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SUCCESS CRITERIA FOR NARRATIVE WRITING

A narrative essay is a story with characters, conflict, and other essential parts that make up a
good story. It has a sequence of events, real or fictional. A good narrative makes the reader
feel involved. It can be part of your own personal experience or someone else’s experience
.

HOW TO WRITE A NARRATIVE LANGUAGE AND TONE

1 create a good plot or storyline 1 use the past tense in most parts

2 use direct speech or dialogue

adopt a first person point of view (I)
2 or a third person point of view
(he/she/they) use descriptive and vivid vocabulary
3 with sensory details

create rounded main characters and use a variety of sentence lengths and
4
3 minor characters (people or animals) types

4 provide a setting
(where the narrative takes use logical and sentence connectors
place) 5 effectively

write a good theme 6

5 has good purposeful paragraphs
(the author's message)

6 create drama tension or climax in

the story 7 use helpful punctuation that adds
meaning

7
write a good introduction that hooks use accurate spelling throughout the
8
the reader narrative

provide moral values or lesson learnt for
8 the reader
write a good conclusion / narrative
9 ending
use words/diction to create the mood in
9 the story - joyful, serious, humorous,
sad, threatening, pessimistic and
optimistic
10 Engage the reader's interest

11 Use standard English

10 write within the word stipulated

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NOTES ON NARRATIVE WRITING

Starting Stories : 5 great beginning strategies

The beginning of a story sets the tone for everything that will happen next. An opener is like
an appetizer, offering a tasty morsel of what's to come.

When you start to write a story, you might not know where it is heading. That's okay. Play with
possibilities! Try one or more of these strategies.

Strategy Headings Example

1 Begin with action or dialogue.

I crouched in starting position, hands poised on the
track and back coiled like a spring. "On your mark!
Get set!" The starting gun boomed. I launched myself
forward, trying to spring ahead of the pack.

2 Ask a question
Why does trouble always follow me around? Do I
have a "kick me" sign on my back or something?

3 Describe the setting

I sat cradled in three branches at the top of an old oak
behind my house. I could see over the rooftop, could
see for miles. Overhead, planes lined up in the sky,
heading toward O'Hare Airport to land one by one.

4 Begin with
background Tommy's my little brother, and he's in the first grade.
information He's fearless. One day, he wore a cape to school. I
told him everyone would laugh at him. The next day,
five other boys came wearing capes.

5 Have the main

character introduce I'm Tabitha. I just turned 13, and I'm here to tell you a
himself or herself. secret.

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Elaboration: 7 Writing Strategies

1).Describe a Place in Detail

- It might be where the story takes place like a forest or a school.

- It might be a place where the main character dreams of going, like camping or skiing.
- adding more information about that place makes their writing more interesting and helps the
reader picture himself in that place.

2). Use Specific Words to Paint Pictures

Look at the following examples:

• I went to the mailbox.

• I ran to the mailbox.
• I staggered to the mailbox.
• I plodded to the mailbox.

- In each sentence, the speaker is going to the mailbox, but the images are quite different.
- With the first sentence, the reader does not get a clear picture in her mind. She does not
know how the person felt or how his body was moving.
-Each of the other examples gives the reader a more complete picture of how the person felt
and acted.
-Show them that by looking up one word like happy, they can find many other ways to
express that emotion to paint a clearer picture: content, joyful, blissful, cheery, fortunate,
etc.

3) Show How Something Feels, Smells, Tastes, Sounds or Looks

- Go through each of the five senses (sight, smell, sound, taste, touch)
Eg : ask for a specific description of the apple for each category
Sight : Red (Colour)

A crunchy fresh shining red apple

Smell : Fresh (Opinion)

Taste : crunchy (opinion)

Touch : Shining (opinion)

Sound : -

Ordering Adjectives : N : Number O : Opinion S : Size A: Age Sh : Shape

Can : colour Nat : Nationality Make: Material Pudding : Purpose

Acronym to remember the ordering adjectives : NOSASh Can Make Pudding

4). Compare Two Different Things Through Simile or Metaphor

a) A simile is a phrase that compares two 1345

things using the words like or as.
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Both of these phrases compare a person to another

object.
- He is as excited as a puppy.
- The girl is like a spinning top.

b) A metaphor, on the other hand, compares two things by saying that one is the
other.

