Recount Text: Definition, Structure, Language Features, and Example
Have you ever told your friend about your holiday, your first day at school, or an unforgettable experience? If yes, you have probably used a recount text.
Recount text is used to retell past events. The events are usually told in order, from the beginning until the end. In this lesson, we will learn recount text in easy English.
What Is Recount Text?
Recount text is a text that retells events or experiences that happened in the past. The purpose is to inform or entertain the readers.
Recount text tells what happened in the past, usually based on a real experience.
Social Function of Recount Text
The social function of recount text is to retell past events for the purpose of informing or entertaining readers.
Generic Structure of Recount Text
A recount text usually has three main parts:
1. Orientation
This part introduces the background of the story. It tells who was involved, where it happened, and when it happened.
Example: I was driving along the coast road.
2. Events
This part tells the events in order. It explains what happened from the beginning to the end.
Example: The car lurched, the poles collapsed, and rocks fell across the road.
3. Re-orientation
This part gives a personal comment, feeling, or conclusion about the experience.
Example: It was really a frightening experience.
Language Features of Recount Text
Recount text usually uses some language features, such as:
- Using past tense: I was driving. The car lurched.
- Using action verbs: drove, saw, came, abandoned, returned
- Using specific participants: I, the car, the road, the town
- Using time connectives: when, then, after that, finally
- Using adverbs of time and place: along the coast road, at first, when I got back to town
- Using adjectives: frightening, sudden, terrible
Example of Recount Text
Earthquake
Orientation
I was driving along the coast road when the car suddenly lurched to one side.
Events
At first, I thought a tyre had gone flat. But then, I saw telegraph poles collapsing like matchsticks.
Rocks came tumbling across the road, so I had to abandon the car.
When I got back to town, there was not much left. Many buildings were badly damaged.
Re-orientation
It was really a frightening experience.
Why Is This Text a Recount Text?
This text is a recount text because it retells a past experience. The writer tells what happened during an earthquake. The events are told in order, and the writer gives a personal feeling at the end.
Practice Questions
Try to answer these questions first. Click each question to see the answer.
1. What is the purpose of recount text?
The purpose of recount text is to retell past events for informing or entertaining readers.
2. What are the three main parts of recount text?
The three main parts are orientation, events, and re-orientation.
3. What happened when the writer was driving along the coast road?
The car suddenly lurched to one side.
4. Mention two past tense verbs from the text.
Examples: was, thought, saw, came, had, got.
5. How did the writer feel about the experience?
The writer felt frightened. It was a frightening experience.
Conclusion
Recount text is used to retell past events or experiences. It usually has orientation, events, and re-orientation.
To write a good recount text, tell the events in order and use past tense clearly.
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