Narrative Paragraph
Writing
Read the text and color code the
paragraph.
• Title – pink
What the story is about
• Topic sentence – red
• Background information – purple Additional information
• Beginning of the story – green
• Middle of the story – blue
• End of the story – green
• Concluding sentences - red Summarizes the main points
Discuss
• What was your experience on your trip to the U.S.? Did
you have a similar experience as the writer?
• Does the writer focus on telling a story, arguing for a
controversial issue, or listing points to explain an idea?
• What types of supporting ideas and details are used to
explain the main idea?
• What do you like about this paragraph?
• How would you improve the paragraph?
• If you could ask the writer a question, what would you
ask?
What narration means
A description of …
• an experience
• an event
• a story
• a situation to show a point of view
A visit to a beach A rainy day An accident that I have ever had
Narrative Paragraphs have….
• A beginning – How did the story start?
• A middle – How did it progress?
• An ending – How did it end?
How..?
1. Background information – what, who, when, where, why and how –
usually in the beginning
2. Use “Past Tense” – narrate past experience or event
3. Use appropriate time expressions and arrange the information in
chronological order (time order)
4. Use appropriate descriptive words and details to help the readers
feel as they were experiencing the event in person
Read the following paragraph titles.
Which ones can be appropriate titles for narrative
paragraphs?
What will the paragraphs be about?
1. First Day at Mae Fah Luang University 2. Attending My Best Friend’s Wedding
3. My Dream House 4. How to Register for Online Classes
5. Reasons for Taking a Yoga Class 6. My First Black Friday Shopping Trip
7. A Memorable Morning at the Beach 8. Different Types of Friends
Topic Sentence in
Narration
Topic Sentence in Narration
Parts for the Beginning of the Paragraph Ideas
What (topic)
Controlling idea (main idea)
Who
When
Where
Why (if applicable)
How (if applicable)
Ways to write the Beginning
Example 1: My Worst Trip
Parts for the Beginning of the Ideas
Paragraph
What (topic) My experience at Miami airport and during the flight to Chicago
Controlling idea (main idea) terrible
Who I
When September 29, 2007, after a long flight from my native country
Where Miami Airport and on the plane to Chicago
Why (if applicable) I could not understand English
How (if applicable) -
Ways to write the beginning My experiences at Miami Airport and during the flight to Chicago on
September 29, 2007 were terrible because I could not understand English. I
came from Mexico and that was my first connecting trip out of my own
country.
Example 2: My First Black Friday
shopping
Parts for the Beginning of thetrip
Paragraph Ideas
What (topic) A shopping trip
Controlling idea (main idea) exhausting
Who My sister and I
When Black Friday, 2019
Where Woodfield Mall
Why (if applicable) To get good deals on Christmas gifts for family and
friends
How (if applicable) -
Ways to write the Beginning My sister and I had an exhausting shopping trip
in the Woodfield Mall. It was Black Friday, 2019.
We wanted to get good deals on Christmas gifts
for our family and friends
Use the above examples as models. Fill in the information.
Try writing your topic sentence with background
information in one, two, or three sentences.
1. Parts for the Beginning of the Paragraph Ideas
What (topic) My first visit to Mae Fah Luang University
Controlling idea (main idea)
Who
When
Where
Why (if applicable)
How (if applicable)
Ways to write the Beginning
Use the above examples as models. Fill in the information.
Try writing your topic sentence with background
information in one, two, or three sentences.
2. Parts for the Beginning of the Paragraph Ideas
What (topic) My family’s most important day
Controlling idea (main idea)
Who
When
Where
Why (if applicable)
How (if applicable)
Ways to write the Beginning
Supporting ideas in
Chronological Order and
with Time Transactions
Chronological order
• The middle of the paragraph – the main part of the story
• What happened first is first
• What happened next is explained next
• One way – to draw a timeline – a brief outline for a paragraph
A timeline for “an interview
experience”
Time Transactions
• Use appropriate expressions
• Transactions – guide the readers through the narration
• Adverbs – First, Second, Next, Meanwhile, Finally, Suddenly, etc.
• Adverbial phrases – Moments later, Right away, A short while later,…
• Prepositional phrases – At first, After that, In the meantime, At noon,..
• Dependent clauses – When I woke up, While I was driving, Until it was
midnight,…
Descriptive Vocabulary
and Details in Narration
Descriptive vocabulary and details
• They have a large house.
• They have a 2-storey, red brick
house.
Descriptive Vocabulary and details
•Mrs. Kim is the best teacher I have ever had.
•Mrs. Kim is the most humorous and hardworking
teacher I have ever had.
Descriptive vocabulary and details
• Words – tools in writing
• Help your readers see or picture the event you are describing
•They have a large house.
•They have a 2-story, red brick house.
•Mrs. Kim is the best teacher I have ever had.
•Mrs. Kim is the most humorous and hardworking
teacher I have ever had.
General Vocabulary Descriptive Vocabulary
Afraid fearful, frightened, petrified, scared, terrified …
beg, command, instruct, murmur, order, plead,
Ask/Say/Tell
whisper, wonder …
damaging, detrimental, disadvantageous, harmful,
Bad
negative …
bulky, colossal, enormous, gigantic, huge, immense,
Big
massive, vast…
appetizing, flavorful, rich, mouth-watering, savory,
Delicious
scrumptious, succulent …
cheerful, content, delighted, ecstatic, elated,
Happy
exhilarated, joyful …
critical, crucial, essential, life-changing, momentous,
Important
significant, vital, weighty …
gaze, glance, glare, glimpse, inspect, marvel, peep,
Look
stare …
anxious, concerned, fretful, uneasy, unsettled, worried
Nervous
…
hop, ramble, scamper, scuttle, stride, stroll, strut,
Walk
stumble, tiptoe …
Reference
• Harper College, Part Two Paragraph Writing Skills and
Essay Introduction, Building Academic Writing
Skills,Harper College
https://harpercollege.pressbooks.pub/academic-writing-
skills/chapter/unit-5narrative-paragraphs/
