Narrative text adalah jenis teks dalam bahasa Inggris yang bertujuan untuk menceritakan suatu cerita, baik fiksi maupun non-fiksi. Teks ini biasanya bertujuan untuk menghibur, memberikan pesan moral, atau menggambarkan suatu peristiwa tertentu. Contohnya adalah dongeng, legenda, mitos, dan cerita pendek.
Struktur narrative text terdiri dari:
Orientation (Pendahuluan) – Memperkenalkan tokoh, latar tempat, dan waktu dalam cerita.
Complication (Konflik) – Bagian di mana terjadi permasalahan yang dialami tokoh utama.
Resolution (Penyelesaian) – Bagian di mana masalah dalam cerita diselesaikan, baik dengan akhir bahagia (happy ending) maupun sedih (sad ending).
Re-orientation (Opsional) – Kesimpulan atau pesan moral yang dapat dipetik dari cerita.
Ciri-Ciri Narrative Text
Menggunakan past tense karena menceritakan kejadian di masa lalu.
Menggunakan action verbs (kata kerja aksi) seperti “ran”, “jumped”, “said”.
Mengandung direct speech (kalimat langsung) untuk membuat cerita lebih hidup.
Menggunakan time connectors seperti “once upon a time”, “then”, “suddenly”, “finally”.
Contoh Narrative Text
The Legend of Malin Kundang
Orientation
Once upon a time, in a small village by the sea, lived a poor boy named Malin Kundang. He lived with his mother and dreamed of becoming a successful man.
Complication
One day, Malin decided to leave his village and seek fortune in a big city. He promised his mother that he would return. Years passed, and Malin became a rich merchant. However, he forgot about his promise and married a beautiful woman from a noble family. When he returned to his village, his mother recognized him and called his name, but Malin denied knowing her.
Resolution
Heartbroken, his mother cursed him, saying that he would turn into stone if he truly denied his origins. Suddenly, a storm came, and Malin was turned into stone as punishment for his ungratefulness.
Re-orientation
The story teaches us to always respect and appreciate our parents, no matter how successful we become.
Narrative text adalah teks yang bertujuan untuk menceritakan suatu kejadian atau kisah. Dengan memahami struktur dan ciri-cirinya, siswa SMA dapat lebih mudah menulis serta memahami berbagai jenis teks naratif yang sering dijumpai dalam pembelajaran bahasa Inggris.