Page 110 - Starting Strong: English Essentials

2. Writing

Writing about a Memorable Holiday

To retell a memorable holiday experience, we can write a recount text. A recount text retells past events
in a chronological order.

Writing a recount text

A recount text consists of three parts, namely orientation, events, and re-orientation. Here is the
detailed explanation.

Orientation → The first part introduces the what, who, when, and where of the experience.
Example:
Last year, I went to Bali with my best friend, Dina, during the school holiday. It
was our first trip together. We were excited. We stayed in a small guesthouse near
the beach in Seminyak.
• What: a trip with best friend
• Who: the writer and her best friend (Dina)
• When: last year, during the school holiday
• Where: in Bali
Events → A series of events tells how the experience happened in a chronological order.
There are some signal words to indicate the order, such as “first”, “second”,
“next”, “before”, “after”, “next”, “then”, “as soon as”, and “finally”.
Example:
On our second evening, we planned to watch the sunset at the beach. We
prepared a mat and some snacks [1]. Then, we left the guesthouse earlier than
usual because we didn’t want to miss anything [2]. The beach was a bit crowded,
but we found a quiet place near some rocks [3]. As soon as the sun began to set,
the sky turned orange, pink, and purple [4]. It was beautiful. Dina and I didn’t talk
much during that moment. We just sat quietly. We watched the sun set as the
waves gently hit the shore [5]. Then, suddenly, a couple asked us to take their
photo [6]. Apparently, they were my homeroom teacher and her husband. We
smiled and helped them. After the sun disappeared, we laughed and shared our
snacks while we looked at the photos we took [7].
Re- → The last part is optional. It contains final comments or a summary of the
orientation experience. It usually tells how the writer felt about the experience.
Example:
That evening made me feel peaceful and thankful. Watching
the sunset with my best friend was one of the best memories,
and I hope we can do it again someday.

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