narration 记叙文写作

1、Four forms of discourse,Description,Narration,Exposition,Argumentation,note,The four forms are not entirely distinct from each other. The same piece of writing may contain TWO or more forms in it.,What is Narration To narrate is to give an account of what happened or is happening. Simply speaking, n

2、arration is the telling of a story, which involves characters and ongoing actions.,Narration, according to its different uses, is divided into two types: expository and literary. Expository narrative is the factual account of events, including history, biography, travels, news reports and journals,

3、with informative or illustrative purpose.,4,Two Types of Narration,Literary narrative is usually fictitious, found abundantly in literary creations such as anecdotes, tales and fables, romances, short stories, novels, and stories in verse. (used chiefly for experiential or aesthetic purpose ),Two Ty

4、pes of Narration,note,These two types of narrative have much in common. And sometimes it is difficult to tell one from the other, for a piece of good expository narrative can also be experiential and aesthetic with its lively and vivid tale.,Characteristics,A narration will 1. tell a story 2. have a

5、 theme rather than a topic sentence, 3.be written in the first person, 4.tend to be factual, 5. include description, 6. include dialogue, 7. rely on sensory details for impact, 8. follow a chronological organization.,Narrative Essays,A narrative essay is a way to record and share experiences and can

6、 be useful way to substantiate(证实) new understanding. To write a narrative essay, we need to think about an event worth sharing and to think about finding the significant, salient points in that event so that we can expand on the facts and make the story interesting.,Elements of a narrative essay,Pl

7、ot the arrangement/flow of incidents or events in a story Character maybe a person, a group or even animal (who act or think like people) who is/are placed in a situation which contains a problem he/she must solve. Conflict the problem in the story which the protagonist should resolve.,Setting the p

8、hysical background of the story. This includes where and when the story takes place. Style the ways the author expresses him/herself and conveys his/her ideas and central purpose,Principles FOR writing a narrative essay,1) Point of view If its your story, use “I”; If its a story about what happened

9、to a friend or group of friends including yourself, use “we”. If it is about someone else or about something, use “he”, “she” or “it”. Be consistent（一致的）. Retain the perspective throughout.,Samples,The other day, I was driving along the street. Suddenly, a car lost its control and ran directly towar

10、ds me fast. I was so frightened that I quickly turned to the left side. But it was too late. The car hit my bike and I fell off it. Little Tom was going to school with an umbrella, for it was raining hard. On the way, he saw an old woman walking in the rain with nothing to cover. Tom went up to the

11、old woman and wanted to share the umbrella with her, but he was too short. What could he do? Then he had a good idea.,2) Sequence or order Use the conventions found in any story: a plot the characters a climax an ending,10-4,Be sure to include the following information: why (the plot is important) w

12、ho (the characters are) where (it happened, is happening, will happen) when (it happened, is happening, will happen) Use flashback to make a narrative interesting.,I jumped off the bus before it stopped and began walking down the street. As I had arrived early, I decided to look at the shop windows

13、before going home. The idea makes me quite happy, but at the same time I had the unpleasant feeling that I had forgotten something. I stopped in the middle of the pavement and began searching my pockets. All of a sudden I remembered that I was without my briefcase! I had left it on the bus and it wa

14、s full of important papers. The thought was enough to make me start running down the street, though by now, the bus was out of sight.,Sample,Follow That Bus ! The first person; Sequence,3) Tense It is hardly safe to say that the past tense should be generally used in narration. 1. In narration what

15、took place in the past, use the past tense. 2. In narration what takes place every day or for all time, use the present tense. 3. In narration what will take place in the future, use the future tense.,3) Tense,4. In a narrative or fiction, use the past tense as a rule, though it is permissible to us

16、e the present tense occasionally for effect. 5. In writing a summary of a story, a drama, etc, use either the past tense or the present tense.,4) Dialogue The advantages: Bring the characters alive; Make the story meaningful and realistic Notes: Words of each character, enclosed in quotation mark, a