• They boy was an excited puppy running around the room.

• The girl was a spinning top unable to stay still.

5) Use the Exact Thoughts or Words from a Person

- Encourage your students to use quotations from the people they know when writing their
personal narratives.

6) Describe How Someone or Something Moves

- with a focus on a movement , encourage your students to use specific verbs rather than
using adverbs. Instead of saying, “He ran to the mailbox quickly,” say, “He dashed
to the mailbox.”
Instead of saying, “She cried hard all night,” say “She sobbed all night.”

.7) Someone’s Feelings Through What He Does

- A strong writer will communicate his character’s feelings through her actions.
- Instead of writing, “She was depressed,” encourage your students to show those
feelings to their readers by writing about the character’s actions.
- -“ She grabbed the last tissue from the box and dabbed her eyes.
- “ She threw it on the floor with the others.
- “ She did not change out of her pajamas all day, and she sat in front of the
television not even changing the channel though she had no interest in the program
that was on.

TASK 1
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5 AWESOME HOOKS

(i) Can you match the following hooks/strategies below with the correct opening paragraphs?

Write your answer in the spaces provided.

(a) Begin with a dialogue (b) Ask a question (c) Describe the setting

(d) Self-introduction of main character (e) Use a famous saying

No Extracts Answers
1 Looks like it’s going to be fine a day son. Get the fishing
rods ready!” dad shouted from the window.

2 Zuridah sat comfortably on the tree reading her favourite

book. From the top, she could see the narrow road
leading to the airport and Mak Zarah’s stall tucked at a
corner on the left. Overhead, planes roared to land at
Senai Airport.
3 Are the doughnuts o.k? Theepa wondered anxiously. Her
guests would appear any moment and this was her first
attempt at making doughnuts.

4 I just turned 18 last week and I’m a professional

skateborder. My sister gave me a Prolnline 44 rollerblade
for my birthday and I was thrilled to bits. Extreme sports
keep me alive!

5 “Nothing is impossible” so the saying goes. Yasir

believed this with all his heart. His road to fame as the
number one ping pong singles player was proof that
nothing was impossible.

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A. EXPRESSIONS OF SPEECH
No Expressions Examples

A Pause But only silence answered her

There was a moment’s astonished silence

He paused

He tried to form the words

His voice trailed off

He cleared his throat

He paused and maneuvered his thoughts

For a long moment she hesitated

B Continuation Breaking the silence

After a moment’s reflection

Broke the short silence

After a slight wondering pause

Continued in a lighter tone
After considering
C Changing the subject His tone changed
Out of the blue
She shifted gear
Without any notice
D Assurance He said firmly
He spoke with confidence
He said easily
Declared grandly
E Comanding He barked
He threw an order over his shoulder
He bawled
He spoke sharply, authoritatively
He grunted
F Agreement She agreed thoughtfully
He nodded his yes
Was forced to admit

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Abruptly she capitulated
Agreed readily enough
G Approval Murmured approval
Made no further objection
Agreed sourly
Said more agreeably
H Content Said with satisfaction
A long smiling sigh
Nodded with a smile
They hardly spoke at all as they walked
Remarked in a pleased tone
I Excitement Talking eagerly and excitedly together with
much gesture
She whispered in pleased excitement
Spoke with uncontrolled emotion
He choked out
He said breathlessly
Lips quivered with emotion as she answered
He made no disguise of his emotion

No Expressions Examples
J Nervous He stammered
Forced a nervous laugh
His voice trailed away uneasily
In an unsteady voice
He asked hoarsely
K Politeness He inquired softly
He asked mildly the idle sounding question
With all courtesy
He queried
L Relief A sigh fled
With a momentary sigh of relief
With a great relenting sigh
His voice weak with relief
M Tension He blurted out

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