NARRATIVE ESSAY

Narrative essay

In a narrative you describe a past event or tell a stroy.

Example: Write about an exciting experience that you've had.

GET IDEAS

1. Think of an event or story to write about (true or not).
2. Make notes to answer these questions:
1. What happened?
2. Where did it happen?
3. How did people feel?
4. When did it happen?
5. Who did it happen to?
6. What happened afterwards?

Example: Write about an exciting experience that you've had.

PLAN

1. Put your ideas in order.
2. Organize the ideas into paragraphs:
1. PARAGRAPH 1: introduction to the story.
2. PARAGRAPH 2-3: main events (before/during/after)
3. FINAL PARAGRAPH: how the experience affected you

Example: Write about an exciting experience that you've had.

WRITE

useful language

Adverbs to comment on events

Describing feelings

• Amazingly...
• Luckily...
• Sadly...
• Incredinly...
• Fortunately...
• Unfortunately...

• I was / felt (terrified, delighted...)
• It was a terrible shock/wonderful surprise.
• I've never been/felt so... before/in my whole life.
• ...was so (adjective) that...

Time expressions

Other narrative sequencers

• I (past simple) while/when/as I (past continuous)
• for/since/just/ever/never/already/yet (with past perfect or present perfect)
• Lat year/yesterday/a few days ago (with past simple)
• Before I (past simple), I (past perfect)
• Afet/because/by the time/when I (past perfect), I (past simple)
• Suddenly.../just then.../at the moment...

• At first/First/In the beginning/First of all...
• Next.../then.../after that.../later...
• Eventually.../finally.../in the end...

Reflectinc on events

• It was the (adjective) day of my life!
• It was a day/time I'll never forget.
• I'll remember this day/time forever.