Recount text

 Function of Recount Text:

Recount text’s function is to tell about past events.

 

 

Parts (Generic Structure) of Recount Text:

1.      Orientation

Orientation tells the readers who was involved in the story, what happened, where the story took place and when it happened.

 

2.      A series of Events

A series of events tell the sequence of events. These events are described in a chronological order.

 

3.      Reorientation

Reorientation tells the summarizes the event.

 

 

Characteristics of Recount Text:

·         Use simple past tense.

Formula:

+ Subject + Verb 2/Verb past + object/complement

- Subject + did not + Verb 1/Verb base + object/complement

? Did + Subject + Verb 1/verb base + object/complement + ?

 

·         Always started by past adverbial of time

Examples:

-Two weeks ago,

-Last week,

-Last holiday,

-Yesterday,

-One day,

-Nine years ago, etc.

 

Example 1

 

My Grandpa’s Funeral in Toraja

Last month my family and I went to Toraja to attend Grandpa’s funeral. It was my first time to go to such a ceremony. We gathered there with our kin in the ceremony.

Overall, the ceremony was quite elaborate. It took about a week. Several days before the ceremony was done, grandpa’s body was kept in a series of houses arranged in a circular row around an open field called tongkonan. His corpse was dressed in a fi ne wearing.

The funeral was performed in two phases. First, we slaughtered the pigs and buffaloes, and then moved the corpse to face north. In this ceremony we wore black clothes. After that, the corpse was placed in a sandal wood coffin. Then, it was brought out of the house and placed on an open platform beneath the granary. Meanwhile, my uncle, my brother, and I prepared the wooden puppet and a funeral tower called lakian. The next phase of the ceremony was held in this place. The coffin is borne from the house and placed in the lakian. During the day, there were also buffalo matches. They were great matches. In the night, we were feasting, chanting, and dancing.

On the last day, the grandpa’s coffin were lowered from the funeral tower and brought up to the mountain side family graveyard. It was followed by great shouting and excitement from the relatives and the guests. Finally, we installed the wooden puppet on a high balcony where other puppets representing the members of a whole family were already there. The funeral ceremonies made my family and me tired. However, we were grateful because it ran smoothly.

 

Example 2

 

My Holiday Was Fantastic
 

Last summer I got a fantastic holiday. I visited some great places.

I went to an airport and was going to fly to Cleveland. I was spending there two days. I liked to see some Cleveland Cavaliers basketball matches.

Then I went to Hollywood. Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States. It had become world-famous as the center of the film industry. Four major film companies – Paramount, Warner Bros., RKO and Columbia – had studios in Hollywood. I did not want to leave but I had to.

After that, I went to New York city. I visited the Statue of Liberty. I went from the bottom of Manhattan to the top of the crown. That was very amazing.

The places made me feel at home but I have to go home. Next time I would return to them.