RECOUNT TEXT

Definition of Recount Text

Recount text is a type of text in English that
contains a story about the actions or activities of
the author or characters in the story. The activity
or action in question is the author's experience
expressed through recount text. Usually the
purpose of recount text is to entertain readers
and provide information.

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The Purpose of Recount Text
1. Provide information to readers
Recount text can be used to provide information about an event or experience in the past to other people. In
this case, the information can be a trip report, personal experience, or a report about an event.
2. Entertain readers
Like most other texts, recount text also functions to entertain readers. The reason is, this type of English
text is generally written to tell something pleasant.
3. Meditate on something
In some cases, recount text can be used as a medium to reflect and analyze certain events or experiences.
This is the reason why diaries and personal journals are included as recount texts.
4. Document important experiences
Apart from photos and videos, we can also immortalize important experiences in the past through recount
text.
5. Study history
In an educational context, recount text is often used to study and understand historical events.

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Types and Examples of Recount Text
1. Personal Experience

It is a recount text that functions to tell the author's personal

experience. Personal recount is the most commonly used type
for writing recount text.

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Types and Examples of Recount Text
Last Friday was a tiring day. I spent the whole day doing lot of activities and had no time to
take a rest.
First, I went cycling to school in the morning. Then, I studied until 14.00. After school, I went
to football practice in the field. It was a hard training day and drained my energy. After that, I
went home and took a shower.
Before getting ready to sleep, I remembered that there were home works and some projects I
still had to do. I did my homework until 22.00 and finished some video editing for my project
until 01.00. Only until then, I could take a rest. Those activities made me exhausted.
Perhaps I will reduce my activities in the future.

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Types and Examples of Recount Text
2. Biographical text

A biographical text is a text that tells a person's life story

which is more complex than just a curriculum vitae and
employment data. Usually biographical texts tell in more
depth about the feelings a person faces in facing an event or
someone's life.

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Types and Examples of Recount Text
Thomas Alva Edison as Inventor who was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio. Thomas Edison
was the youngest of seven children Samuel and Edison. His father was an exiled political activist,
while his mother was an accomplished school teacher and had a great influence on Thomas’ early life.
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor, his inventions include the telegraph, the phonograph,
the first practical incandescent electric light bulb, alkaline storage batteries and the Kinetograph
(camera for film).
During his lifetime, Edison received many patents. His first patent was obtained from the
Electrographic Vote-Recorder on October 13, 1868, at the age of 21. His last patent was for equipment
used to hold objects during the electroplating process. While the artificer wasn’t the inventor of the
first light bulb, he did find the technology that helped bring it back in time.
Edison was driven to perfect the commercially practical incandescent light bulb after the British
inventor invented the first early electric arc lamp in the early 1800s. Thomas Edison later died of
complications from his illness on October 18, 1931, at his home, “Glenmont,” in West Orange, New
Jersey.

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Types and Examples of Recount Text
3. Historical Event

Historical event text is a form of recount text whose content tells about historical
events. Like the form of recount text in general, history recount uses simple past tense
in its writing. Because what is being told is an event that happened in the past.

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Types and Examples of Recount Text
For more than 30 years, Indonesia was governed by Suharto as the president after the era of President
Soekarno. As the people started to feel injustice, several cracks emerged that shake politic condition. Political
tensions in the capital city increased by the numerous riots occurred in several cities and violent ethnic clashes.
The government became unstable and struggled as monetary crisis hit Asia in the second half of 1997.
Indonesia was one of the suffered most. Prices rose massively and many businesses went bankrupts. As the
economy fall down, people got angry and protests occurred everywhere. The protests became bigger and riots
started in many parts of Indonesia.
During the monetary crisis, Suharto could maintain his position as president when he was re-elected on March
1998. However, Suharto did not do anything that could help the economy. As the government seemed helpless
in bringing the economy back, people demanded President Suharto to step down.
Demonstrations were held everywhere and it became the peak with Trisakti incident on 12 May 1998. Four
students were shot out to death when demonstrating at Trisakti University at Jakarta and 9 students were killed
at Semanggi. The incident leaded huge riots in Jakarta and various cities all over Indonesia.
Finally, Suharto was pushed to step down and reformation era begun in Indonesia.

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Structure of Recount Text
1. Orientation

The first structure contains information about the characters,

the place of the incident, when the incident took place and so
on. It is hoped that the information provided by the author
can provide the knowledge or information needed by the
reader to understand the storyline

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Structure of Recount Text

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to go on a vacation to

one of my dream countries, Turkey. I went there with my
husband. We departed from Soekarno-Hatta Airport in
Tangerang. We had a very long flight for around 12 hours by
Turkish Airlines and we landed at Istanbul Airport, Istanbul.

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Structure of Recount Text
2. Events

The second structure is the content of the text or in the form

of a story about events or experiences that the writer wants to
convey to the reader. In this section, the author will write
down a series of events that they experienced (the essence of
the recount text). Apart from that, the author usually makes a
personal statement regarding the story he wrote.

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Structure of Recount Text

On the first day, due to exhaustion, we just stayed at the hotel

near Hagia Sophia to rest. The next day, we left for Taksim to
visit one of the popular destinations, Galata Tower. We saw a
lot of shopping centers and local authentic cafes there. After
that, we visited one of the Malaysian restaurants that I really
wanted to visit in the Blue Mosque area.

