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Narrative Paragraph
A House for Mr. Biswas
They could only unpack that evening. A rough meal was prepared in the kitchen and they ate in
the chaotic dining room. They said little. Only Shama moved and spoke without constraint. The beds
were mounted upstairs. Anand slept on the verandah. He could feel the floor curving below him towards
the offending wall. He placed his hand on the wall, as if that might give him some idea of its weight. At
every footstep, particularly Shama's, he could feel the floor shake. When he closed his eyes, he
experienced a spinning, swaying sensation. Hurriedly he opened them again to reassure himself that the
floor had not sunk further, that the house still stood.

Earthquake!

I went through an unforgettable experience when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit California. It
happened over a weekend when my parents were working at our family's restaurant. My older sister, my
younger brother, and I were home alone. Suddenly, our apartment started shaking. At first, none of us
realized what was happening. Then my sister began to scream. "It's an earthquake! Get under
something!" I half rolled and half crawled across the room to get under the dining table. My brother was
in his bedroom, so my sister yelled to him to get under his desk. Meanwhile, my sister was on the floor
of the kitchen holding her arms over her head to protect herself from falling dishes. The earthquake
continued for approximately a minute, but it seemed like a year to us. At last, the apartment stopped
shaking. For a few seconds, we were too scared to move, but we quickly made sure that nobody was
injured. Then we were on the cell phone calling our parents. We were thankful that like us, they were
safe. Next, we checked the apartment and luckily, there was very little damage. Nothing was broken
except for a few teacups and dinner plates. Although nothing terrible happened to us, living through that
earthquake was a scary experience that none of us will ever forget.

Time-Order:

1. Before
2. During
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3. After
 Think about the challenging situation you faced.

Narrative Organization

A narrative paragraph tells a story.

 Topic sentence: - tell the reader what the story is about, when and where the story took place

 Supporting sentence: - tell what happened, explain the sequence of events, include sensory
details, such as saw, heard, smelled, condition, or tasted, and emotional details (feelings during

the event)

 Concluding sentence: - wraps up the whole story, comment about why the story is important or
what something learned from the experience.

The Best Sandwich of My Life

When I was thirteen years old, I had a great surprise. My favorite soccer team was visiting from
Mexico, so I went to the Grand Hotel to get autographs from some of the players. When I got there, I
waited outside for a long time because I was very nervous. Finally, I told my legs to start moving. I
walked in and went up to my favorite player, Sergio Verdirame to ask for his autograph. My voice was
trembling, but I controlled it. He stopped to listen to me. Then an amazing thing happened. He invited
me to dinner with the team. I could not believe it! Suddenly I was sitting across the table from Sergio
Verdirame! I ordered a huge sandwich with everything on it. When the food came, my hands were
shaking, and I could not eat or talk. After a while, I took a deep breath and said to myself, Hey, this
happens just once in your life. I fought off my nerves and started talking with the team and enjoying my
meal. They were really great guys. We had a good time laughing and joking together. That was the most
delicious sandwich I ever ate because I was eating it with my hero.

Order of Events - First, second, after that, eventually, afterwords, next, then, soon, later, finally
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Showing Simultaneous Events – meanwhile, while, when, at the same time that (informal)

Exercise 1: Read the following events from the story. Number them in the order in which they occurred.

a. ___ The writer ordered a sandwich.

b. ___ The writer was very nervous, and his hands were shaking.

c. ___ The writer asked the soccer player for his autograph.

d. ___ Sergio Verdirame invited the writer to dinner.

e. ___ The writer overcame his fear and enjoyed his dinner.

Exercise 2: Read the sentences. Number them in the order you think they occurred.

a. ____ A few years ago, my two older brothers and I went hiking in the mountains.

b. ____ I found the muddy trail, and we were able to return to our camp.

c. ____ We were hiking through thick pine forests.

d. ____ We left our camp on a bright winter morning.

e. ____ I realized it is very important to be careful when hiking in the mountains.

f. ____ We stopped to eat lunch, and my oldest brother said we should turn around because we

were losing the trail in the snow.

g. ____ It began to snow, and we could not see well.

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h. ____ Going back down the mountain was harder because it was icy and slippery, and we could

not find the way because of the snow.

