NARRATIVE TEXT

EXAMPLE DIALOG:

Pasya   : Where are the boys?

Intan     : When I went to the laboratory, they were having a Biology experiment

Pasya   : Are they still there now?

Intan     : I think so

Pasya   : By the way, why didn’t you answer my call last night?

Intan     : Sorry, I didn’t hear your call. When you called me last night I was having lunch with my family.

In the dialog above, you can find the use of Past Continuous Tense. Past Continuous Tense is usually used with past Tense. Past Continuous Tense shows an activity that is in progress in the past.

The form of Past Continuous Tense is as follows:

S + was/were + V ing + O 

The negative and question forms are as follows:

1   (+) She was reading a book.

(-) She was not reading a book.

(?) Was she reading a book?

2   (+) They were having a discussion.

(-)  They were not having a discussion.

(?) Were they having a discussion

Task 2 Change the verbs in the brackets into Past Continuous Tense!

1. When the teacher came, I (do) my homework.
2. When the phone rang, She (watch) TV.
3. He (drive) to work when the tree fell down.
4. They (play) basket when the earthquake happened.
5. We (eat) lunch when the headmaster got a guest.
6. The lamp blacked out when we (listen) to the news.
7. Some boys (go) camping when the snow fell.
8. I (do) my homework when the telephone rang.
9. She (fit) her dress when her mother opened the boutique.
10. When I entered the kitchen, my mother (make) a cake.

Task 3 Read the text and discuss with a partner!

Title	The Fly and The Bull
Orientation	There was once a little fly that thought he was very important. One sunny morning, he flew around looking for someone to talk to. He saw a bull gazing in a field. He decided to fly down to talk to him.
Complication	The little fly flew down and buzzed around the bull’s head. The bull did not bother with him. He went on chewing grass. The fly then buzzed right inside the bull’s ear. The bull continued chewing grass.Now the fly decided to land on one of the bull’s horns to make the bull notice him. He waited for the bull to say something, but the bull kept quiet.The fly then shouted angrily. “Oh bull, if you find that I am too heavy for you, let me know and I’ll fly away!”
Resolution	The bull laughed and said, “Little fly, I don’t care if you stay or leave. You are so tiny that your weight does not make any difference to me, so please be quiet and leave me alone.”

1. What is the title of the text?
2. Who are the characters in the story?
3. What did the fly do in one sunny morning?
4. Could he find someone? What problem did he find?
5. How is the ending of the story?  

The text that you have read in task 1 is a narrative text. Narrative text is a text used to amuse and entertain the readers or listeners. Narratives present in the form of story, legend, myth, and science fiction.

A narrative text is usually formed as the following parts:

1.                       Orientation

Orientation is usually presented at the first paragraph of the text. In orientation, we can find some information such as the characters and the setting of the story.

2.             Complication

Complication is the part of the story when the characters face a crisis. A crisis is a problem faced by the characters. There is an unharmonious situation between the characters in the story. The crisis will reach the peak.

3.                  Resolution

Resolution is the part of the story when the characters find a solution to the problem they face. It can be in the form of happy-ending or sad-ending part of the story


Example