Narrative Text

Definition
Narrative text is a type of text that tells a chronological story in the past tense, the story
can be imaginative or factual story that happen in the past.

Narrative Text Genre

There is a few genre of narrative text, such as :
- Fable : A short story that tells a moral truth, often using animals as characters.
Example : Tortoise and the hare

- Myth : A traditional story that usually explains about early history or cultural belief of
a group of people, or explains a natural event.
Example : Stories about Nyi Roro Kidul or stories about Greek and Roman goddesses

- Legend : A folk tale about the origins of a place.

Example : History of Toba Lake

- Folk tale : Stories that are told from generation to generation so that they become traditions.
Example : Keong Mas, Timun Mas

- Fairy Tales : A traditional story written for children that usually involves imaginary
creatures and magic.
Example : Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel

- History : Something that happened or ended a long time ago and is now important.
Example : The history of Indonesia's independence

- Personal experience : A direct experience of an individual/person

Example : An experience of someone who had an accident.
 Purpose
The purpose of narrative text is to entertain and amuse the readers. Narrative text also has the
purpose of teaching and delivering moral values to the readers.

Generic Structure of Narrative Text

- Orientation : It set the scene and introduce the participants (it answers the question : who,
when, what, and where)
- Complication : Tells the problem of the story and how the main characters solve them. This
part includes situations, activities, or events that lead problem to the climax.
- Resolution : The crisis is resolved, for better or worse.
- Re-orientation (Optional) : Conclude the end of the story.

The Language Features of Narrative Text

- Use adverb of time

Example : Once upon a time, one day, and many others.
- The characters are specific, not general
Example : Cinderella, Snow White, Alibaba, and many others.
- Use direct and indirect speech
Example of direct speech : Snow white said, “My name is Snow White”
Example of indirect speech : The guard reported that he found a little man dancing alone in
the forest.
- Use of adjectives
Adjectives are used to describe the people, animals, or things in the story.
Example : a nice, diligent, kind-hearted man, and many others.
- Use of time connectives and conjunctions.
Time connectives and conjunctions are used to sequence events through time.
Example : However, although, later, then, and many others
- Use of past tenses
Example : Aji Saka went to the kingdom, measured the size of the turban
- Use of action verbs
Example : Stood, explained, provided, smashed
- Use of saying and thinking verbs
Saying and thinking verbs are used to indicate what characters are feeling, thinking,
or saying
Example : Told, realized, decided