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Structure of Recount Text
3. Reorientation

The third structure is the end of a story. In this section, the

author will provide a summary and conclusion of the whole
story as well as tell the ending (sad/happy). If there is,
the author will also add impressions and messages for
readers.

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Structure of Recount Text

A trip to Turkey a few years ago was an experience I will

never forget for the rest of my life. The bonus, two weeks after
arriving in Indonesia, God trusts us to have the child. We
think that having quality time with a partner is very
important.

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The Language Feature of Recount Text
1. Using simple past tense

In the recount text, most of the story is filled using simple past tense sentences to show
activities in the past.
The sentence pattern is divided into two, namely there are verbal sentences with the formula
subject + verb 2 + complement and nominal sentences with the formula subject + be +
complement.
Example sentence like:

Last week, my friends and I went to Jogja.

Went is the simple past tense form of go.

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The Language Feature of Recount Text
2. Using specific participant

Recount text is also closely related to a specific participant, namely something that has
a specific object, is not general, and is unique (there is only one).
For examples include Istanbul Airport, Borobudur Temple, Muara Angke, Geusan
Ulun Museum, and etc.

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The Language Feature of Recount Text

3. Using personal participant

Personal participants for examples include I, my group, my friends, my husband, etc.

In recount text, usually the personal participant will appear in the orientation section as
an introduction to the character in the story.

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The Language Feature of Recount Text
4. Using action verb

Action verbs are verbs that refer to actions you take that are visible to others. This verb
is also known as a dynamic verb.
Example sentence like:

First, we visited Parangtritis beach.

Visited is a verb to be visible to others.

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The Language Feature of Recount Text
5. Using linking verbs

As a text that tells a series of events, it cannot be separated from linking verbs, namely verbs
that connect the subject and the information. However, what must be underlined is that
the linking verb is used to provide descriptive information and identity of the subject. So, it
does not refer to the action carried out by the subject.
Some examples that include linking verbs are be, become, seem, appear, grow. Be consists
of is, am, and are for simple present tense. Meanwhile, what applies to the recount text is the
simple past tense form, namely was and were.
Example sentence like:

Yesterday, I was busy towards the end of the month and I had to work late.

Was serves to connect between I and busy towards the end of the month.

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The Language Feature of Recount Text
6. Using chronological connection/sequence connective

Chronological connection or what is also known as chronological connector/connector of

sequence is a conjunction that is used to express the order in which events occur. Of course, this
rule is in line with the definition of the recount text itself. Chronological connectors are useful
for stating which activities occurred first and which occurred next. These conjunctions make it
easier for readers to understand the overall sequence of events. Examples of chronological
connectors are then, next, at the end, in addition, and so on.
Consider the following example:

We looked around in that Zoo, and also took pictures of those animals. Then, we felt
hungry, so we went to a restaurant.

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The Language Feature of Recount Text
7. Using conjunction

A conjunction is a part of the part of speech whose job is to connect two words, phrases
or sentences. Examples of conjunctions in recount text are and, or, until, although,
while, but, and many more.
When applied in a sentence like:

One of my friends warned me that Samyang was very spicy, but I didn't want to
listen to her.

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The Language Feature of Recount Text
8. Using adverbs

Simply put, adverbs are adverbs. It provides more information or describes in more
detail than verbs, adjectives, and other words. For example extremely, carefully, slowly,
etc.
In a sentence, an example is:

She walked carefully.

Carefully plays a role in explaining the verb walked.

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The Language Feature of Recount Text
9. Using adverb(ial) phrases

Adverbial phrases are phrases that are adverbs, aka phrases whose function is to explain. If
an adverb is a part of a sentence whose function is to explain the whole sentence, a verb,
adjective, or another adverb. An adverbial phrase is part of an adverb, but it is not always one
word and is usually part of a clause or phrase. There are various types of adverbial phrases, but
the ones most often used in recount texts are the adverb phrase of time and the adverb phrase of
place which function to explain the time and place of the incident.
Example sentences like:

Adverb phrase of time: Camelia found her book in the classroom.

Adverb phrase of place: My team won the volleyball tournament last week.

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The Language Feature of Recount Text
10. Using time connectives and sequence connectives

Connectives are words or phrases that connect parts of words, phrases, clauses or
sentences. Examples of time connectives are in the meantime, the next day, etc. Apart
from that, there is also a sequence connective to sort information based on steps.
For example: before, after, then, first, second, third, finally, at last.

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Empowering Underprivileged Children Through Technology on Children’s Day 1999

On Children’s Day in 1999, a technology company treated more than 200 underprivileged
children to a ‘high-tech’ experience. They were given training on information technology.
The company wanted to provide opportunities for these children to learn more about the
Internet and the latest technology. They wanted to help the less fortunate in the community.

The children had an enjoyable and educational experience that day. They were exposed to
the new technology for the first time and they were very interested. The company hoped to
conduct many more such training sessions for these children. They felt that the skills the
children had would be useful to them when they grew up.

The company was very active in caring for the less fortunate. They even put aside one day
a year for their employees to do volunteer work to help the needy. They also donated
money to many charitable organizations. Many people had benefited from their efforts.
Many also praised the company for being so generous towards the needy

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Thank
you!
Any questions?

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