RECOUNT TEXT PRODUCTION

1. The purpose of a recount is to list and describe past experiences by retelling events in the order in which they happened (chronological order). Recounts are written to retell events with the purpose of either informing or entertaining their audience (or both). RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION

2. Recounts normally start by setting the scene (orientation), what, where, when, how This is followed by a series of events, in the order they happened (chronological order). These are important events, not irrelevant details The final paragraph should bring the reader back to the subject. This may in the form of an evaluation or reorientation RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION

3. Personal RecountThese usually retell an event that the writer was personally involved in. Use of first person pronouns (I, we) An author writes a retelling or an interpretation of an event or a series of events that are memorable in his /her life Personal responses to the events can be included, particularly at the end. Details are often chosen to add interest or humour. RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION

4. Imaginative RecountWriting an imaginary role and giving details of events, eg. A day in the life of a drama queen, How I invented... Usually written in the first person. It may be appropriate to include personal reactions. RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION

5. Factual Recount Factual recounts tell us ‘what happened’ by documenting a series of events and evaluating their significance. They might be historical recounts, autobiographical or biographical recounts. Factual recounts may also be used to record events and observations from field trips and excursions. RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION

6. Factual Recount Use of third person pronouns (he, she, it, they). Details are usually selected to help the reader reconstruct the activity or incident accurately. Sometimes the ending describes the outcome of the activity(e.g. in a science experiment). Mention of personal feelings is probably not appropriate Details of time, place and manner may need to be precisely stated(e.g. at 2.35 pm, between Johnson St and Park Rd, the man drove at 80 kph). Descriptive details may also be required to provide precise information(e.g. a man with a red shirt, brown shoes and long hair, weighing 75 kilos and approximately 189 cm tall). The passive voice may be used(e.g. the beaker was filled with water). It may be appropriate to include explanations and justifications. RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION

7. Structure a title, which usually summarises the text specific participants (boyfriend, the bartender, the zookeeper) The basic recount consists of three parts: the setting or orientation – events are identified and described in chronological order. concluding comments express a personal opinion regarding the events described RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION

8. RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION • write in PAST TENSE and the ACTIVE VOICE • focus on specific people or events, not general topics • use the FIRST PERSON ( I, we, mine, ours) in autobiography and fiction • otherwise use the THIRD PERSON ( they, their, them, he, she)

9. RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION PAST TENSE (she yelled, it nipped, she walked) • recounts describe events, so plenty of use is made of VERBS (action words), and of ADVERBS (which describe or add more detail to verbs) • details are often chosen to add interest or humour to the recount. • use of personal PRONOUNS (I, we) (Personal Recount) • the PASSIVE VOICE may be used, eg. the bottle was filled with ink (Factual Recount)

10. RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION PAST TENSE • Simple past is formed for regular verbs by adding –ed to the root of a word • Simple past is used for describing acts that have already been concluded and whose exact time of occurrence is known. • simple past is used for retelling successive events. That is why it is commonly used in storytelling.

11. RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION PAST TENSE • Past perfect simple is formed by combining the simple past form of to have with the simple past form of the main verb: We had shouted • Past perfect simple is used for describing secluded events that have occurred before something else followed. The event that is closer to the present is given in simple past tense: After we had visited our relatives in New York, we flew back to Toronto.

12. RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION PAST TENSE • Past perfect progressive is formed byhad, the participle beenand the present participle of the main verb: You had been waiting. For negation, not is included before been: I had not been waiting. A question sentence is formed by starting with had: Had she been waiting? • If emphasis is put on the duration of a concluded action of the past, since and for are signal words for past perfect progressive: We had been waiting at the airport since the 9 P.M. flight. / They had been waiting for three hours now.

13. RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION • use critical vocabulary appropriate to the subject to be clearly stated, eg. At 11.15 pm, between Reid Rd and Havelock St a man drove at 140 kms toward the shopping centre(Factual Recount) • descriptive details may also be required to provide information, eg. He was a skinny boy with a blue shirt, red sneakers and long tied back hair(Factual Recount) • includes personal thoughts/reactions (Imaginative Recount)

14. RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION • effectively use adverbial phrases to indicate time and place: • It was the summer of 2003; The Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks exploded over the Harbour Bridge • frequent use is made of words which link events in time, such as next, later, when, then, after, before, first, at the same time, as soon as she left, late on Friday

15. RECOUNTTEXT PRODUCTION • use CONNECTIVES related to time: after, then, next, meanwhile, to cause: because, since to contrast: however, although, nonetheless whoever     whatever      if      meanwhile   moreover        for        while          when      as therefore                  so         and        with although            besides      but       since                 consequently until furthermore     henceforward     notwithstanding whereas                 because            whenever         nevertheless      yet                 alternatively