Date post: | 20-Jan-2016 |
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Expanding our Knowledge of Writing Styles
A narrative essay expands on what we already know, but now we have an opportunity to develop our ideas more
The Structure of a Narrative Essay:
Introductory ParagraphBody Paragraphs ( 2 – 3)Concluding Paragraph
Now we will look at each part more closely.
An introductory paragraph has three jobs:
To hook the readerTo provide a setting and introduce the characters
What is the basic idea of the story?Where is the story taking place?When is the story taking place?Who is in the story?
To give a purpose to the essay
Another way to look at an introductory paragraph:
Hook
WhoWhatWhenWhere
Thesis (the purpose of your essay)
The hook is the FIRST sentence of the introductory paragraph.
The purpose of a hook:To pull the readerGrab the reader’s curiosity
Your hook should transition smoothly into the rest of your introductory paragraph.
Your thesis does the same job as the topic sentence in a narrative paragraph.
It has a main idea and a claim.
It is the PURPOSE of your essay. If you don’t have a thesis, you don’t have a purpose and your essay will be very confusing for the reader.
Your entire essay will develop to support your thesis.Your thesis is ONLY ONE sentence.Your thesis is the LAST sentence of your introductory paragraph.
The body paragraphs look similar to the body of a narrative paragraph. They develop the story.
Rising Action:
leading up the event
Climax: the event
Falling Action:
what happens afterwards
The story is told in chronological order.
Transitions will help signal the end of one paragraph and the beginning of the next.
They provide a link between ideas and paragraphs.
They will give your essay a feeling of unity and allow the reader to follow the story easily.
Remember to use a comma after a transition.
Before Second Later Meanwhile
After Then At last Since
During Finally Last Now
First While Eventually Soon
The concluding paragraph has the same function in a narrative essay as in a narrative paragraph. It must synthesize your main idea and claim as well as provide your reflection.
It can:
Make a prediction or revelation about future actions that will happen as a result of the story
It can challenge the reader’s thoughts and beliefs about the main idea
It can tell what the writer has learned from her experiences.
Another way to look at the concluding paragraph:
Synthesizing the main idea and claim
Reflecting on your event
Finishing Sentence “Clincher Sentence”
1. Choose details to move your essay forward and bring your experience to life for the reader by appealing to her 5 senses.
2. Choose details that are specific enough to show clearly what happened.
3. Control your tenses and transitions. Remember a narrative essay shares an event from the past, so you should write in the past tense.