Personal Narrative Structure

 

A personal narrative is the recounting of a memory or event in sequential order.

 

I. Topic sentence (Introduction). 

Important Event.               

(Tell WHO, WHERE the event took place,  WHEN it happened, How did you feel?)

 II. Supporting ideas  (Body).

What happened?

Event 1. First... Describe situation leading up to what is about to happen.

Event 2. Next... Tell what you or other person is doing.

Event 3. After that... Tell how object/liquid is passed between the people.

End.       What happened after the event? - Describe the outcome.

 III. Conclusion.  (Simple comment).

How did it change your life? (Tell how you felt, what you learned or resolved to do in the future OR why the memory is important)

Use PAST tenses

NARRATIVE TRANSITION WORDS :

Transition Words You Might Use in a Story (Narrative)

After Afterward As soon as During As soon Around Behind Beneath

Between Beyond Nearby Before Finally Later The next moment After a time

Suddenly Not Long After Until When While One day Subsequently

First Second Meanwhile Immediately Soon Yesterday Tomorrow Once

In the meantime Across Beyond Under Above Nearby Below Further Along

Exercises to practice:

Narrative Paragraphs

Part 1—Read all the sentences below. Numbers the lines to show the order in which they would appear in paragraph form.

_______          Next we made a campfire and cooked.

_______          Last weekend we took the family camping.

_______          We finally went into the tent to sleep.

_______          Later, when it was dark, we sat around the campfire and popped corn.

_______          The children found dry twigs, while Laurie and I set up the tent.

_______          We found a nice area near a stream.

_______          We hiked all day, looking for a good site.

Part 2—Underline the transition words in this narrative paragraph. (There are 6 words or phrases.)

I had a great time at the state fair. First I saw all the prize-winning animals. Next I inspected the latest types of farm equipment. After that I test-drove an off-the-road vehicle. After eating a delicious lunch of barbecue ribs and buttered corn-on-the-cob, I decided to sample the carnival ride I used to enjoy when I was young. At first I liked it, but I became dizzy. Later I drove home.

Part 3—Make a list of transition words you can use in a narrative paragraph.

This past weekend I had the time of my life. First, Friday night, I had my best friend over and we made a delicious, mouth-watering pizza. After we ate, we had a friendly video game competition. On Saturday, my dad took us out on the boat. The weather was perfect and the water was warm. It was a great day to go for a swim. Later that night, we went to the movies. We saw an action packed thriller and ate a lot of popcorn. Finally, on Sunday, we rode our bikes all over town. By the end of the day, my legs were very tired. I only hope that next weekend can be as fun as this one.

Notice the transition words that were used to move the paragraph along. Everything is in the correct order.

The paragraph provides details and stays on topic.

1. Underline the topic sentence of the paragraph.

2. On a sheet of paper list the major events of the narrative. The first event has been listed for you.

   First, Friday night, I had my best friend over  

3. Reread the narrative, circling the transitional words and expressions the writer uses to create a clear time order.

4.  Do you find this narrative paragraph effective?             Why, or why not? 

Part 4.   Narrative Paragraph Writing Assignment

Write a paragraph on this topic: The Best Day of Your Life 

This will be a narrative paragraph. You will tell the story of this day of your life.

Step One—Prewriting

Brainstorming—Answer these questions for your brainstorming:

1. When was this day?
2. Where were you?
3. Who was with you?
4. What were you doing?
5. Why is this your best day?

Step Two—Drafting and Revising

• Write you paragraph.
• Read over your paragraph and make corrections in ideas, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Step Three—Evaluating and Conferencing

• Use the paragraph self-evaluation form to evaluate your paragraph.
• Conference with your teacher when you are done with all these steps.