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5. Recounts: Personal Recounts

Objectives of the Unit
Upon completion of this unit, you are expected to be able to:
1. write a personal recount with the appropriate generic structure (introduction, sequence
of events, and conclusion;
2. use the Past Tense appropriately in a factual recount;

3. use facts and figures to support a factual recount.

Prepare Before Reading

In this unit, especially, you will learn about personal recounts. This type of recount
writing is all about the writer’s recollection of a particular event or experience. It includes
things like diary writing, but it’s also what we do whenever we tell someone a story about
something that happened to us. Personal recount text Use of first-person pronouns like I
and we. Just like the other types of recount text, a personal recount also consists of three
parts, i.e., an introductory paragraph, a sequence of events, and a conclusion. Orientation or
introduction contains information about the character, location, time of occurrence, etc.
Through the introduction, it is hoped that the reader can understand the author's storyline.
In the second part author retells events or experiences in the order in which they occur. The
third part, the author will provide a summary and conclusion of the whole story and tell the
ending. Usually, the author will add an impression and message to the reader.

To get a clear picture of what a personal recount is like, read the following passage.

Detailed Reading

Friends Forever

It seemed as if Chrissy and I had been friends forever. Ever since we’d met on
the first day of fourth grade, we had been inseparable. We did almost everything
together. We were so close that when it came time to pick partners, it was just
assumed that we’d pick each other. [1]

In ninth grade, however, things changed. We had been in the same classes for
the last five years, but now we were going to different schools. At first, we were as
good friends as ever, but eventually we found we had no time for each other.
Slowly but surely, we were drifting apart. Promises were broken and important
get-togethers postponed. I think both of us knew we were breaking apart, but
neither of us wanted to admit it. [2]

Then one day, I finally faced the fact that Chrissy and I weren't close anymore.
We'd both grown up and didn’t have much in common any longer. I still missed

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