A narrative is a story featured in a format such as television, a novel, a short story, etc. that describes a series of events, whether they are fictional or not.
Informational or expository text simply features information.
Narrative vs Informational writing:
Narratives:
Informational/Expository Texts do the following:
Source: Glencoe and McGraw-Hill. Grammar and Composition Handbook. Columbus, OH: Glencoe/McGraw-HIll, 2000
Figurative Language - language that is used to represent something other than the literal meaning. Uses "figures of speech." (" You think that I am made of money")
Some examples of figurative language include:
Similies - they use the words "like" and "as" to compare one thing with another (e.g. as hungry as a horse, like a bat out of Hell)
Metaphors - describe one or more things as something else. Particularly common in poetry. (e.g. Although he was confident at first, Heath was nothing more than a mouse when he walked up on stage to give his speech.)
Personification - Gives human characteristics to non-human objects. (e.g. The stars in the night sky watched over me.)
Symbolism - In which one thing stands for another thing that is more abstract (e.g. a cross is a symbol for Christianity; a run-down building or leafless trees could symbole aging)
Allegory or Parable - A story that has a second meaning within itself (e.g. Jesus' parable of the sower was a symbol for God scattering his elect among the rest of the population)
Sensory Language
Sensory Language is language that refers to the stimulation of the five senses in writing.
Examples include:
Sight - The fur of golden retriever shone in the bright sunlight. In this sentence, the reader imagines the sight of the golden retriever's shiny fur.
Sound - Jerry's car came to a screeching halt at the stop sign. The reader can almost hear the car screech.
Feeling - The throbbing pain in Dain's arm made it difficult for him to do any writing. The reader can almost feel the pain that Dain feels.
Taste - Carolina savored the creamy butterscotch malt. The reader can almost taste the malt.
Smell - The horrendous stench of the pig processing plant is a good reason for people to go vegan. In this sentence, one can imagine how horrible the stench of the processing plant must be.
Can you create a few sentences using figurative or sensory language?
Here are a few outside sources.
Advanced Narrative Activities for Reluctant Writers
Gameaquarium - Online Figurative Language Games
In this lesson, you have learned that:
Source: see above sections for sources