2.5 Narrative 1 - structure and language features
Social purpose: to entertain, to teach, inform, to embody the writer's reflections on experience, to nourish and extend the reader's imagination.
| Structure | Language features | |
| Orientation to establish setting, characters, time. Series of events  |
1Bob and 1Peter 2woke up 4early 7one summer morning. It was the first day of the holidays and the sun was just peeping over the 1belt of gumtrees at the end of the far paddock. The blue sky and the loud call of the 5white cockatoos seemed to beckon the boys outside. "Let's go fishing down in the river," said Peter. So they 2went to the shed and found their 1father's fishing lines and some bait and set off along the 5narrow, 5winding path to the river. 7When they 2reached the river, they looked for a suitable spot to fish."Look! There's a 5big rock over there," 6pointed out Bob. "We can stand on it and throw out our lines into the deep." | 1. Particular nouns and noun groups
2. Action verbs in the simple past tense |
 Complication |
7After they 2climbed the 1rock which jutted out over the 1stream, they saw that the water was flowing very 4swiftly. "Probably not 5good for fishing today," 3thought Peter but, nevertheless, he threw in his line. It 2spun through the air with a 5whizzing sound and 2dropped into the water. He felt a 5sudden jolt and found that his line had fixed itself 4fast onto something hidden under the surface of the water. As he tried to release it, he 2rocked 4unsteadily on his feet. "It's a 5submerged 1log," 6yelled Bob, "Be careful!"His warning was too late. Peter 2lurched headlong into the water, disappearing for a moment but then surfacing. He began to swim towards the bank but found he could not reach it. He was being pulled further and further downstream by a swift 1undercurrent. | 3. Sensing verbs to give insight into characters' thoughts and feelings 4. Adverbs and adverbials to build description to verb groups 5. Adjectives and adjectivals to build description to noun groups |
| Series of events
(leading to) |
Frightened and shouting, Bob 2raced along the river bank following the 5swift movement of Peter in the water. "I'll get a branch," he 6called. He raced over to a nearby 1thicket, 2seized a 5strong-looking 1branch, twisting it, and, pushing all his weight against it, managed to snap it free from its trunk. Dragging the branch after him, Bob raced towards the 5narrow bend in the river from where he thought he might be able to reach Peter if he 2dug his heels in the bank and 2stretched the stick out across the water to Peter as he was carried by. He waited. | 6. Saying verbs to give insight into characters' thoughts and feelings |
|
Resolution |
Within a few moments, Peter's 1head appeared above the 5swift flowing water. "Grab it!" cried Bob. Peter missed the branch the first time and Bob had to move a little further down the bank. 7This time Peter caught the end of the branch and Bob pulled 4with all his might. As he came in closer to the bank, Peter found the 1water was 5shallower and he could stand up. Bob 2guided him to the bank and helped him scramble up onto the bank's grassy side. Both fell 5exhausted and 5relieved onto their backs on the bank. "Gee! That was close! Thanks, Bob. I 3thought I was going to drown." "I don't know how I broke off that branch from the tree. It was a miracle!" 6exclaimed Bob | 7. Time connectives to show sequence (order) of events |
| Coda | 7Then the two boys 2trudged 4wearily home wondering what they were going to tell their 1parents. |