DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVES

GRAMMAR CONTENT

🖋 NARRATIVE TENSES:

Story narrated in the past Story narrated in the present

- PAST CONTINUOUS - PRESENT CONTINUOUS

- PAST SIMPLE - PRESENT SIMPLE
- PAST PERFECT - PRESENT PERFECT
- FUTURE IN THE PAST - FUTURE
- USED TO/WOULD/PAST SIMPLE - PAST SIMPLE

- PRESENT AND PAST PARTICIPLES - PRESENT AND PAST PARTICIPLES

Explain the uses of the following tenses:

● The wind was howling as John drove towards the small cottage.
● He opened the garden gate, walked down the drive to the front door. He knocked at
the door but there was no answer.
● He had been planning to visit the cottage for months before he was finally able to
take some days off.
● Thick layers of dust rested on the furniture and haunting cobwebs stretched across
the entire room. He would have to clean up before settling down.
● Fidgeting nervously, he scanned the dirty place, unsettled by the tense atmosphere.
● He had set off in the morning, full of enthusiasm, but now he sighed heavily at the
current state of the house.
● It was getting late when it dawned on him that he would have to improvise dinner
with just a can of soup and some bread.
● When I was a child, Grandpa usually told me/used to tell me/would tell me bed-time
stories until I drifted into sleep.
🖋 SENTENCE VARIETY:

We can introduce variety in the narrative by starting sentences:

⮚ With an adverb
QUICKLY, they dashed to the nearest cave.
⮚ With a prepositional phrase
UNDER THE BED, he hid his secret weapon.

⮚ With a past participial phrase

GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY, he immediately grasped it.

⮚ With transitions
Transition of time – to move forward (or backward) in time with your story.
When they arrived home, they found their father had left a note on the kitchen
table.

Transition of scenes – the start of a new scene or location

In the hospital corridor, he heard the nurse talking to his sister.

⮚ With a present participial phrase

TAKING A SHORT CUT, Pete soon reached his humble, brick home.

⮚ With an infinitive as the subject

TO LOSE was not his fear.

⮚ With an adverbial clause

AS SOON AS THE DOG TURNED UP, the child ran to greet him.

⮚ With direct speech

“HELP!” the injured man moaned as he tried to get out of his burning car.
 ⮚ With a sound or motion word
Screeeech! That was the noise I heard as I was walking down the pavement.

⮚ With an emphatic construction

Never had she seen such an impressive live performance

⮚ Reduced relative clauses

The figure lurking in the darkness haunted my dreams
That noise heard at night filled me with dread

🖋 COHESION IN NARRATIVES:
Cohesion in narratives refers to the ways in which different parts of a story are
connected and flow together smoothly. Several elements contribute to cohesion in
narratives:

● Transition words and phrases: Transition words like "meanwhile," "however,"

"therefore," and "finally" help to connect different parts of the story and guide the
reader through the narrative
● Pronouns and Referencing: Consistent use of pronouns and clear referencing to
characters, objects, or events previously mentioned in the story help maintain
cohesion and avoid confusion
● Repetition: Repetition of keywords, phrases, or motifs can reinforce themes and
create connections between different parts of the narrative
● Chronological order: Organizing events in a logical sequence helps readers follow
the progression of the story and understand the cause-and-effect relationships
between different events.
● Dialogues: Dialogue tags, such as "he said" or "she replied," help identify speakers
in conversations and maintain clarity in dialogue-heavy scenes.
● Diectic words: Deictic words or expressions point to something within the context of a specific
situation. Here are examples of deictic words:
 Personal and possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns and adjectives,
temporal and spatial deixis (now, then, today, tomorrow, here, there, this way),
adverbs of place and time ( inside, outside, soon, later, after, before)

🖋 PUNCTUATION:

The criminal said the judge was an idiot.

The criminal, said the judge, was an idiot.

