CHAPTER 4

Recount

🖎 Description
This chapter discusses the social function, the generic structure, and the linguistic features of a recount text.
🖎 Basic Competence
You will be able to evaluate the genre of a text through its structure and features.
🖎 Objectives
After finishing this chapter, you will be able to analyze a recount text.
🖎 Indicators
After finishing this chapter, you will be able to:
1. Analyze the social function of a recount text
2. Analyze the generic structure of a recount text
3. Analyze the language features of a recount text

4.1 WHAT IS RECOUNT?

Recounts are the most common kind of texts we encounter and create. They are usually written as a series of
events in the order in which they happen.
Like all text types, variants of recounts can occur and they can be combined with other text types. For example,
newspaper ‘reports’ on an event often consist of a recount of the event plus elements of explanation or other
text types.
Some examples of recount are:

● Biographies/Autobiographies
● Letters and postcards
● Write-up of a trip or activity
● Newspaper report
● Diary or journal
● Magazine article
● Retelling a historical event

4.1.1 SOCIAL FUNCTION

Recounts are generally used to relate experiences or retell events for the purpose of informing, entertaining or
reflecting.
Recounts can be personal, factual, or imaginative.
 1. Personal recount – retelling an activity that the writer has been personally involved in and may be used
to build the relationship between the writer and the reader e.g. anecdote, diary journal, personal letter
2. Factual recount – reporting the particulars of an incident by reconstructing factual information e.g.
police reconstruction of an accident, historical recount, biographical and autobiographical recounts
3. Imaginative recount – applying factual knowledge to an imaginary role in order to interpret and recount
events e.g. A Day in the Life of a Roman Slave, How I Discovered Radium
4. Procedural recount – recording the steps in an investigation or experiment and thereby providing the
basis for reported results or findings
5. Literary recount – to retell a series of events for the purpose of entertaining

4.1.2 GENERIC STRUCTURE

The generic structure of a recount usually consists of the following elements:

● Orientation – scene setting opening, for example, “I went to the shop.”

● Events – recount of the events as they occurred, for example, “I saw a vase...” These events may be
elaborated on by adding, for example, descriptive details. These are in time order.
● Reorientation – a closing statement, for example, “When I got back, I told my mum…” (with elaboration
in more sophisticated texts)
The following is an example of a recount text structure.

4.1.3 LANGUAGE FEATURES

The following list is the common language features of a recount:

● Is written in the past tense (she yelled, it nipped, she walked)

● Written in the past tense, e.g. I went

● In chronological order, using connectives that signal time, for example, then, next, after, meanwhile

● Focused on individual or group participants, for example, in first person: I, we, or third person: he, she,
they
Study the language features of the following recount text.
4.2 EXERCISE
1. Read and study the text below. Then, answer the following questions.

A Trip to the National Zoo and Aquarium

Yesterday, my family and I went to the National Zoo and Aquarium to visit the
new Snow Cubs and the other animals.

In the morning, when we got to the Zoo and Aquarium there was a great big line,
so we had to wait awhile to get in.

After we entered the zoo, we went straight to the enclosure for the Snow Cubs.
My brother and I were so excited to see them. They were so cute and playful. At
lunchtime Dad decided to cook a BBQ. He cooked sausages so we could have
sausage sandwiches. Mum forgot the tomato sauce so we had to eat them plain.

In the afternoon, we visited the aquarium. My brother was excited to see the
sharks and the tropical fish.

At the end of the day when we left we were going to go and get ice cream but
we decided we were too tired so we drove straight home.

a. What is the social function of the text?

b. How does the writer open the story? Which paragraph shows it?
c. Which events are experienced by the writer? Which paragraph shows them?
 d. How does the writer close the story? Which paragraph shows it?
e. What participant is involved?
f. What types of verbs can you find? Give examples.
g. What kind of tense is mostly used? Give examples.
h. Find the time connectives in the text.

2. Analyze the text below in terms of its genre.

Dogmarsh Primary School,

Woodenhead Road,
Offput,
Crazishire

Dear Jazzy,

Last week our class went on the most amazing trip to the Dramcester Water Park.

The first thing that we did was to gather in a group by one of the lakes. The
instructor, who was called Jeremy, showed us the canoes. He taught us how to
climb in and out. We all had to wear safety jackets in case somebody fell in.
Jeremy demonstrated how to paddle. After that we climbed into our own canoes and
set off. I got myself covered in water! It was great fun.

After that we had our break. Miss Vole gave everyone a hot drink and a biscuit.
She said that this would help to warm up anyone who had got wet. As I was
soaked, I was allowed two drinks.

Jeremy then showed a film of some of the creatures that live near and in a lake.
I hadn’t realised that there were so many different sorts of fish and birds. He
took us to a ‘hide’. A hide is like a hut that is close to the water. From the
hide we could see all sorts of different birds without them seeing us. Skater
kept making
silly noises and Miss Vole said that if he continued behaving like a baby he
would have to wait inside the coach. That silenced him!

In the afternoon Jeremy set us a challenge. We were put into groups and had to
build a raft and then sail it to a red buoy. Luckily, Skater was in our team
because he was really good at making the raft. We were first in the water. More
importantly, we did not sink! The prize for winning was a Mars Bar each!

When we got back to school, Miss Vole said that she had had a great time. She
was really pleased with all of us – and she even seemed pleased with YOU KNOW
WHO…. So – it was a great trip and now I’d like to go there with my family. I
think that they would enjoy the park.

I’m looking forward to seeing you soon,

Love Janey Lee.

4.3 SUMMARY
A recount text usually tells what happened or retells events. The generic structure consists of orientation, series
of events, and reorientation. A recount uses past tense, time words to connect events, pronoun to tell
participants, and action verbs.