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Narration
L ea r n i n g
Objectives
Exploring
1 What Is Narration?
(page 70)
2 The Narrative
Paragraph (page 70)
3 Explore Topics
(page 71)
Developing
4 The Topic Sentence
(page 74)
5 The Supporting Ideas
(page 75)
6 The Paragraph Plan
(page 77)
7 The First Draft
(page 78)
Revising and Editing
8 Revise and Edit a
Narrative Paragraph
(page 78)
Pablo Pa
ul/Alamy
Writers Exchange
Work with a team of at least three students, and choose a popular fairy tale. Then
you will retell the fairy tale, but you will update it and make it more contemporary.
First, one of you begins and says one sentence. Then, switching speakers, each
person adds one sentence to the tale.
EXAMPLE: Yesterday, a young woman living in North Bay decided to
visit her grandmother.
69
70Part II
Paragraph Patterns
E X P LORING
Watch the Video
Paragraph Development Narration
MyWritingLab
What Is Narration?
When you narrate, you tell a story about what happened. You generally explain
events in the order in which they occurred, and you include information about
when they happened and who was involved in the incidents.
You use narration every day. You may write about the weeks events in your
personal journal, or you might send a postcard to a friend detailing what you
did during your vacation. At college, you may explain what happened during a
historical event or what happened in a novel that you have read. At work, you
might use narration to explain an incident involving a customer or co-worker.
Narration not only is useful on its own but also enhances other types of
writing. For example, Jason must write an argument essay about youth crime.
His essay will be more compelling if he includes a personal anecdote about the
time a gang of youths attacked him in a subway station. In other words, narration
can provide supporting evidence for other paragraph or essay patterns.
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Chapter 5 Narration71
care, how other children felt. Thus, when schoolmates ridiculed a shy boy, I
gleefully joined in.
2. Use third-person narration.
In third-person narration, you do not refer to your own experiences. Instead,
you describe what happened to somebody else. The story is told in the third
person using he, she, it, or they. You might tell a story about your mothers
childhood, or you might explain what happened during the last election. In
this type of narration, you are simply an observer or storyteller; you are not
a participant in the action. For example: The students gathered to protest
against the war. One student threw a chair through the window of the student
centre. Suddenly, people started pushing and shoving.
Hint
When you write a narrative paragraph, try to choose a topic that will interest the
reader. For example, the reader might not be interested if you write about the act of
eating your lunch. However, if you write about a time when your best friend argued
with a waiter during a meal, you could create an entertaining narrative paragraph.
Think about a topic that you personally find very interesting, and then share it
with your readers. Try to bring your experiences to life so that your readers can share
it with you.
Explore Topics
In Writers Desk: Warm Up, you will try an exploring strategy to generate ideas
about different topics.
72Part II
Paragraph Patterns
2. What are some memorable parties or celebrations that you have attended?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3. Think about interesting true events that have happened to family members or
friends. Are some stories particularly funny, sad, or inspiring? List some ideas.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
P RACTICE 1
The author of the next paragraph was born in 1951 on Baffin Island and went to
school in Frobisher Bay, eventually becoming an artist, writer, and photographer.
Read the paragraph and answer the questions.
There are a few memories of my childhood in Frobisher Bay.
Life in the Arctic is changing fast and Frobisher has changed along
with its people. If Frobisher has a distinct character today, it is that
it has become home to many Inuit from other communities in the
North. On any given day in Frobisher you might meet an Inuk who
had come from a town as far away as Port Burwell in the east or from
Tuktoyaktuk in the west. There were Inuit from Northern Quebec,
from the High Arctic, from the Central Arctic or the Keewatin. Today
there is no surprise in meeting an Inuk from Alaska or even from
Greenland, on the streets of Frobisher Bay. Who knows, maybe one
day we will begin to see whole families coming in from Siberia to live
in Frobisher Bay!
Alootook Ipellie, Frobisher Bay Childhood
a. First person
b. Third person
Chapter 5 Narration73
should have a clear idea of the paragraphs content after reading your
sentence.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
P RACTICE 2
Read the next paragraph and answer the questions.
The economic ups and downs caused by expansion and contraction
of the economy constitute the business cycle. A typical business cycle
runs from three to five years, but could last much longer. Though
typically irregular, a cycle can be divided into four general phases:
prosperity, recession, depression (which the cycle generally skips),
and recovery. During prosperity, the economy expands, unemployment
is low, incomes rise, and consumers buy more products. Businesses
respond by increasing production and offering new and better
products. Eventually, however, things slow down, GDP decreases,
unemployment goes up, and because people have less money to spend,
business revenues decline. This slowdown in economic activity is called
a recession. Economists often say that we are entering a recession
when GDP goes down for two consecutive quarters. Generally, a
recession is followed by a recovery in which the economy starts growing
again. If, however, a recession lasts a long time (perhaps a decade or so),
unemployment remains very high, and production is severely curtailed,
the economy could sink into a depression. Though not impossible, it
is unlikely that Canada will experience another severe depression like
that of the 1930s.
