Finish the essay and bring to class on Thursday Feb 28, 2013

                                                                    My worst nightmare

Have you ever had a nightmare that you just can’t forget? Scientist have said that nightmares are a product of our imagination, however, either my subconscious has a mind of its own or I have two minds, unlike normal people. This nightmare was the worst dream that I have had. It was very dark and I was driving to a shopping mall and my car wasn’t moving; I tried to use more force on the gasoline pedal but my car would not move. All of a sudden, my dead grandmother appeared out of nowhere and wanted a lift. I loved my grandmother very much, but I didn’t want to get in a car with her now!  She has been dead for thirty years.  She was wearing a mini skirt and had tattoos all over her eighty year old face, her hair was also dyed orange with a blue streak, and she also had bright red lipstick on.  We struggled with the door. I didn’t want her to get in my car and she wanted to. I started to scream and woke up. I have never been so happy to wake up! Boy was I relieved, it was only a terrible and dreadful dream. I never want to have another dream like that again. I realized that I needed additional information about the brain and its relationship with dreams and I found out that behavioral scientists have devised strategies   in order to avoid nightmares; they are suggesting that you eat a light well balanced meal before going to bed, exercising and going to sleep at the same time every day.  

Finish the essay and bring to class on Thursday Feb 28, 2013

Narrative paragraphs

Lesson: Narrative Paragraphs Introduction

Narrative paragraphs simply tell a story or relay a sequence of events.

Generally, these events are told in chronological order, that is the order in which

they happened. However, a narrative paragraph most often tells a story in order to

illustrate or demonstrate a point. Because of this, developing a strong topic

sentence is important. For instance, the following topic sentence would be

considered weak for a narrative paragraph:

Jeff’s family went on a fishing trip to Horning’s Hideout.

The above topic sentence lacks appeal and leaves the reader thinking, “So

what!” because the sentence has not established any purpose for the paragraph.

Purpose and Appeal

Sometimes narrative writing can simply entertain the reader; however, in

formal academic writing, the purpose of a narrative paragraph is to inform or

persuade. To add purpose, the topic sentence should establish a contention which

the author will set out to prove in the paragraph. In so doing, he adds appeal as

well. The following topic sentence stands in contrast to the one above:

Fishing at Horning’s Hideout proved to be an enjoyable outing for Jeff and

his family.

This sentence sets out something to be proven in the paragraph and is more

appealing to the reader. Yes, the paragraph will tell the story of the family’s

fishing trip, but it will do so in a way which proves the trip to have been enjoyable.

Furthermore, establishing a contention improves appeal by challenging the reader

to respond to what is said. Finally, establishing this topic sentence limits the

perspective or angle which will be taken on the subject. Now supporting

information must be developed.

Developing a narrative paragraph

All the enjoyable parts of the family fishing trip have been established as the

topic of this narrative paragraph. Hence, the writer can brainstorm supporting

information with a clear goal in mind. An extensive list of enjoyable parts for

everyone should be developed. Most likely, all of these will not be used, but any

points which might serve to support the contention must be considered. The illustration

below is a list of as many pleasant aspects of the trip as the writer could

recall.

Following the brainstorming of supporting information, the writer must

develop a planning outline, such as in illustration , for using this material. The

outline will help one stay logical and topical as points are organized into related

Naturally with a narrative paragraph, points are arranged in

chronological order.

The student will notice that the ideas above are reorganized into chronological

order in the planning outline.

Planning Outline

1. Topic sentence - trip was enjoyable.

a. Preparations

(1) Mother - food, books, needlework

(2) Father - car

(3) Boys - fishing poles, toys, books

b. Reach destination

(1) Purchase bait

c. Finding fishing spot

(1) Finding first place

(2) Moving to second place

d. Real fishing began

(1) Brother caught fish

(2) Father busy

1. (a) His pole
2. (b) Helping boys cast
3. (c) Helping keep hooks baited
4. (d) Helping reel in catch

(3) Jeff caught fish

(4) Caught seven fish

(5) Cleaned fish before leaving

1. e. Jeff and brother were excited to catch fish
2. f. Father enjoyed time with sons
3. g. Mother enjoyed quiet time

2. Concluding sentence - It was fun for all

Contention: Trip was enjoyable

- Brainstorming Supporting Information

All: Excited preparations for the trip

- Food, games, books, toys, fishing equipment

Great place to fish

Fun being in the woods

Great weather

Jeff and brother: Purchased bait there

Catching the fish was fun

Caught seven fish

Interesting to see white peacocks

Time with Father

Father: Family time, tasty dinner

Mother: Did needlework, read book, had quiet time

Events in narrative paragraphs should be arranged chronologically.

Using dialogue in the narrative

Since students tend to include dialogue in a narrative paragraph, they should

understand the two ways to present discourse. The first method is direct discourse

or dialogue which is a quote of the exact words spoken by someone. These words,

when written exactly as spoken, are to be presented in quotation marks and

attributed to the speaker. The second method of presenting dialogue is indirect

discourse by which the words are paraphrased and not written in quotation marks.