Comma
Commas are primarily used to aid in clarity and to join two independent clauses with a
conjunction. They set off introductory phrases and set off series. They also are used to
separate independent and dependent clauses.

 Analyze the following examples:

● I enjoyed the singers, and I loved the dancers.

● At the beginning of the performance, two dancers appeared from behind the curtain.
● Even though the auditorium was packed, the audience remained silent.
● I had eggs, toast, and orange juice.
● James, our guide, will accompany you on the boat across to the island.
● Mom, can I go on that ride?
● Matilda, who was unloved by her family, escaped from reality by reading.
● On her vacation, Lisa visited Greece, Spain, and Italy.

Semicolon
A semicolon can be used to connect two closely related independent clauses (parts of a
sentence that could also stand as separate sentences).

James left a mess on his desk after he left work; Sarah had to clean it up.
My car broke down this morning; it’s being fixed at the mechanic’s garage now.
The old house was in need of renovation; however, its historical charm and potential
captured their imagination.

Dash
A dash can be used for quick impact or emphasis or provide a dramatic effect.

It was a long wait – perhaps the longest I his life.

He kicked the door open, only to finally find his dog – dead.

Punctuation in Direct Speech.

 Analyse the following examples and elicit the rules:

She said, "It's all in the details."

"Let go of your fears," he replied.

"Write from your heart," she stated. "It's the best way to reach the reader."

"When is the best time to write?" she asked. "Now!" he answered.

"I know Mr. Lorry, sir, much better than I know Mrs Lorry. Much better," said Jerry fishing
for the right words to utter, "than I wish to know Mrs Lorry."

Comma splice:

Correct the following sentences:

She was sad when the cat ran away, she never wanted to get a new one.
She took the boy's cookies away, that was mean.
We went to the shop at once, we purchased clothes.
Time stood still, the world around them faded away.
A lone traveller with a map in hand and determination in their heart, embarked on a
journey to discover hidden wonders.

● To show hesitation or interruption in the flow of a character's speech, writers can

use various punctuation marks and formatting techniques. Here are some examples:

Ellipsis: "Well, I was just... um... trying to say that... I'm not sure how to put it..."
Dash: "I was going to tell you about the time I—oh, never mind; it's not important."
Common Errors

Discuss the following common errors in narratives:

● Tense Shift

● Dangling participles

● Double negative

● Countable and uncountable nouns

● Verb form

● Wrong preposition

● Wrong use of lexis

● Confusables

ACTIVITY:
 OVERVIEW OF VIVID LANGUAGE. SHOW, DON’T TELL

A. Use a variety of adjectives or adverbs.

✔ My son is a good boy with nice ideas.

✔ The young man’s hand shook___________ as he attempted to dial the emergency

number on his phone.

✔ The _____________woman spoke to the stranger ______________.

B. Show, do not tell.

Eg: He was frightened

Show: His knees were trembling; he thought he was
going to faint.

Writers can reveal their characters through five means:

C. Use present or past participles to join simple sentences

into a longer and more sophisticated one.

1. He turned on the light. He saw somebody in the room.

2. She was relieved. She left the police station.

3. He fell to his knees. He started crying.

4. She stood at the edge of the cliff. She watched the magnificent view.

5. She was covered with a warm blanket. She finally felt safe.

D. Use linking words.

1. They took some food. They might get hungry on the journey. (so that- in case – avoid-
so as (not) to…..)
2. There was a traffic jam on the motorway. They managed to arrive at the airport in time
to board the plane.

3. She finished off her homework. She sighed in relief. She collapsed onto her bed after
hours of intense concentration.

E. Use VERBS THAT CONVEY EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS

Choose the right words to convey your meaning/idea

Telling sentence: Harry went to his office. How can you show the following situations:

1. He was late.

2. He used his car.

3. He had a nasty pain in his leg.

4. He felt exhausted.

5. He was under the influence of alcohol.

ACTIVITIES
Taken from Evans, V. (1998). Successful Writing. Proficiency.