Difference between Narrative text and Recount text

Difference between Narrative and Recount

Narrative and recount in some ways are similar. Both are telling something in the past. So narrative and recount usually apply Past Tense; whether simple past tense, simple past continuous tense, or past perfect tense. The ways narrative and recount told are in chronological order using time or place. Commonly narrative text is found in story book; myth, fable, folklore, etc while recount text is found in biography.

The thing that makes narrative and recount different is the structure in which they are constructed. Narrative uses conflicts among the participants whether natural conflict, social conflict, or psychological conflict. In some ways narrative text combines all these conflicts. In the contrary, we do not find these conflicts inside recount text. Recount applies series of event as the basic structure.

Recount Text

RECOUNT TEXT

Social function/ Purpose: To retell events for the purpose of informing or entertaining, To retell something that happened in the past and to tell a series of past event.

Generic structure

1. Orientation: provides the setting and introduces participants
2. Events : tell what happened, in what sequence
3. Re-orientation: optional – closure of events.

Dominant language features:

1. Using past tense
2. Using action verb
3. Using adjectives

Example:

GOING TO SANUR BEACH

Orientation

Last holiday our family went to Bali to have a picnic. We went there by plane. We were in Bali for six days, so we had to stay in a hotel because we didn’t have any relatives there. We stayed in Bali Beach Hotel near Sanur Beach.

Event 1

When we came to the hotel, we didn’t come to our room directly, but we have to check in first. We were received by the receptionists who were friendly and kind, and then we were helped by a room boy who took us to our rooms.

Event 2

On the second day we visited Sanur Beach. We just took a walk, because the beach is in front of the hotel. We walked along the seashore, played water and sand. Actually we also wanted to swim in the beach but the lifeguard didn’t allow us.

Event 3

Besides doing many activities we also watched some foreign tourists activities. Some tourists were lying on the beach, while others were having message or surfing.

Re-Orientation

When we felt tired, we took a rest to have some meals and drinks. And at 2 p.m. we went to the hotel. It was tiring but we were happy.

Istilah-Istilah Dalam Narrative Tetxs

Istilah- Istilah Dalam Narrative Texts

Fable                   : Moral stories, usually about animals, making them seem like human being. E.g. mouse deer

Legend                : Stories from the past which may not be based on fact. E.g. Danau Toba

Folk tale              : Traditional stories passed down from one generation to the next. E.g. Malin Kundang

Fairy tale             : Children’s stories about fairies, princesses, giants, etc. e.g. snow-white

NARRATIVE TEXT

Social function/ purpose: To amuse/ entertain the readers and to tell a story, entertain and to deal with actual or vicarious experience in different ways. Narrative deal with problematic events which lead to a crisis or turning point of some kind, which in turn finds a resolution.

Generic structure

1. Orientation: sets the scene and introduces the participants.
2. Complication : a crisis arises
3. Re-orientation : optional

Dominant language features:

1. Using past tense
2. Using action verb
3. Chronologically arranged

Example:

MARGARET DALE

Orientation

Margaret Dale is twenty four and a nanny. She is the daughter of a well known surgeon. When she was young, Margaret and her sister, Barbara, had a nanny. She dressed them and took them to school in the morning. She prepared their breakfast and their lunch box, to take to school. She met them after school and took them home. After tea, she used to read to them in bed. On Barbara’s birthday she organized a fantastic party. It was then Margaret decided that she too would be a nanny.

Complication

Her farther was furious when she wanted to become a nanny. Like most parents he wanted Margaret to go to university and hold a good position in society.

Resolution

But Margaret decided to go to college after leaving secondary school. There she studied all the subjects necessary to look after children. She got her certificate and she has been working for four years as a nanny. The main thing is she is enjoying herself. She gets a lot of personal satisfaction in her job. And her father sees a young, happy girl with a lot of enthusiasm for life.

Countable and Uncountable

COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE

COUNTABLE A lot of Many A few Some (+) Any (-)

UNCOUNTABLE A lot of Much A little Some (+) Any (-)

Prepositions

PREPOSITIONS

The prepositions in, at, and on are used in time expression as follows:

1. In

Ex        : Please be on time in the future. (Possible in British English)

              I usually watch TV in the morning.

·        In the past,

·        in the present,

·        in the future,

·        In the morning

·        In the afternoon

·        In the evening

In expressions with the seasons, the is optional: in (the ) spring, in (the ) summer, in (the) fall/ autumn, in (the) winter.

Ex  : I was born in October

        I was born in 1989

        I was born in the twentieth century

        The weather is hot in (the) summer

“In + a month/ a year/ a century/ a season”

2. At

Ex        : We sleep at night

              I was a sleep at midnight.

              I fell asleep at 9: 30 (nine- thirty)

              He is busy at present. Please call again

• At noon
• At night
• At midnight
• At + “ clock time”
• At present
• At the moment
• At the present time

3. On

Ex        : I was born on October 31, 1975.

              I went to a movie on Thursday.

              I have class on Thursday morning.

On  +  a date/ a weekday.

On  +  weekday morning, afternoon, evening

Indirect Speech

INDIRECT SPEECH

1. Change of tense
    • Present ===== past
    • Past ===== past perfect
    • Future ===== past future
2. Change of pronoun

Example:
1. He said, “ I work hard”
    He said (that) he worked hard
2. He said, “ I am working hard”
    He said (that) he was working hard
3. He said, “ I have worked hard”
    He said (that) he had worked hard
4. He said, “I worked hard”
    He said (that) he had worked hard
5. He said, “I am going to work hard”
    He said (that) he was going to work hard
6. He said, “I will work hard”
    He said (that) he would work hard
7. He said, “ I can work hard”
    He said (that) he could work hard
8. He said, “ I may work hard”
    He said (that) he might work hard