Narrative Text

Narrative text is an imaginative story with complication or problematic events, and resolutions to
solve the problems.

Social Functions

Narrative text has some social functions:

1. Narrative text has a function to amuse or to entertain the reader or the listener of the
story.
2. It also has a function to convey the moral value of the story to build someone’s
personality

Generic Structures of Narrative Text

1. Orientation
Orientation is a beginning of the story. There are some things that have to be in
orientation, such as the characters of the story, the place of story, and time when the story
happens.
2. Complication
Complication is the problem of the story. Complication starts from the beginning of the
problem, until the climax of the problem.
3. Resolution
Resolution is the way how the problem can be solved. Resolution will decide the ending
of the story, whether it is a happy ending story or sad ending story, because sometimes
the writer of the story makes a complicated problem that cannot be solved.
4. Re-orientation or coda
Re-orientation or coda is the ending of the story and it is optional. Usually, moral value
of the story is in the re-orientation or coda.

Types of Narrative Text

There are some types of Narrative text:

 Fairy tale
 Mystery
 Science fiction
 Romance
 Horror
 Fable
 Myth and legend
 History
  Personal experience
 And so on.

Language Feature of Narrative Text

1. Past tense
2. Adverb of time, such as once upon a time, one day, and so on.
3. Time conjunction, such as suddenly, then, after that, when, and so on.
4. Specific characters, such as Cinderella, snow white, and so on.
5. Action verb, such as run, walk, eat, and so on.
6. Direct speech

Example of Narrative Text

Cinderella
{Orientation} Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Cinderella. She lived with her step
mother and two step sisters. The step mother and her two daughters didn’t like Cinderella. They
treated Cinderella very bad. Cinderella usually did the hardest works in the house; such as
scrubbing the floor, cleaning the pot and pan and preparing the food for the family, and so on.

{Complication} One day, a ball was to be held by the royal family of the kingdom to find the
Prince’s spouse. Cinderella wanted to go to the ball but her step mother asked her to stay at home
and do the house works. Cinderella cried. Then, there was a fairy godmother standing beside her.

“Why are you crying, Cinderella?”, the fairy godmother asked.

“Because I want to go to the ball but my step mother insists me to stay at home. Besides, I don’t
have any beautiful dress” said Cinderella.

Then the fairy turned Cinderella’s ugly dress became the most beautiful dress and with beautiful
slippers. The fairy also turned a pumpkin into a parking coach and the mice become six white
horses. Cinderella finally could go to the ball but she had to come back before midnight before
the spell ended.

At the ball, Cinderella amazed everybody there include the Prince. The Prince asked her to
dance. Cinderella had a wonderful time at the ball. But, all of a sudden, she heard the sound of a
clock, the first stroke of midnight. Remembered what the fairy had said, Cinderella ran back to
go home. But she lost one of her slippers in ballroom. The Prince picked up her slipper and
would search for the girl whose foot fitted with the slipper.

{Resolution} A few days later, the Prince proclaimed that he would marry the girl whose feet
fitted the slipper. Her step sisters tried on the slipper but it was too small for them, no matter how
hard they squeezed their toes into it. In the end, the King’s solder let Cinderella try on the
slipper. She stuck out her foot and the page slipped the slipper on. It fitted perfectly.

{Reorientation} Finally, she was driven to the palace. The Prince was overjoyed to see her again.
They were married and live happily ever after.

Read and Analyze the Generic Structure of this Text!

 

The Story of Cinderella

Once upon a time there was a girl called Cinderella. She lived with her step sisters. They
were very bossy. They made Cinderella do all the housework.

One day an invitation to the ball came to the family. Her step sisters would not let her go.
Cinderella was sad because she wanted to go to the ball too. Her step sisters went to the
ball without her.

Fortunately, the fairy Godmother came and helped her to get to the ball. At the ball,
Cinderella dance with the prince. The prince fell in love with her then married her. They
lived happily ever after.

Exercise!

1. Who are the main characters involved in the story?

2. What is the purpose of the text?
3. When did the story happen?
4. Where did the story happen?

Fun grammar

1. There       (is)       a girl called Cinderella.

2. She     (live)     with her step sisters.
3. They    (are)    very bossy.
4. They (make) Cinderella do all the housework.
5. One day an invitation to the ball    (come)    to the family.
6. Cinderella  (is sad)   because she wanted to go to the ball too.
7. Her step sisters   (go)  to the ball without her.
8. The fairy Godmother (come and help)       her to get to the ball.
9. The prince    (fall)    in love with her then married her.
10. They    (live)    happily ever after.

Fill in the blank with the correct answer!

 cellar
 spend
 a ball
 lovely girl
 amazing
 1. Cinderella used to ….. long hours all alone talking to the cat.
2. Cinderella, even dressed in old rags, was a ……
3. ….. was to be held at the palace and the step sisters were getting ready to go.
4. Suddenly something ….. happened.
5. Cinderella soon returned with the pumpkin and the cat with seven mice he had
caught in the …… 

Write down the past form of the following words!

1. Go
2. Come
3. Is
4. Call
5. Kick
6. Make
7. Fall
8. Hold
9. Sing
10. Say
11. Swim
12. Sit
13. Walk
14. Jump
15. Shoot
16. Live
17. Kill
18. Give
19. Do
20. Cry

Arrange these words in order!

1.  One day – to the ball – an invitation – came to the family.

2. Once upon a time – a girl – there was – called – Cinderella.
3. Fell – The prince – in love – then – with her – married her.
4. Made – they – Cinderella – all – do – the housework.
5. The fairy Godmother – her – came and helped – to get to the ball – fortunately.
6. The bear – however – did not – want – the rabbit – any of the meat – to get.
7. The father – the bear – was – five children – of.
8. Kicked – toward – the meat – he – the rabbit’s house.
9. With – he – went – the bear – and – shot – to satisfy – enough buffalo – the hungry
family.
 10. Could not – the rabbit – even the meat – taste.

Arrange these paragraph in order!

 Once upon a time, there lived a bear and a rabbit. The rabbit is a good shot. In
contrary, the bear is always clumsy and could not use the arrow.
  However the bear did not want the rabbit to get any of the meat. The rabbit could
not even taste the meat. The poor rabbit would have to go home hungry after his
hard day’s work.
 The bear was the father of five children. Fortunately, the youngest child was very
kind to the rabbit. The mother bear always gave him an extra-large piece of meat but
the youngest child did not eat it. He kicked the meat toward the rabbit’s house. In
this way, the poor rabbit would get his meal.
 He went with the bear and shot enough buffalo to satisfy the hungry family. Indeed
he shot and killed so many that there were lots of meats left.
 One day, the bear called over the rabbit and asked the rabbit to take his bow and
arrows.