17、re treated as a separate paragraph; Sometimes, indirect speeches can also be used.,What Happened in History Today,At five minutes to the midnight on November 4, 1605, Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the English Houses of Parliament but was arrested in the cellars(地窖,) directly beneath the Lords Cham

18、ber. With other conspirators（反叛者)disguised as coal merchants, Fawkes had smuggled(走私) 36 barrels of gunpowder into the vaulted cellars and hidden them under bundles of wood, and empty bottles. One of the conspirators wrote to Lord Monteagle and warned him not to attend the opening of the Parliament

19、on November 5. The anonymous(匿名的) letter stated that the parliament would “receive a terrible blow.” Monteagle immediately informed the authorities and a search was made. But nothing was found. Monteagle went to the cellar to have another look. There he noticed that the woodpile seemed out of propor

20、tion. The explosives were found. Fawkes, who was staying there was arrested. (Point of view? Tense? Device?) Point of view : the third person Tense: the past tense Device: flashback,SAMPLE1,Sample 2,The cold wind blew and snow lay on the ground but I was thinking of my love, of how I would see him i

21、n an hour, and of how his eyes are so kind, and his shoulders so strong, and I didnt feel the cold.,the present and future tenses,Sample 3,The holiday wasnt going well until Tom said we should all climb to the top of the mountain. He argued that if we all worked together and helped each other and st

22、arted early enough, we would make it safely. He told us we would need to prepare: we would need to think about what to wear and what to take with us. It became an adventure which we enjoyed planning as much as doing.,Indirect speeches,Sample 4 Here is an example narrating an experience in which the

23、proposal of the authors daughter that they should get the crowd singing was effective in easing complaints., The morning was cold and misty. We stamped our feel and blew on icy hands, wishing we had worn parkas and brought hot drinks. People muttered unhappily. My daughter said , “Mom, we ought to g

24、et this crowd singing. Then theyd feel better and stop complaining.” I asked Maggie, “Shall we?” “Lets,” she said, and turning to our kids, said, “You all sing as loud as you can, ok? ” I shouted, ”Everybody sing!” and burst into Clementine. We sang for an hour, and the crowd sang with us. They woul

25、dnt let us stop, shouting “More, more!” and suggesting other songs. By the time the gates opened we felt warm, and there was no more complaining.,Dialogues,22,Two extremes to be avoided,Telling the story event by event, without descriptive details, explanation and dialogue. Telling the story with co

26、mplex description but no plot.,Process,The process for developing narration is much like that of writing a description. The following steps should help you develop a successful narration.,Step 1: PrewritingPlanning the Narration,Topics for narrations are usually personal experiences that relate an e

27、vent of interest to the reader; but in the course of telling about the event, the writer makes a point. Think about the interesting situations or events in which you have been involved. Maybe you witnessed an automobile accident, found stray puppy, bought a new car, were interviewed for a job, met a

28、n unusual salesperson, or experienced a frightening carnival ride.,NOTE,Any of these situations or events can result in a narration. The purpose of your narration may be to entertain, teach a lesson, or create an impression. YOU CAN write a sentence summarizing the point of the narration you plan to

29、 write.,Step 2: PrewritingPlanning the Details,When you have selected a topic, plan the details. List the events you want to include. Remember that narration is usually developed in chronological order, so as you develop your list, arrange it in the order of occurrence.,NOTE,Writing a narration can

30、employ some of the characteristics of storytelling, such as flashbacks, foreshadowing (预示), or other variations of chronological order to enhance the storytelling qualities.,Step 3: WritingFollowing the Plan,Writing the narration is a matter of telling the story from beginning to end. As you write,

31、include certain techniques to generate interest for the reader.,2011-10-4,YANG YANAN, GUET,Consider the following:,Write good description. Show the reader what happened, dont tell. Dialogue helps the reader see the characters in lifelike situations. Use the specific details, especially those that pr