Exercise 3: Read the sentences. Number them in the order you think they occurred.

a. _____ I began by chopping vegetables and marinating the meat.

b. _____ As I was cooking, the kitchen filled with the wonderful aroma of spices and herbs.

c. _____ I decided to cook a special dinner for my family.

d. _____ I accidentally spilled some sauce, but I quickly cleaned it up and continued cooking.

e. _____ I went to the grocery store to buy fresh ingredients.

f. _____ The dishes were ready, and I set the table beautifully.

g. _____ My family enjoyed the meal, and their compliments made all the effort worthwhile.

h. _____ I started by planning the menu, choosing dishes that everyone would enjoy.

a. _____ We painted the walls and added the finishing touches, proud of the beautiful house we had
built together.
b. _____ My friends and I decided to build a small house in the countryside.

c. _____ We worked together to install the windows and doors.

d. _____ We had all the materials, we cleared the land and laid the foundation.

e. _____ The roof was the most challenging part, but we managed to finish it just before a storm
hit.
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f. _____ We installed the plumbing and electrical systems, ensuring everything was up to code.

g. _____ We began by designing the house and creating a detailed blueprint.

h. _____ With the foundation set, we started constructing the frame of the house.

Exercise 5: Write sentences from Exercise 2 & 3 in paragraph form by using the following time-order

words.

after that later afterwards meanwhile eventually

next first soon

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Something Wild

For my 25th birthday, my favorite uncle gave me a gift certificate to go skydiving at a special
place near Miami. I was happy because wanted to do something wild on the day of my jump, I woke up
with crazy feeling in my stomach. I could not eat breakfast because of my nerves. After we arrived at the
place, l had to sign a lot of papers because of the risk involved. I signed them quickly because I did not
want to think about the danger. Before I knew it, I was on the plane with my parachute on my back. The
only thing I could think was, what am I doing? One of the staff opened the door of the plane and told me
to get ready. I put my right foot over the edge and waited for the signal... "three, two, one... " and then I
was free-falling, going down at almost two hundred kilometers per hour. I was shouting, and I could feel
adrenaline running through me. Nearby, there was another guy taking photos. I like to take photos too.
Then the parachute opened, and the next five minutes were the most incredible moments of my life. was
floating completely free, like a bird. All my problems were gone, and I could see the curve of the earth,
the ocean, and faraway clouds off the shore. It was awesome. Those wonderful moments helped me to
realize that I am the kind of person who likes to take risks, and I hope I always will be.

Sensory and Emotional Details

 Sensory details – My teeth were chattering, and my legs felt like jelly.
 Emotional details – The sight filled me with excitement.

Exercise 6: Identify sensory or emotional details.

1. ____ The morning mist brought in the smell of the ocean.

2. ____ We were very nervous, so we called the police.

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3. ____ I had never felt such happiness.

4. ____ The dates were sticky and sweet, and they were delicious with the hot,

5. ____ I felt a sharp pain in my ankle, and I recognized the sting of a jellyfish.

6. ____ We could hear the roar of the waterfall long before we actually saw it.

7. ____ She was so angry when she heard the news that she threw her book across the room.

8. ____ The soaked hikers looked up to see two beautiful rainbows spread across the desert sky.

9. ____ We could barely sit still as we waited to hear the name of the winner.

10. ____ The kitchen had the wonderful smell of freshly brewed coffee.

Sensory words list

Sight Hear Smelled Taste Place Experience Condition Touch

Vibrant Melodious Fragrant Savory Serene Unforgettable Pristine Soft
Luminous Raucous Pungent Bitter Bustling Harrowing Dilapidated Rough
Dazzling Soothing Aromatic Tangy Cozy Enriching Faulty Smooth
Gloomy Thunderous Musty Spicy Majestic Mundane Flawless Silky
Picturesque Whispering Stale Bland Remote Transformative Intact Coarse
Blinding Cacophonous Sweet Sweet Lively Exciting Damaged Velvety
Radiant Harmonic Rancid Salty Tranquil Exhausting Worn Prickly
Hazy Echoing Earthy Umami Picturesque Breathtaking New Slippery
Colorful Rhythmic Floral Sour Quaint Ordinary Rusty Sticky
Somber Silent Fresh Piquant Vibrant Insightful Spotless Grainy
Glittering Piercing Sour Rich Sprawling Humbling Corroded Fuzzy
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Murky Resonant Spicy Acidic Desolate Terrifying Torn Bumpy

Stunning Muffled Smoky Sugary Enchanting Joyous Broken Sleek
Shadowy Booming Odorous Luscious Charming Unique Clean Gritty
Spectacular Tranquil Zesty Tart Rugged Revelatory Shabby Firm
Dull Humming Citrus Zesty Bustling Memorable Polished Malleable
Brilliant Squeaky Musky Delicious Urban Tedious Chipped Jagged
Vivid Blaring Sharp Nauseating Idyllic Surreal Battered Slick
Foggy Hushed Perfumed Appetizing Exotic Uplifting Decayed Brittle
Stark Screeching Foul Flavorful Pristine Eye-opening Sturdy Cushiony

