Narrative Text

Definition, Purposes, Generic Structures and Example of Narrative Text

A. The definition of narrative text

Narrative text is a story with complication or problematic events and it tries to find
the resolutions to solve the problems. An important part of narrative text is the
narrative mode, the set of methods used to communicate the narrative through a
process narration.

B. The purpose of narrative text

The Purpose of Narrative Text is to amuse or to entertain the reader with a story.

C. Generic Structures of Narrative Text

1) Orientation
Sets the scene: where and when the story happened and introduces the participants of
the story: who and what is involved in the story.

2) Complication
Tells the beginning of the problems which leads to the crisis (climax) of the main
participants.

3) Resolution
The problem (the crisis) is resolved, either in a happy ending or in a sad (tragic)
ending

4) Re-orientation/Coda
This is a closing remark to the story and it is optional. It consists of a moral lesson,
advice or teaching from the writer

D. Example of Narrative Text

The Princess and the Pea

Once there was a Prince who wanted to marry a Princess. Only a real one would do.
So he traveled through all the world to find her, and everywhere things went wrong.
There were Princesses aplenty, but how was he to know whether they were real
Princesses? There was something not quite right about them all. So he came home
again and was unhappy, because he did so want to have a real Princess.
One evening a terrible storm blew up. It lightened and thundered and rained. It was
really frightful! In the midst of it all came a knocking at the town gate. The old King
went to open it.
Who should be standing outside but a Princess, and what a sight she was in all that
rain and wind. Water streamed from her hair down her clothes into her shoes, and ran
out at the heels. Yet she claimed to be a real Princess.
"We'll soon find that out," the old Queen thought to herself. Without saying a word
about it she went to the bedchamber, stripped back the bedclothes, and put just one
pea in the bottom of the bed. Then she took twenty mattresses and piled them on the
pea. Then she took twenty eiderdown feather beds and piled them on the mattresses.
Up on top of all these the Princess was to spend the night.
In the morning they asked her, "Did you sleep well?"
" Oh!" said the Princess. "No. I scarcely slept at all. Heaven knows what's in that bed.
I lay on something so hard that I'm black and blue all over. It was simply terrible."
They could see she was a real Princess and no question about it, now that she had felt
one pea all the way through twenty mattresses and twenty more feather beds. Nobody
but a Princess could be so delicate. So the Prince made haste to marry her, because he
knew he had found a real Princess.
As for the pea, they put it in the museum. There it's still to be seen, unless somebody
has taken it.
There, that's a true story.

Questions:

1. How did the prince find the real princess? The Prince travelled all over the world
2. Why was it difficult to find the real one from the princesses whom the prince
knew? Because there was always something about them that was not as it should be.
3. What did the old Queen do to find out that the princess was the real princess? The
all Queen took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a Pea on the bottom
4. Could the princess sleep ? Why? No, she could not. she was lying on something
hard,so that she was black and blue all over her body
5. What made the princess believed that she was a real princess? Because the princess
had felt the pea right through the twenty matresses and the twenty eider-down beds

Descriptive Text
1. Definition
Descriptive text is a text that describes what kind of person or an object described,
good shape, properties, and other numbers. Goal (purpose) of the descriptive text was
clear, namely to explain, DESCRIBE or disclose an individual or an object.

2. Structure
When writing descriptive text, there are several sets of common / generic structure
(actually not mandatory) that our writing is considered correct. The order is:
1. Identification: contains the identification of matter / a will be described.
2. Description: contains the explanation / description of the thing / person to mention
a few properties.

3. Language Features
-. The use of adjectives and compound adjectives.
– Using the simple present tense.

Example:

Kangaroo

A kangaroo is an animal found only in Australia, although it has a smaller relative,

called a wallaby, which lives on the Australian island of Tasmania and also in New
Guinea.
Kangaroos eat grass and plants. They have short front legs, but very long, and very
strong back legs and a tail. These they use for sitting up on and for jumping.
Kangaroos have been known to make forward jumps of over eight meters, and leap
across fences more than three meters high. The soy can also run at speeds of over 45
Km per hours.
The largest kangaroos are the great Grey kangaroo and the red kangaroo. Adults grow
to a length of 160 meters and weigh over 90 kilos.
Kangaroo are marsupials. This means that the female kangaroo has an external pounce
on the front of her body. A baby kangaroo is very tiny when it is born and it crawls at
once into this punch where it spends its first five months of life.

Questions:
1. Where is kangaroo found? In Australia
2. It is about the kangaroos, except? They are not marsupials
3. The followings are what the kangaroo can do, except? They can’t walk
4. Adult grow to a length of … meters ? 160
5. Adult grow to weigh over … kilos ? 90

Procedure Text
1. Definition
procedure text are (1) Text explain how to use instruction guide / usage. example: how
to use video, computers, copiers, fax etc.. (2) The text shows how to perform certain
activities. Example: recipes, rules, play games, scientific experiments, road safety
rules. (3) Text-related behavior of human. Example: Courant way of life, how to be
successful. Procedure text etc. .. The purpose is to tell the reader how to do / ‘These
events are usually divided into several steps. This text is usually written using the
present tense. Example procedure text is recipes.

