NARRATIVE TEXT

DEFINITION: Narrative text is a kind of the text to retell the story that past tense. The purpose of the text is to entertain or to amuse the readers or listeners about the story.

Generic Structure of Narrative

A narrative text will consists of the following structure:
1. Orientation: Introducing the participants and informing the time and the place
2. Complication: Describing the rising crises which the participants have to do with
3. Resolution: Showing the way of participant to solve the crises, better or worse.

Other Generic Structure of Narrative Text
1. Evaluation: (Optional) a step back to evaluate plight (the narrator's viewpoint)
2. Coda: (Optimal) changes of the characters or lesson/value of the story
3. Re-Orientation: The ending of story.

The structure of narrative occurs in the text variously. A text may have only one complication and resolution, but another text may have more than one complication and revolution.

Language Features of Narrative

• Use of adjectives to build noun groups to describe the people, animals or thing in the story, such as.... a nice, diligent and kind-hearted man.
• Use of the time connectives and conjunctions to sequence event through time, such as however, although, later, then.
• Use of adverb and adverbial phrases to locate the particular events, such as once upon a time, long time ago.
• Use of past tense.
• Use of action verbs to indicate the actions, such as explained, provided, smashed.
• Use of saying and thinking verbs to indicate what characters are feeling, thinking or saying, such as told, realized, decided.

KIND OF NARRATIVE TEXT

•  Legend:  Sangkuriang, malin kundang, etc.
• Fable: Mouse, deer and crocodile.
• Fairly tale: Cinderella, Snow white, etc.
• Science Fiction.

FOR EXAMPLE:

CINDERELLA

Once upon a time there was a girl called Cinderella. She lived with her stepsisters. They were very bossy. They made Cinderella do all the housework.
One day an invitation to the ball came to the family. Her stepsisters would not let her go. Cinderella was sad because she wanted to go to the ball too. Her stepsisters 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.

Analyzing the Text
Generic Structure Analysis
Orientation; introducing participants, Cinderella and her stepsisters. They lived together once time
Complication; describing the conflict among the participants. Cinderella wanted to come to the ball but her stepsisters did not let her go
Resolution; stating a problem solving, a happy ending. A fairy Godmother helped her to come to the ball

Language Feature Analysis
Process verb; did, helped, fell in love, lived
Simple past tense pattern; there was a girl, she lived, an invitation came to the ball, etc

sumber: http://www.englishdirection.com/2007/12/cinderella-narrative-text.html