32、ovide sensory images. Because a narration is not a short story, aim toward brevity(简短) and maintain a first-person point of view.,Step 4: RevisingPolishing the Content,Have I told a story from a consistent, probably first-person point of view? Does my story follow chronological order? Have I used th

33、e techniques of story-telling: sensory images, specific details, dialogue, and elements of characterization, setting, and plot? Have I divided paragraphs appropriately according to change in speaker or topic?,ASK YOUSELF,Have I put main ideas in main clauses? Does my sentence structure emphasize ide

34、as? Are my sentences varied in length and structure? Have I maintained the readers interest? Does my narration reach a satisfactory conclusion? Is my message clear?,2011-10-4,32,YANG YANAN, GUET,Step 5: ProofreadingChecking the Mechanical Details,Proofreading should involve two steps. First, check f

35、or grammar, usage, and mechanics(技巧、结构) problems. Check punctuation in dialogue. Second, check for accurate spelling and word choice. Remember that strong nouns and verbs are superior to weak, wordy adjectives and adverbs.,2011-10-4,YANG YANAN, GUET,Sample Narration,The following narration exemplifi

36、es the characteristics and process set out in the preceding steps. Study the sample and the analysis that follows.,-4,The Chinese Birth Party,“The party is at 6:00,”Yim said. “Will you be there?” I had made a commitment. Now it was time. I had never before attended a Chinese party, and this was a sp

37、ecial one for Yim and his family, a celebration of the birth of their first child.,According to Chinese custom, the mother and child remain in seclusion for one month after the birth of the child. At the end of the month, the joyous birth-party cerebration replaces all the traditional American parti

38、es known as showers, brunches, and luncheons for mother and expected child. And what a replacement it is!,Over 150 of us crowded into the Canton Inn, the popular restaurant Yim and his family operate. In the midst of our “oohing” and “ahhing,” the new mother glowed with understandable joy over her s

39、leeping baby, a bundle of black hair and pink blankets, wearing a jade pendant and a gold-coin pendant from Grandmother in Hong Kong.,37,The restaurant tables, arranged in two long rows, were already set with cold roast duck and chunks of specially prepared pork with a crunchy crust. We nibbled. Soo

40、n to follow were bowls and bowls of Cantonese shrimp, jumbo shrimp dipped in a batter that when deep-fried came out fluffy and crisp.,Before the dozens of ducks and bowls of pork and shrimp disappeared, a steady stream of main-course dishes filled and finally overfilled the tables. Surely far more d

41、ishes loaded the tables than there were people present. Ah, but we werent finished, yet. Each of us received a red egg. “Eat the egg. Bring baby good luck,” we were instructed.,39,Surely you jest, I thought to myself. Eat a hard-boiled egg after Ive just glutted myself with this gourmet meal? I slip

42、ped mine, I hope unobtrusively, into my pocket. “Ill eat it later,” I promised myself.,2011-10-4,40,YANG YANAN, GUET,Analysis of the Sample Narration,The narration appears in the first-person point of view. It tells a factual story of the writers experiences. It employs elements of the short story,

43、including some dialogue and good description that tantalizes the senses.,It follows chronological order. The writer shows rather than tells about the festive activities. For instance, we do not read that the dishes were tasty but see the dishes and imagine the taste. The writer does not say he is fu

44、ll, only that his stomach screams. The paragraphs change when the topics change or, in the case of dialogue, when the speakers change.,2011-10-4,42,YANG YANAN, GUET,The paragraphs do not include topic sentences, nor does the paper include a thesis sentence. A theme, however, does emerge, particularl

45、y in the final paragraph in which the writer shared his thoughts about the festive occasion. By imitating the process, characteristics, and model above, you should be able to develop a good narration.,Write an essay narrating an experience in which a certain emotion was predominant（突出的）. The emotion might be disappointment, embarrassment, happiness, frustration, any of the following, or some other: fear shock nervousness loss pride love hate loneliness sympathy jealousy anger surprise violence sadness nostalgia shyness bitterness terror relief silliness envy regret greed disgust,2