Material Unit 2
Completion requirements
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6. A narrative
In a narrative you describe/tell a real/imaginary past event/story.
This event/story can be funny emotional, thrilling, funny, terrifying, etc.
Writing a narrative
Think about your reader! Is your narrative easy to read?
- Give your narrative a clear beginning, middle and end.
- Use a separate paragraph for each main idea.
- Use linkers to connect your ideas.
- Use different past tenses, not just the past simple.
- Use time expressions to sequence events:
First, ... ; In the end, ... - Describe atmosphere and feelings as well as what happened.
Language focus
- Use the past continuous to set the scene and to show longer action, the past simple for main events, and the past perfect for events that happened earlier.
- Use the present simple to talk about current situations or feelings, or the present perfect to say how events have influenced you today.
Get ideas
- Think of an event or story to write about. Remember, it doesn't have to be true.
- Make notes to answer these questions:
What happened? When did it happen? Where did it happen? Who did it happen to? How did people feel? What happened afterwards?
Plan
- Put your ideas in order. What happened first/next/in the end?
- Organize your ideas into a paragraph plan.
For example:
| Paragraph 1 | Introduction to the story |
| Paragraph 2 | Main events I |
| Paragraph 3 | Main events II |
| Paragraph 4 | Final (What happened afterwards) |
title: The time we first met
to describe feelings
- I was / felt (terrified, delighted, etc.)
- I felt ... and ... at the same time.
- It was a terrible shock / wonderful surprise.
- I've never been / felt so ... before / in my hole life.
- ... was so (adjective, e.g. sad) that ...
- ... was such a (adjective+noun, e.g. great day) that ...
Adverbs to comment on events
- amazingly, ...
- Luckily, ...
- Sadly, ...
- Unexpectedly, ...
- incredibly, ...
- Fortunately / unfortunately, ...
time expressions
- I (past tense) while / when I (past continuous)
- For / since / just / ever / never /already / yet (with past simple)
- Last year / yesterday / a few days ago (with past simple)
- Before I (past simple), I (past perfect)
- After / Because / By the time / when I (past perfect), I (past simple)
- Suddenly, ...
- Just then, ...
- At that moment, ...
- Meanwhile, ...
- While that was happening, ...
- During (that time, the afternoon, etc.)
other narrative sequencers
- At first, / First, / In the beginning, / First of all, ...
- Next, .../ Then, .../ After that, ..
- Eventually, .../ Finally, .../ In the end, ...
- Afterwards, ...
Reflecting on events
- It was the (best, worst, most frightening, etc) day of my life!
- It was a day / time I'll never forget.
- I'll remember this day / time forever.
- Since that day / time, ...
- It changed my life (forever)
- Things will / would never be the same again.