How to Write a Recount Text

A. What is a Recount Text?

Recount texts retell a past event. They tell the reader what happened in the past, e.g. a visit to a place of interest. Therefore, recount texts are mostly written in the past tense.

B. What is the structure of Recount Texts?

1. Orientation:
   Recount texts start by telling the reader who was involved, what happened, where this event took place and when it happened. This is called the orientation.
2. Sequence of events:
   The sequence of events is usually described in the order of time (chronological order).
3. Reorientation:
   There can be a reorientation at the end which summarizes the event.

C. How to write a Recount Text?

When writing a recount text, pay attention to the checklist below:

• Focus on individual people i.e. use the words, I or we
• Use the words which indicate when the events took place (e.g. after ..., before ...).
• Use the words which indicate where the events took place (e.g. at the beach, on the grass)
• Write in the past tense e.g. went, visited, took.
• Use action words e.g. made, walked, bought.

D. Read an example of recount text below.

Title	A Day Out
Orientation	We were having dinner when Uncle Hadi arrived. During the meal, he said, “I have an idea. Let’s go out for the day tomorrow. My friends told me that Bromo is a nice place. Why don’t we go there? We could have a picnic.“
Sequence of events	We agreed that it was a good idea. So, after preparing a big basket full of food, we left the house at about half past eight. At first, we all enjoyed the drive. The scenery was really beautiful. But then it began to rain. My father had to be very careful on the slippery road, so it took us two hours to get there. After the long journey, we wanted to go for a walk, but we didn’t have any umbrellas with us. So we just sat at a gazebo near a restaurant and had our picnic.
Reorientation	It was still raining at three o’clock, so in the end we all decided to go home. Everybody was very disappointed, except Uncle Hadi. He kept smiling and telling jokes all day long.

Read the recount text below and do the exercise.

Last Saturday I woke up early, but I didn’t get up because there was no school. Suddenly, my telephone rang. It was my friend Fanny. She asked me to go with her at 10.00 o clock. She wanted to buy something in traditional market.

Finally, we were out. On the street, I saw a piece of pink coupon. Attracted by its color, I took it. Then, Fanny and I read it. We were fully shocked. It was a receipt of a four nights tour to Lombok! The expiry date was that day. To our surprise, the name was Fanny Fenita and the birth date was exactly the same as hers. It was also valid for two persons. My God! We were thinking that maybe the coupon had fallen from the sky and now it was there for us.

We hurried to the address of the tour agency that issued the coupon. The tour agency took care of everything. We went home and still could not believe what was going on.

Two days later we were lying on the warm sand under the sun at Senggigi Beach. We had long public holiday, so we could enjoy the “gift” happily. We also bought some presents for our family and friends.

Questions

1. What will be the best title for the above text?
2. Please identify the orientation in the text.
3. Please list the past tense verbs used in the text in chronological order.
4. Is there a reorientation in the text? Which sentence/paragraph?
5. How many persons were involved in the above text?
6. Where did the events take place? Mention at least two places.
7. When did the events happen?
8. What does the word "gift" in the last paragraph mean?

F. Writing Practice

Now, by referring to the above checklist, write your own recount text. You can talk about your experience:

• Going to the ....(Beach, Museum, etc.)
• Visiting ....(My Uncle, the Zoo, etc.)
• A Day at the ....(Farm, Lake, Beach, etc.)
• My Unforgettable Experience in ....(Bali, Malang, etc.)
• Going ....(Shopping, Swimming, for a Picnic, etc.)

Happy trying.