This is the method students are to use in assignments for this course when

- Sample Paragraph

Fishing Fun

Fishing at Horning’s Hideout proved to be an enjoyable

outing for Jeff and his family. All family members rose early in the

morning excited to prepare for the trip. Mother packed food for

the family as well as her books and needlework. Father checked

the car to make certain it was ready for the drive. Then with

Father’s help, Jeff and his brother readied their fishing poles

along with the books and toys which would entertain them on the

hour’s drive. When the family arrived at their destination, they

stopped by the office to purchase some worms to use as bait.

Cheerfully walking along the narrow path, the family transported

their gear all the way around the small pond looking for just the

right place to cast their lines. In hopes that fish would be lurking

in the shadows, Jeff and his brother decided to fish from a shady

area along one side of the pond. Though it seemed like the perfect

fishing spot, overhead branches interfered with casting.

Undaunted after snagging lines several times, the avid fishermen

decided it would be best to move to the other side of the pond.

Here, the boys began to get bites. Before long, Jeff’s older brother

caught the first fish. Jeff caught one soon after. Suddenly the fish

were biting and Father became very active helping the two excited

boys keep their hooks baited, and reel in their catch. Just before

noon, Jeff hooked what turned out to be the largest trout of the day

which he hung in the water near the shore with the other captured

fish. While Father and the boys fished, Mother enjoyed sitting at

the picnic table and reading quietly or doing her needlework. After

several hours of fishing, and a total catch of seven fish, Father

showed the boys how to clean the fish before packing up for the

trip home. The outing was great fun for the whole family. Jeff and

his brother found much excitement in catching the fish. Father

enjoyed helping the boys and spending a day in the woods. Mother

expressed her pleasure in being with her family and seeing

everyone having an agreeable time. Most of all, everyone’s taste

buds were delighted with the dinner that evening. All the family is

hoping for a return trip before too long.recounting personal experience. This limitation, however, does not apply when

presenting research material.

Below are samples of direct and indirect discourse which the student should

study to learn how to change from one form to the other.

Literary Device

Figurative language, as was mentioned in Lesson 8, explains one concept or

item with another in order to clarify the first. The metaphor is one such literary

device practiced in this lesson. Like a simile, a metaphor compares two items; but

instead of saying one thing is “like” another, it treats the one as if it is the other.

For example:

Flowing water sliced through the dike.

The farmer touched the hot fence to see if the juice was flowing.

The student should note that metaphorical wording does not use “like” or “as”.

The writer of the above sentences does not spell out that water is acting like a

knife, or that an electrified fence feels like it is hot, or that voltage is as juice.

Instead, he leaves it up to the reader’s mind to connect each pair of concepts.

Metaphors occur frequently and can be found in a variety of parts of speech.

The student should study the following chart to become familiar with some of the

many uses of metaphors.

-

Narrative Paragraph Lesson

Put That In Writing

A metaphor compares two items withoutthe use of “like” or “as”.

Direct Discourse (Dialogue) Indirect Discourse

“I had a delightful time with my family and

so appreciated everyone getting along with

one another,” said Mother on the way

home.

Mother expressed her pleasure in being

with her family and seeing everyone having

an agreeable time.

Jason suggested, “Let’s move to the other

side of the pond.”

Jason calmly suggested that the family

move to another side of the pond.

verbs: The game heated up as the quarterback rifled the pass to the receiver who

knifed between two defenders and tightroped down the sideline.

After much negotiation, the salesman shaved ten percent off the price of the car.

adjectives and

adverbs:

Life is a carnival ride.

The ferocious housecat attacked its prey.

The quarterback threw the football to the flying receiver.

prepositional

phrases:

He had muscles (of steel.)

She was saddened (by her ash heap) of dreams.

nouns: The army of seals swam in ranks.

Her decorative touch was evident in the home.

appositives: On the bed sat the dog, a whining baby.

Narrative Essay Sample

Narrative Essay Sample

Attitude Is Everything

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 'Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life." I reflected on what Jerry said.

Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combinations. The robbers panicked and shot him.

Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I said. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

 

Example narrative essay

Sunny San Carlos Here We Come

By Ernesto (edited by Aynsley)
University of Durham, July 2001.

It was Thursday, October the 28th, in the year 2000. We were bored out of our skulls. We were biding our time, swinging in hammocks tied to big old trees, chatting and thinking about what we could do to relieve the boredom. We considered many possibilities. In the end however, we decided to visit San Carlos. For those of you who don't know my country, San Carlos is a beautiful beach approximately one hundred and twenty kilometres away from Hermosillo and Hermosillo is my neck of the woods, that is, it's where I'm from.

That afternoon, after deciding what to do and after a long siesta, we went to buy some supplies for the trip. Victor's father had agreed to lend us his car for a few days, so we met at my house and drove into town to stock up with some essentials. We bought some munchies to snack on during the drive and some things to keep us going once we arrived.

That evening we all stayed at my house. My mother cooked a delicious spicy chilli, which we ate with tacos and yoghurt and washed down with a few bottles of Sol. It was an entertaining evening. Everyone hit the sack feeling happy.

