Recount

Recounts tell the reader what happened. They retell a past event eg a visit to a farm.
Recounts begin by telling the reader who was involved, what happened, where this event took place and when it happened. This is called the orientation.

The sequence of events is then described in some sort of order eg time.
There may be a reorientation at the end which summarises the event.

Example of a recount: shows the structure and language features of a recount text.

Writing recounts

When writing recounts you should:
• focus on individual people ie use the words, I or we
• use words which indicate when (eg after lunch) and where the events took place (eg in the shed)
• write in the past tense eg had, visited
• use action words eg helped, crutched.

Use the sample recount to answer these questions.

1. Write a phrase that indicates when an event took place.

2. Write a phrase that indicates where the event took place.

3. List two words that are written in the past tense.

4. List two other action words from the text.

Suggested answers
Recount

1. Phrases that indicate when an event took place include: last holidays; on the first day; the end of the day; then; and the next day.

2. Phrases that indicate where an event took place include: a sheep property; in the shearing sheds; the yards; the paddocks.

3. Words that are written in the past tense include helped, picked and enjoyed.

4. Other action words include sweeping, picking and shearing

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