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I. Writing FocusNarrative Paragraphs

One way to support your topic sentence is to tell a story. When you tell

a story in your paragraph, you are writing a narrative paragraph. A narrativeparagraph tells a story about something that happened in the past. This type of

paragraph has the same three parts as other paragraphs: a topic sentence, a

body of supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.

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Model ParagraphA South American Adventure

My trip to Chile was quite memorable1. First, I flew to Santiago,

the capital, but I didnt stay there long. Second, I went to Valparaiso on the

coast. Valparaiso is built on hills, and it has wonderful old funiculars2 that

climb up the hills. At the top, the view over the ocean is fantastic. After that,

I drove with a friend to Pucn in the Lake District. Pucn is built at the foot of

an active volcano. At night, we could see red hot rocks exploding from the top

of the volcano into the dark sky. It was fantastic! Next, we went to the island of Chilo. Chilo is best

known for its many old wooden churches, and my friend wanted to see one in Tenan, a village far

from the coast. We drove slowly for hours over dirt roads until we finally reached the village. I took

her picture in front of the church, and we had lunch at a local restaurant. Finally, I returned to

Santiago to fly home. I was sad to leave Chile, but I have my memories of this wonderful trip.

Read this model paragraph. Then, do Practice 1.

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1. Put boxes around the three parts of the paragraph: the topic sentence,

the body, and the concluding sentence.

2. Circle the topic and underline the controlling idea.

3. What type of concluding sentence ends this paragraph, a restatement or a

summary?

4. How many supporting sentences are there?

PRACTICE 1: Analyzing the Model Paragraph

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(Answers will be discussed in class)

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Transitions in Narrative ParagraphsIn a narrative paragraph, you tell a story of events in the order that

they happened. In other words, you order your sentences based on time order.Using transitions of time order can help the reader follow the story. Here aresome common transitions of time order.

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Notice that all of these transitions go at the beginning of a sentence and arefollowed by a comma.

Transitions of Time OrderFirst,

At first,

Second,

Third,

Next,

Then,

After that,

Finally,

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Look again at the model paragraph. Put a box around the time order transitions.PRACTICE 2: Finding Time Order Transitions

A South American Adventure

My trip to Chile was quite memorable1. First, I flew to Santiago,

the capital, but I didnt stay there long. Second, I went to Valparaiso on the

coast. Valparaiso is built on hills, and it has wonderful old funiculars2 that

climb up the hills. At the top, the view over the ocean is fantastic. After that,

I drove with a friend to Pucn in the Lake District. Pucn is built at the foot of

an active volcano. At night, we could see red hot rocks exploding from the top

of the volcano into the dark sky. It was fantastic! Next, we went to the island of Chilo. Chilo is best

known for its many old wooden churches, and my friend wanted to see one in Tenan, a village far

from the coast. We drove slowly for hours over dirt roads until we finally reached the village. I took

her picture in front of the church, and we had lunch at a local restaurant. Finally, I returned to

Santiago to fly home. I was sad to leave Chile, but I have my memories of this wonderful trip.

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Verb Tenses with Dependent Clauses of TimeWhen you write a sentence with a dependent clause of time, pay

attention to the verb tenses in the dependent clause and in the independent

clause. Here are two rules.

1. If you write about future time, use the simple present in the dependentclause and the future in the independent clause.

When we arrivein Alaska, wellbuy some warm clothes.simple present future

Imgoing to take a walk before the sun sets.future simple present

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Verb Tenses with Dependent Clauses of Time (Cont.)2. If you use while to begin the dependent clauses, use the present

progressive or past progressive in that clause.

Whileyoure taking photographs, Ill go to the museum.present progressive

Jack watched television while Maria was getting dressed.past progressive

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Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the verbs in parentheses.PRACTICE 3: Using correct Tenses with Dependent clauses of TimeSams Vacation

While his wife is traveling(1. travel) to faraway places with her friends.

Sam will do some work on their house. First, after he (2. decide) on a

color, he (3. paint) the bathroom. While he (4. work) in the

bathroom, he (5. fix) the shower. Next, he will clean up the yard. Before

he (6. do) that, he (7. go) to the store to get some fertilizer. After

that, Sam will build the new desk that his wife wants. After he (8. finish)the desk, he (9. be) done with his home improvements. When his wife

he (10. return), she will certainly be surprised to see the results of

Sams work.

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decides

is workingwill paint

will fix

does ll go

finishesll be

returns