Emotional words list

Positive Negative Neutral Complex Basic Social Self- Situational

conscious emotion
Joyful Sad Surprised Conflicted Happy Empathetic Proud Bored

Elated Angry Curious Nostalgic Sad Jealous Humble Interested

Ecstatic Anxious Pensive Ambivalent Fearful Ashamed Arrogant Excited

Jubilant Frustrated Apathetic Bitter-sweet Angry Guilty Insecure Anticipating

Radiant Lonely Indifferent Envious Surprised Embarrassed Confident Nervous

Cheerful Scared Calm Remorseful Disgusted Compassionate Self-assured Apprehensive

Delighted Disappointed Content Wistful Joyful Envious Self-conscious Relieved

Gleeful Heartbroken Thoughtful Regretful Sorrowful Humiliated Embarrassed Stressed

Blissful Despondent Relaxed Sentimental Scared Proud Self-critical Overwhelmed

Exuberant Forlorn Unperturbed Resentful Furious Admiring Modest Calm

Merry Grief-stricken Unmoved Torn Shocked Contemptuous Self-satisfied Restless

Thrilled Mournful Unaffected Troubled Appalled Grateful Self- Impatient

Buoyant Dejected Detached Melancholic Excited Resentful deprecating Satisfied

Overjoyed Dismal Stoic Mixed Downcast Sympathetic Conceited Discontent

Lighthearted Woeful Nonchalant Reflective Terrified Respectful Shy Focused

Grinning Disheartened Neutral Longing Enraged Vengeful Bashful Distracted

Contented Gloomy Composed Mournful Astonished Apologetic Self-aware Energized

Jolly Sorrowful Serene Thoughtful Repulsed Affectionate Narcissistic Fatigued

Beaming Crestfallen Placid Apprehensive Cheerful Dismissive Boastful Motivated

Satisfied Miserable Even-tempered Hopeful Depressed Appreciative Self-important Unmotivated

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Self-reliant

Exercise 7: Use sensory details to support the following sentences.

1. Our guide had an interesting fashion sense.

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2. We ate a wonderful meal.

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3. The flower garden was delightful.

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4. The alley had not been taken care of for many years, and it was in bad shape.

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5. My father taught me to swim in a river behind our house.

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6. My mother's kitchen was everyone's favorite room.

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7. We listened to the music.

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8. I molded the clay in my hands.

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Exercise 8: Use emotional details to support the following sentences.

1. I would like to forget my first job interview.

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2. I met my friend on the Internet.

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3. At first, I did not like the new puppy, but after a while I changed my mind.

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4. I began to walk down the aisle toward my future husband.

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5. I walked into the cold, dark cave.

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6. The test was over, and I had earned the highest score.

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7. It was the first day of school, and I didn't know where to go.

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8. I broke through the ribbon and ran through the finish line.

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Past simple and Past continuous

 Past simple: action or event that started and finished in the past

 Past continuous: an event that was already in progress when another event occurred the first
event.

Exercise 9: Rewrite the sentences replacing the simple past with the past continuous where it it more
appropriate.

1. I talked to my friend when the phone died.

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2. I lived in Bogota when I had a terrible car accident.

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3. I worked on my paper and watched the game when he called.

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4. A stranger stood in the doorway when we arrived home.

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5. We drove to the hospital when my wife told the taxi driver to stop the car.

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6. In those days I worked and went to school, so I didn't have much free time.

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Exercise 10: Read and edit the paragraph. There are ten mistakes in the simple past and past
continuous.
Facing Danger in French Guiana
Three years ago, I was living in an exciting and adventurous place: French Guiana. My husband and I

own a lovely house that was right next to the jungle. Many animals lived there, such as crocodiles,

monkeys, poisonous spiders, jaguars, tigers, and snakes. People often warn us that our house was too

close to the jungle, but we enjoying the house so much that we decided to stay. Then one morning I had

a frightening adventure. I was plan to go for a swim in the pool. I put on my swimsuit, went outside, and

start to cross the patio. I was take off my jacket to dive into the water when suddenly, I had a big

surprise. A big snake was swim in my pool and move quickly toward me. I could not breathe. It seemed

as though it staring at me for a long time. I ran into the house to call the police. When they arrive, the

snake was gone. That day I learned to never jump into that pool before inspecting it for visitors.
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Exercise 11: Make a list of recent trips you have taken. Write a narrative paragraph. Tell about
something that happened to you during a trip. Use details to help your readers understand what you
experienced and how you felt.

Topic Sentence:

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Supporting Sentence:

First event:
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Second event:
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Next event:
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Last event:
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Concluding Sentence:

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Exercise 12: Write narrative paragraph on the following topics.

1. How do people learn? In answering this question, tell story of a person who learned a significant
lesson. How did he or she learn it? How did the experience change the person?

2. Tell the story of an important historical event. What happened? Who was involved? Why was the
event important? What happened before and after the event?

3. Describe a typical day for a nurse. What are the responsibilities of a nurse? How does the nurse
take care of patients? With whom nurse interact?