solution on the 4th

ž  Paragraph 5: conclusion

›      End of story, solution to crisis, feelings, comments or reactions of main characters

YOUR TASK:

Write a narrative in 120-180 words continuing from:
"No matter how distant in time that story is, the more present it is in my mind."

Remember you must start with the sentence above and you cannot change it!

Model:

I survived

It was the fall of 2006 when Josh and Marty decided to go on a camping trip. Everything was going according to plan, however, Marty's idea changed their lives for good. They both decided to cross the river and explore the other side of the camp they had never been before.

Josh asked Marty if he was sure it was safe just as he was about to step onto the little rope bridge. Josh looked down at the river far beneath them and swallowed hard. Unfortunately, it was the only way to reach the other side, so he knew he had to get across before it began to get dark.

Marty confidently said it was as safe as houses as he put his foot onto the bridge. Once Marty was safely on the other side, Josh began to cross. The little bridge creaked under his weight, making him even more nervous than he already was. He was almost halfway across the bridge when suddenly one of the ropes snapped.

Josh screamed as the bridge fell to one side, leaving him hanging over the fast-flowing river far below his feet. Terrified, he clung to the other rope. Marty called to him and told him to keep calm and hold on as hard as he could. Josh looked across to where his friend stood. Slowly, hand over hand, Josh moved carefully along the rope until he was close enough for Marty to grab him.

Safely on the other side, Josh lay panting on the ground. He felt exhausted, but he was glad to be alive. Marty asked him if he felt he could go on and he agreed bravely. It was going to get dark soon so they had to move on. They both set off, leaving the bridge and the terrifying incident behind them.