2. STRUCTURE
As with any procedure definition text above, the generic structure procedure also text
was threefold:
1 Goal (purpose or goal)
2 Material Needed (material / equipment / materials required)
3 Methods or Steps (Method / steps) Note: In the procedure text in the form of How-
to (“Anyway titled how to”), sometimes the material needed (materials needed) not
included

3. Language Features
• Use of imperatives (cut, don’t mix)
• Use of action Verbs (turn, put, mix)
• Use of connectives (first, then, finally)
• Use of adverbial phrases (for five minutes, 2 centimeters from the top)

Example:
Fried potatoes

Ingredients:
4 red potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Equipment:
Large skillet
Plate
Pot
Steps:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but
still firm, about 15 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes when they are already cool.
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion
and green pepper. Cook about 5 minutes stirring often, until soft. Transfer to a plate
and set aside.
4. Pour remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into the skillet and turn heat to medium-high.
5. Add potato cubes, salt, paprika and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until
potatoes are browned about 10 minutes.
6. Stir in the onions, green peppers and parsley and cook for another minute. Serve
hot.

PREP TIME: 20 Min

COOK TIME: 25 Min

Questions:
1. What does the text tells about ? how to make fried potatoes
2. Which statement is NOT TRUE according to the text ? The potatoes must be cut
after they are getting cool.
3. How long do we need to try the recipe until it is ready to be served ? 20 minutes
4. “Transfer to a plate and set aside.”
The word “transfer” in the sentence nearly means… move
5. “ Drain the potatoes and cut … when they are already cool.”
The word "they" refers to .... The potatoes.

Report Text
1. Definition
Report is a text which presents information about something, as it is. It is as a result of
systematic observation and analysis

2. Structure
1. General classification: Stating classification of general aspect of thing; animal,
public place, plant, etc which will be discussed in general
2. Description: Describing the thing which will be discussed in detail; part per part ,
customs or deed for living creature and usage for materials

3. Language Feature
• Introducing group or general aspect
• Using conditional logical connection; when, so, etc
• Using simple present tense

Example:

For many years people believed that the cleverest animals after man were the
chimpanzees. Now, however, there is a proof that dolphins may be even cleverer than
these big apes.

Although a dolphin lives in the sea, it is not a fish. It is a mammal. It is in many ways,
therefore, like a human being.

Dolphins have a simple language. They are able to talk to one another. It may be
possible for man to learn how to talk to dolphins. But, this will not be easy because
dolphins cannot hear the kind of sounds man can make. If man wants to talk to
dolphins, therefore, he will have to make a third language which both he and the
dolphins can understand.

Dolphins are also very friendly toward man. They often follow ships. There are many
stories about dolphins guiding ships through difficult and dangerous waters.

Questions:
1. The text above is in the form of………….report
2. To tell the factual information, the writer mostly uses…………simple present tense
3. What kind of animal is dolphin? mammal
4. Why talking to dolphin is not easy? dolphins cannot hear the kind of man’s sounds
5. What is the characteristic of dolphin according to the text? friendly

Recount Text
1. Definition
Text text recounts are usually recounted an incident that had occurred in the past.
Usually text recounts drawn from personal experience then written into essays that
form the text itself.

2. structure:
• Orientation (Orientation): Provides an introduction to the events experienced, a
figure that is in the event, where the event occurred, and the time when the incident /
event occurred.
• Events: Contains tangle of events / events in the story experience. This section
usually consists of several Events / Events
• Re-orientation: Contains summary / cover story.

3. Language Features
• Using the simple past tense

Example:

Sunday The Terrible

Last week was a terrible day for me. My cousin and I were playing football in front
of the house to spend time with us .

First, it was really fun until I kicked the ball too strong, so the ball leaded me to the
window and broke the window. When we want to escape, all of a sudden we all heard
a loud voice. After that, the owner of the house came out of the fence, he yelled at us.
We are very afraid of her, but we do not know what to do. Then, one of my cousins
told us to run, we all ran, and suddenly we heard the sound of skin. Then we know
that homeowners allow dogs to chase us. And we were struggling to run as fast as her
as we can.

But, I fell down so the dog managed to capture me and bit my leg. It really hurts me.
Then the dog ran back into the house. My cousin took me to the doctor and told my
parents . In the end, the doctor said that I was exposed to rabies. Then I was
hospitalized for one week more.

That's a terrible day of the week for me, may not happen to me again in his next
week Sunday.

Questions:
1. What is the title of the story above ?
2. When was happening?
3. Why last week was a terrible day for the author?
4. Who is shouting?
5. What is said to be the cousin of the author?
6. Who is pursuing the author and his friends when run?
7. What happens when a dog chasing a homeowner?
8. Who brought author to the doctor?
9. What the doctor said at author?
10. How long author hospitalized?

Answer:
1. Sunday The Terrible
2. Last Week
3. For kicking the ball too strong, so that the ball is kicked into the window and broke
the window.
4. The owner of the house
5. To run
6. dog pawnbroker
7. The dog caught, and biting the author.
8. Cousin
9. The doctors say that the author is exposed to rabies
10. Week