Karen Collins and Jackie Shemko, Exploring Business
business cycle:
recurring periods of
increased and decreased
economic activity
recession:
temporary decline in
economic activity
depression:
lengthy industrial and
financial decline in economic
activity
74Part II
Paragraph Patterns
DE V E L OPING
In a narrative essay, the thesis
statement expresses the
controlling idea.
topic
controlling idea
controlling idea
topic
Hint
Make a Point
In a narrative paragraph, the topic sentence should make a point. To help you find the
controlling idea, you can ask yourself the following questions.
EXAMPLE:
Topic:
topic
controlling idea
P RACTICE 3
Practise writing topic sentences. Complete the following sentences by adding a
controlling idea.
1. When I moved out of the family home, I felt _________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. In my first job, I learned __________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. When I heard the news about ____________________, I realized _________
___________________________________________________________________
Chapter 5 Narration75
When you recount a story to a friend, you may go back and add details, saying, I
forgot to mention something. When you write a narrative paragraph, however,
your sequence of events should be clearly chronological so that your reader can
follow your story.
Paragraph Patterns
joste_dj/iStock/Getty Images
76Part II
1. A serious decision
dad saw an ad
busboy job
bowling alley
2. A celebration or party
Chapter 5 Narration77
was excited
Support 3: On his first day, his boss asked him to put on an apron
and told him to pick up some dishes in the bowling alleys
restaurant.
Support 2:
Details:
Support 3:
Details:
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Paragraph Patterns
Transitional Expressions
Transitions can help you show a sequence of events. The following transitional
words are useful in narrative paragraphs.
To Show a Sequence of Events
after that
afterward
eventually
finally
first
in the beginning
in the end
last
later
meanwhile
next
then
R E VISING AN D E DITING
Watch the Video
Revising and Editing Your
Own Paragraphs
MyWritingLab
P RACTICE 5
Read the next student paragraph, and answer the questions.
When my father found his first job in Canada, there was a humorous
misunderstanding. My father, originally from Mexico City, had just
moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba and he did not speak English very well.
One day, he sees an ad for a busboy job. He wanted the job, so he
called the number in the ad. Later that day, he went for an interview
in a bowling alley. The restaurant manager spoke with my father and
offered him the job. That night, my father went home feeling very
excited. The next day, when he arrived for work, the manager gave
him an apron and asked him to pick up some dishes in the bowling
alley restaurant. My father, feeling confused and dissapointed, asked,
Where is the bus? He thought that a busboy would work on a bus
Copyright 2015 Pearson Canada Inc.
Chapter 5 Narration79
collecting tickets. The owner laught and explained what a busboys job
is. When my father told the family this story, everybody thought it was
funny, but they were also proud of his perseverance because today he
has a university degree and a good job.
Revising
1. Write down the two parts of the topic sentence.
topic
controlling idea
___________________________________________________________________
2. What type of order do the specific details follow? Circle the best answer.
a. Space
b. Time
c. Emphatic
d. No order
3. What are some transitional expressions that the author used?
___________________________________________________________________
4. What type of narration is this?
a. First person
b. Third person
Editing
5. This paragraph contains a tense inconsistency. The tense shifts for no
apparent reason. Identify the incorrect sentence. Then write the correct
sentence in the space below.
Correction: _______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
6. This paragraph contains two misspelled words. Identify and correct them.
Misspelled words
Corrections
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
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Paragraph Patterns
Grammar Hint
Using Quotations
When you insert a direct quotation into your writing, capitalize the first word of the
quotation, and put the final punctuation inside the closing quotation marks.
j Place a comma after an introductory phrase.
Vladimir screamed, The kitchens on fire.
j Place a colon after an introductory sentence.
Vladimir watched me coldly: We have nothing to discuss.
See Chapter 34 for more information about using quotations.
Think about what you have learned in this chapter. If you do not know an answer,
review that topic.
1. In narrative writing, you ________________________________________________
2. What are the differences between the two following types of narration?
First person: _________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Third person: ________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. What are some questions that you should you ask yourself when you write a
narrative paragraph? ___________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
4. What organizational method is commonly used in narrative paragraphs? Circle the
best answer.
a. Space order
b. Time order
c. Emphatic order
Chapter 5 Narration81
Minerva Studio/Shutterstock
82Part II
Paragraph Patterns
watch some videos about people who have overcome challenges to meet their
personal goals.