1. Unit 2 - NARRATIVE ESSAYS
Mrs. Elizabeth Celeste Coiman-Lopez, BAT,. MS.
Houston Community College - Fall 2018

2. Tells a story.
Narrative is another word for STORY.
Writer can be more creative.
Narratives can tell a long story.
DEFINITION – p. 40

3. ELEMENTS OF A GOOD STORY – p. 40
SETTING: location of the action in the story
THEME: basic idea of the story:
Topic might be common in life or human nature:
Independence, envy, courage, failure, and success
MOOD: feeling or atmosphere writer creates in story:
Mood could be: happy, hopeful, suspenseful, or scary.
Setting and descriptive vocabulary creates the mood.
CHARACTERS: people in the story:
Affected by de mood
They react to the events in which they are involved.
PLOT: what happens in the story, sequence of events:
It has a climax or turning point, where characters and events change.
ELEMENTS OF A GOOD STORY – p. 40

4. MORE ELEMENTS OF A GOOD STORY – p. 40
THESIS: sets up the action in the introduction
TRANSITION SENTENCES: connect events so reader can follow the story
CONCLUSION: ends the story action:
Provides a MORAL, PREDICTION, or REVELATION.
MORE ELEMENTS OF A GOOD STORY – p. 40

5. INTRODUCTION – p. 41 INTRODUCTION: begins the story:
Describes the setting.
Introduces the characters.
Prepares audience for the action to come.
It has a hook and a thesis.
NARRATIVE HOOK: grabs reader’s attention
First few sentences
Helps set the stage for the story
Makes readers start guessing about what will happen next.
Makes the reader ask WH- questions: Who? Why? Where? What?
LET’S PRACTICE!
INTRODUCTION – p. 41

6. INTRODUCTION Continuation.. – p. 42
THESIS: Introduces the action that begins in the first paragraph.
Does not tell the reader what happens
Paragraphs in the body will develop the story.
For Example: look p. 42
LET’S PRACTICE!
INTRODUCTION Continuation.. – p. 42

7. BODY: contains most of the plot, which is the supporting information:
Chronological Order (time order):
Each paragraph gives more information of the story as it proceeds in time:
1st paragraph describes the first event
2nd paragraph describes the second event
Each paragraph ends with a Transitional Sentence
TRANSITIONAL SENTENCES: give the story unity and allow the reader to follow the action easily
They have 2 purposes:
Signal the end of the action in one paragraph.
Provide a link to the action of the next paragraph.
LET’S PRACTICE!
BODY – p. 42

8. CONCLUSION – p. 42 Finish describing the action in the essay.
FINAL SENTENCE: can have 2 functions:
1. Tells the MORAL of the story, by telling the reader
what the characters learned from the experience.
2. Makes a PREDICTION* or REVELATION*: about
future actions that will happen as a result of the
events
*disclosure of something that was not known before.
CONCLUSION – p. 42

9. CONCLUSION Examples – p. 43
MORAL: The little boy had finally learned that telling
the truth was the most important thing to do.
PREDICTION: I can only hope that one day I will be able
to do the same for another traveler who
is suffering through a terrible journey.
REVELATION: Every New Year’s Eve, my wife and I return to that
magical spot and remember the selfless act that saved
our lives.
CONCLUSION Examples – p. 43

10. Describe the sights, smells, and sounds of the story
Describe the sights, smells, and sounds of the story. It will bring the story alive.
Include few descriptive adjectives in the sentences:
The more descriptive the information, the more the reader will connect with the story you are telling.
Make readers feel they are there with you in the story.
Look at example on p. 43
STORY TELLING TIPS – p. 43