The following day we left at the crack of dawn, keen to avoid as much of the day's heat as possible. We had a great time in the car, laughing and joking, listening to music. The scenery was beautiful too.

We arrived in San Carlos a couple of hours later. We checked into the first hotel we found. It was called Flamingos. It only cost twelve pounds a night for a room, which seemed reasonable, but our room was disgusting! It was even more disgusting than Elena's room here in Durham. We found a dead rat in the toilet, which was just a hole in the ground anyway. There were no windows. It was full of cockroaches and ants. It smelt like rotting fish. The beds were made of concrete and the shower water was brown. However, it was not the worst aspect of our trip.

Despite the dodgy hotel, we had a ball! The weather was perfect. The beach was clean. The sea was warm and crystal clear. We met some school friends. People in the pubs and restaurants seemed friendly and the girls, oh boy, the girls!

A few days later, on October the 31st, Halloween, we left San Carlos at dusk to head home. After about an hour driving the sun had set and the world was black outside. Everything seemed fine until some lights began flashing on the dashboard. Victor said that it always happened. He told us to chill out and stop worrying. A few minutes later, though, the engine began coughing and spluttering. Victor didn't say anything but he seemed scared. Minutes later, the engine cut out totally and the car came to a slow halt.

We were all silent. All we could hear were insects singing. The only lights we could see were the stars and the moon. There wasn't anyone around for miles and miles. We were in the middle of nowhere. It was scary. Victor tried turning the ignition key but nothing happened. He had a look under the bonnet with a torch but couldn't fix the problem. We were stuck!

After hours worrying about bandits and thieves, a car came along. We flagged it down. Fortunately, the driver was a kind old farmer who agreed to give us a lift back to Hermosillo, so we pushed the broken car to the side of the road and set off.

We arrived home safely. When we explained the story to our parents, Victor's father was initially gutted about his car but then, after calming down, he was happy that nothing bad had happened to us.

We are planning to return to San Carlos this summer. I really hope that nothing happens to us but you never know.

 

Narrative Paragraphs

Answer the following questions by choosing the words that best fit your habits. Click on the arrow to choose the word you want to complete the sentences.

• When do you get up? I usually / sometimes / rarely get up early / late .
• What do you usually do on Saturday mornings? I often / sometimes / never go to the supermarket / the gym / the park to do some shopping / take a walk / get fit .
• Do you go to the temple / the mosque / church on Fridays / Saturdays / Sundays ? Yes / No , I go / don't go to the temple / the mosque / church on Fridays / Saturdays / Sundays .
• What do you like doing in your free time? Sometimes / Often I like reading books / playing sports / watching TV / listening to music / walking in the countryside . I also sometimes / often like reading books / playing sports / watching TV / listening to music walking in the countryside .

Written Exercise II
Now that you have a good feeling for the form of a narrative paragraph describing habits. Fill in the gaps in this paragraph with information about what you usually do on Sundays.
Sunday is a _______________ day for me. I _______________ like _______________. I _______________ get up _______________ and then I _______________. After _______________, I often go _______________. Sometimes, I like _______________ . In the evening, I _______________ like _______________ . I usually go to bed around _______________.

Practice
Ask friends about what they usually do on Sundays and write a narrative paragraph describing their Sunday habits.

Narrative paragraphs

Write out the following sentences on to a piece of paper to form a paragraph. Provide the correct form of the verb in the past and the correct prepositions. Click on the arrow to check your answers.

• Yesterday evening Jack _____ (get) home _____ (preposition) half past five.
• He immediately _____ (make) himself a cup of _____ (preposition) coffee and _____ (sit down) to read a book.
• He _____ (read) the book _____ (preposition) half past seven.
• Then he _____ (make) dinner and _____ (get ready) to go out with his friends.
• When his friends _____ (arrive) they _____ (decide) to go out to see a film.
• He _____ (stay out) until midnight with his friends.
• Finally he _____ (fall) asleep _____ (preposition) about one o'clock.

Written Exercise II
Now that you have a good feeling for the form of a narrative paragraph. Fill in the gaps in this paragraph with information about what you did yesterday evening.
Yesterday evening ______________ at ________ o'clock. I immediately ______________. After ______________, I (or we) ________________. Then I (or we) __________________________. I (or we) _________________a while. Later I (or we) _______________________________. I (or we) finally _______________.







Practice
Try to write a number of similar paragraphs about what you did last weekend, on your last holiday, etc.

Past tense

·        When you talk about something that happened before now, you change the verb to past tense.

 

Verb	Past Tense Verb		Verb	Past Tense Verb
watch play help start finish	watched played helped started finished		go eat see have sit	went ate saw had sat

         

Examples:

We played basketball for two hours yesterday.

          (“Yesterday” is before now.)

Jane had a birthday party last month.

          (“Last month” is before now.)

My mother went to Japan three days ago.

          (“Three days ago” is before now.)

 

Write your own past tense sentences:

 

1. ________________________________________________________

 

2. ________________________________________________________

 

3. ________________________________________________________

 

4. ________________________________________________________

 

5. ________________________________________________________