ENGL 1301 English Composition I Narration

Another name for a story is a narration. A short narration is an anecdote. A long narration – one that is essay or even book length – is an extended narration.

Visualizing a Narrative Essay Opening Paragraph or Paragraphs The opening may do one or more of the following: provide background, set scene, state thesis, give the point of the narration, or begin narration. First Body Paragraph This paragraph begins the story (or continues it if story begun in opening). Includes description, dialogue, and answers to journalist’s questions. Details are arranged in chronological order; flashback may be used. Next Body Paragraph This paragraph continues the story. Includes description, dialogue, and answers to journalist’s questions. Details are arranged in chronological order; flashback may be used. Next Body Paragraphs Body paragraphs continue until story is told. Closing Paragraph The last paragraph achieves closure in one or more of these ways: narrating the last event, explaining the significance of the event, or stating the point of the narration.

Word Choice Phrasing That Announce Your Intent or Opinion 1. Eliminate phrasings like as the paragraph will explain, my paper will prove, as I have shown, and the following paragraphs will tell. 2. Eliminate the phrase, in conclusion when you have reached your last paragraph, and it is obvious that you are concluding. 3. Avoid phrases and clauses such as I believe, in my opinion, it seems to me, and I think when the idea expressed are clearly your beliefs, opinions, and thought.

Unnecessary or Faulty Modifiers 1. Do not use very to intensify things that cannot be intensified. The temperature can be hot or it can be very hot, but words like dead, gorgeous, incredible, outstanding, unique, and perfect cannot be made stronger by adding very. 2. Avoid unnecessary qualifications using words such as really, different, and particular. They add no meaning to your sentence and make them wordy. 3. Avoid modifying nouns and adjectives with the suffix – type. Find the accurate word for what you mean.

Faulty Synonyms 1. Avoid being as or being that as synonyms for since or because. 2. Avoid using expect as a synonym for suppose. 3. Avoid using real to mean very. 4. Do not use of to mean have. 5. Do not use plus as a synonym for and to join main clauses.

Etc. 1. Etc., and more, and so forth, and and such suggest that you could say more but do not want to. At times, these expressions are appropriate, but usually you should say whatever you could say. 2. Do not use etc. with such as. Such as notes you are listing items representative of a group, so there is no need to use etc. to indicate other things are included. 3. Do not use and etc. Etc. means and so forth; therefore, and etc. means and and so forth.

Faulty Grammar and Usage 1. Avoid referring to people with the relative pronoun which or that. Instead, use who or whom. 2. Do not use irregardless. Use regardless or irrespective of. 3. Eliminate the reason is because. Use the reason is that or because instead. 4. Avoid using so as an intensifier unless it is followed by a clause beginning with that. 5. Eliminate vice versa. If you want to indicate that the opposite is also true, write out exactly what the opposite is. 6. Replace a lot and a lot of with many, much, or a great deal of. 7. Use try to rather than try and.

Double Negatives The following words are negatives because they communicate the sense of no. nononenothinghardly notnowhereno onescarcely nevernobody Be sure to use only one negative to express a single negative idea. Contractions often include a form of not, which is a negative. A sentence can include more than one negative idea. However, only one negative word should express each of these negative ideas.

Frequently Confused Words accept, except accept – to receive or to agree to except – excluding advice, advise advice – a recommendation advise – to recommend affect, effect affect – to influence effect – result all right, alright alright is nonstandard allusion, illusion allusion – indirect reference illusion – something false or misleading

Frequently Confused Words all right, alright alright is nonstandard allusion, illusion allusion – indirect reference illusion – something false or misleading already, all ready already – by this time all ready – prepared among, between between – is usually used to show the relationship of two things between – can be used for more than two things when it means “within” among – is used to show the relationship of more than two things

Frequently Confused Words amount, number amount is used for a unit without parts that can be uncounted individually number is used for items that can be counted beside, besides beside – next to besides – mean breath, breathe breath is a noun breathe is a verb coarse, course coarse – rough course – path, route or procedure

Frequently Confused Words complement, compliment complement – something that completes compliment – praise or flattery conscience, conscious conscience – an awareness of right and wrong conscious – aware dessert, desert dessert – the sweet at the end of a meal desert – abandon desert – dry, sandy land different than, different from different from is preferred disinterested, uninterested disinterested – impartial uninterested – lacking interested or boarded

Frequently Confused Words farther, further farther – refers to distance further – in addition or additional fewer, less fewer is used for things that can be counted individually less is used for one unit without individual members that can be counted human, humane human – people humane – compassionate imply, infer imply – to suggest something without stating it infer – to draw a conclusion from evidence

Frequently Confused Words it’s, its it’s – a contraction for it is or it has its – a possessive pronoun lay, lie lay – to put or to place lie – to recline loose, lose loose – unfastened or not tight lose – misplace passed, past passed – went by past – previous time precede, proceed precede – to come before proceed - continue

Frequently Confused Words principal, principle principal – a school administrator principle – a truth or a moral conviction stationary, stationery stationary – unmoving or unchanging stationery – writing paper than, then than – used for comparisons then – time reference, next there, their, they’re there – place their – possessive pronoun they’re – contraction for they are

Frequently Confused Words threw, through, thorough threw – past tense of throw through – finished or into and out of thorough – complete to, too, two to – toward too – also or excessively two – number whose, who’s whose – possessive form of who who’s – contraction for who is and who has your, you’re your – possessive form of you you’re – contraction for you are