Narrative Paragraph

A narrative paragraph is a group of sentences that tells a story; it tells about a series of events or
actions. These events are arranged in time sequence with a definite beginning, middle and end.
They may be organized in a chronological order (in respect to the order in which the events
happened) or by using flashbacks and retrospection.  Be they are chronologically arranged or not,
the stories in narrative paragraphs are used to illustrate or demonstrate a point, i.e. to make us laugh
(to entertain), or to make us understand something, or to change our attitudes (to instruct).  As a
consequence, developing a strong topic sentence is important. Look at the narrative paragraph
which tells about the writer’s routine below (the topic sentence is italicized).

Sunday is the most rewarding day for me because it is the only day when my family and I can do
what we like together. Every Sunday morning I get up at six. My two sons I go jogging around our
neighborhood. At about seven we come home and have breakfast together. At nine we go to church and come
home at about twelve. After having lunch, at about two we often go to the countryside for a nice walk, or visit
a relative, or go shopping. We often get home at about eight and have a small dinner. After dinner, my sons
prepare the school equipments they need in the following days. Then we usually watch a film on TV and then
go to bed at about ten. Before falling asleep, I often expect that the next Sunday comes soon.
Elements of a Narrative Paragraph

By analyzing the sample paragraph above, it is obvious that, similar to a story, a narrative paragraph
has the elements like character(s), setting, and events (plot) which cover the goal, obstacle or
conflict, climax and resolution. Since the sample paragraph above is about a personal experience of
the writer, the main character in the paragraph is the writer himself. The story is set in his
neighborhood at the present time. The events arranged in the story cover only activities in a day.
Although the sentences state the events in a very simple way, they are very effective to reveal the
topic and main idea stated in the first sentence– Sunday is the most rewarding it is the only day when the
writer can do what he and his family love to do together.Another important feature we can see in the
sample paragraph above is that like other types of paragraph, this narrative paragraph consists of
three parts: a topic sentence, some supporting sentences (details), and closing sentence. The topic
sentence establishes the main idea, and the supporting sentences elaborate and prove the main
idea.
Transitions in Narrative Paragraphs

Last but not least, the sample paragraph above also shows the use of transitions (words or phrases
that help the events move smoothly from one to another and make the proper connection between
those events). In the sample paragraph above, the writer uses time transitions “after”, “then”, and
“before”. Some other common transitions used in narrative paragraph could be seen in the
paragraph cited from Scarry S. and Scary J. (2011: 372) below. See how the six events are linked by
“first”, “then”, “now”, etc (the topic sentence is italicized).

My day was a disaster. First, it had snowed during the night, which meant I had to shovel before I could leave
for work. I was mad that I hadn’t gotten up earlier. Then I had trouble starting my car, and to make matters
worse, my daughter wasn’t feeling well and said she didn’t think she should go to school. When I eventually
did arrive at work, I was twenty minutes late. Soon I found out my assistant had forgotten to make copies of a
report I needed at nine o’clock. I quickly had to make another plan. By five o’clock, I was looking forward to
getting my paycheck. Foolish woman! When I went to pick it up, the office assistant told me that something
had gone wrong with the computers. I would not be able to get my check until Tuesday. Disappointed, I
walked down the hill to the parking lot. There I met my final defeat. In my hurry to park the car in the
morning, I had left my parking lights on. Now my battery was dead. Even an optimist like me had the right to
be discouraged!
Here is another interesting narrative sample.

Close-up study of the planet Mars began when rockets were developed that could send scientific instruments
into space. In 1965, the first observations of Mars were done by the American spacecraft Mariner 4,  which
flew near the planet to collect data and take photographs. Four years later, more data and photographs were
collected by Mariners  6 and 7 as they flew past the planet. Then, in 1971, Mariner 9  actually went into orbit
around Mars, and during the following eleven months, sent back more than 7,000 images before contact with
the spacecraft was lost. The next major step, in 1976, was the landing of two Viking crafts on two different
areas of Mars’ surface. These landers were able to send hack important data about the atmosphere of the
planet. (Mikulecky, B. S. and Jeffries, L.. 2007: 136).
The transitions commonly used in narrative paragraphs could be differentiated in three types. The
first type is the transitions of sequence/order, such as first, second, third, next, then, and finally. The
second type is the transitions of time, like after, at last, before, immediately, later, meanwhile, at the
same time, since, subsequently, later, later on, and then. The third type is transitions of
place/position, like above, adjacent, below, beyond, here, in front, in back, nearby, and there.

One day a father and his rich family took his young son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show
him how poor people can be. They spent a day and a night in the farm of a very poor family. When they got
back from their trip the father asked his son, “How was the trip?” The boy replied, “Very good, Dad!” The
father continued, “Did you see how poor people can be?” The boy just said, “Yeah!” The father asked again,
“And what did you learn?” The boy answered, “I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We
have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden; they have a creek that has no end. We have imported
lamps in the garden, they have the stars; our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon. When
the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless. The son added, “Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor
we are!” (Author Unknown)
Step-by-Step Approach to Writing a Narrative Paragraph
Mastering any skill, including writing, requires practices and a disciplined attitude. To help you in
practicing writing narrative paragraphs, the following step-by-step approach formulated by Scarry
and Scary (2011: 377) is highly recommended.

1. Study the given topic, and then plan your topic sentence with its controlling idea.
2. List all the events that come to your mind when you think about the story you have chosen.
3. Choose the important events, dropping any that do not directly relate to your controlling idea.
4. Put your list in the correct time sequence.
5. Write one complete sentence for each of the events you have chosen from your list, adding any
significant details.
6. Write a concluding statement that gives some point to the events of the story.
7. Copy your sentences into standard paragraph form.
8. Always make a final check for spelling errors and other mistakes, such as omitted words.

When I was about sixteen, I nearly had a very bad experience

with fire. My father had asked me to burn some rubbish in our
backyard. As a boy scout, I was pretty good at lighting fires and I
soon had one going. But although it was quite hot and the
rubbish was burning, there were no flames. To my mind, a fire
without flames was no fire at all, so I went to the shed and
brought out the plastic jerry can we used to fuel the lawnmower.
I fastened the spout on and tipped the jerry can over the fire. A
huge wall of flame shot up past my face, burning off my
eyebrows. Fortunately, I was wearing a leather hat, so my hair
did not catch fire. Naturally, I stopped pouring gas, but when I
looked down, the nozzle of the jerry can was on fire. I thought of
dropping it and running, but I was afraid there would be an
explosion, so I stood there and blew the flame out. Anyway, I
learned the hard way never to pour gasoline on an active fire. 

My Seashell Surprise

My first seashell hunt had a surprise ending. Early one morning

my dad and I walked to the beach with a red bucket. The sand was
soft and cool. Body SentencesWe collected orange, white, and brown
shells of all different shapes and sizes. When our bucket was almost
filled, I spotted something black and shiny pointing out of the sand.
I reached down and grabbed the object right before a wave crashed
against my legs. The object felt sharp and curvy. Finally, I opened
my hand. “What is this?” I asked my dad. Ending SentencesHe said,
“It’s your lucky day. That’s a shark’s tooth!”