Narrative Text

Social function of the narrative text is to inform and entertain. Narrative text will tell the
story with amusing way. It provides an esthetic literary experience to the reader.

Narrative text is organized focusing at character oriented. It is build using descriptive familiar
language and dialogue. There are some genres of literary text which fit to be classified as the
narrative text. Some of them are:

 Folktales, it includes fables, legend, myth, or realistic tales

 Mysteries, fantasy, science or realistic fiction

Analysis the Generic Structure

Orientation: It sets the scene and introduces the participants/characters. In that parrot story,
the first paragraph is the orientation where reader finds time and place set up and also the
participant as the background of the story. A man and his parrot took place once time.

Complication: It explores the conflict in the story. It will show the crisis, rising crisis and
climax of the story. In the parrot story, paragraph 2, 3, 4 are describing the complication.
Readers will find that the man face a problem of why the parrot can not say Catano. To fix
this problem, the man attempted to teach the bird. How hard he tried to teach the bird is the
excitement element of the complication.

Resolution: It shows the situation which the problems have been resolved. It must be our
note that “resolved” means accomplished whether succeed or fail. In the last paragraph of the
smartest parrot story, readers see the problem is finished. The parrot could talk the word
which the man wanted. The parrot said the word with higher degree than the man taught the
word to it. That was the smartest parrot.

Reorientation/coda (optional): show the writer comment or present the moral value of the
story

The language feature of the text is the use of past tense and adverbs of time.

Grammar

Action and Thinking Verbs

Read the following sentences. Pay attention to the verbs in bold.

1. One day Rajo Nan Panjang went to Rajo banbanding’s house to propose Sabai Nan
Aluih.
2. That’s why he declined Rajo Nan Panjang’s proposal.

The verbs in bold are action verbs. Action verb express what a person, animal, object, or
force of nature can do. Action verbs refer to the verbs of doing and happening.
 Here are example of action verbs.

- Eat - practice - walk - come - draw - write

- Climb - go - jump - read - put - sing

Then look and pay attention to the verbs in bold

1. She thought that her bad dream signed that her father would bein bad condition.
2. She knew that Rajo Nan Panjang would take revenge on her father’s rejection.
The verbs in bold are thinking verbs. Thinking verbs tell readers what the characters
are thinking about the events or what they were thinking at the time

Here are example of thinking verbs

- Believe - consider - decide - dream - realize - wonder

- Forget - forgive - imagine - notice - remember - assume

Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct speech is the sentences is saying exactly what a person has said, which is write by
quotation mark ( “……………..” )
Indirect speech is the sentences shows that a person reports what a person says to another
person.

Direct speech Indirect speech

The king said, “ war will make our people suffer “ The king said that war would make their people suffer.
One of the minister asked, “ what is our plan, your One of the minister asked the king what their plan was
Majesty?”

Here are the changes when changing sentences from direct speech into indirect speech
1. When the direct speech is a statement
We use that to change the subject, tense, and adverb of time
A. The Tenses
Direct speech Indirect speech
Simple present tense Simple past tense
Present continuous tense Past continuous tense
Simle past tense Past perfect tense
Present perfect tense Past perfect tense
Past continouse tense Past perfect continuous tense
Past perfect tense Past perfect tense
Modal: shall, will, can, may Modal: should, would, could, might

B. The adverb of time

Direct Speech Indirect Speech
- Now - Then
- Today - That day
- Next….(next Monday, next week, etc ) - The following…( the following Monday, the
following week, etc)
- Yesterday - the day before
- Last…(last week, last month, etc The…..(week, month, etc ) before

Example:
Direct question : the king said, “ we will welcome them nicely”
Indirect question : the king said that they would welcome them nicely

2. When the direct speech is question.

 We use if/whether when direct question is a yes/no question
Example:
Direct question : the general asked people “ do you agree?”
Indirect question : The general asked the people if/wether they agreed

 When the direct question begins with a question word:

Example:
Direct question : one of the ministers asked, “ what is your plan, Your
Majesty?”
Indirect question : one of the minister asked the king what his plan was

3. When the direct speech ia an imperative (instruction)

We begin the indirect speech with to + Vbase
Example :
Direct speech : the king commanded the ladies in waiting, “ prepare the food
and welcome the soldier
Indirect speech : the king commanded the ladies in waiting to prepare the
foods and welcome the soldier.

4. When the direct speech is a prohibition.

 Example:
Direct speech : the king said: “ Don’t do it”.
Indirect speech : the king said to his people not to do it.

5. When the direct speech is a greeting

Example:
Direct speech : Intan said,” Happy New Year”.
Indirect speech : Intan wished me a happy New Year.

Direct speech : Edi said, “ thank you”.

Indirect speech : Edi thanked me.

Direct speech : Tiara said, “ welcome”

Indirect speech : Tiara welcomed me