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English 12 > Writing a Narrative Application Essay > Flashcards

Writing a Narrative Application Essay Flashcards

chronological

arranged in order of time

a state of exactness

an expression of thought or opinion

the order of elements that gives something its form

English 12 (27 decks)

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  • An Introduction to Elizabethan England
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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, writing a narrative essay about overcoming a challenge—any advice.

I'm working on a narrative essay about overcoming a challenge in my life, but I'm struggling with how to focus it and what details to include. Can anyone on here give me some advice on how to approach this essay? Thanks in advance!

Sure, I'd be happy to help! Writing an engaging and impactful narrative essay about overcoming a challenge can be a powerful way to showcase your strengths and resilience. CollegeVine has written an article breaking down this exact type of essay—here are their tips, which you should find helpful: https://blog.collegevine.com/overcoming-challenges-essay

Remember, a powerful narrative essay about overcoming a challenge should demonstrate your personal growth, resilience, and character development. Showcasing these qualities through your story can make your essay a compelling and memorable piece of your application.

For inspiration, you may want to check out these example essays, which were all written by real students: https://blog.collegevine.com/overcoming-challenges-college-essay-examples

Good luck with writing, and I hope this advice helps you craft an outstanding essay!

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  • How to write a narrative essay | Example & tips

How to Write a Narrative Essay | Example & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A narrative essay tells a story. In most cases, this is a story about a personal experience you had. This type of essay , along with the descriptive essay , allows you to get personal and creative, unlike most academic writing .

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Table of contents

What is a narrative essay for, choosing a topic, interactive example of a narrative essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about narrative essays.

When assigned a narrative essay, you might find yourself wondering: Why does my teacher want to hear this story? Topics for narrative essays can range from the important to the trivial. Usually the point is not so much the story itself, but the way you tell it.

A narrative essay is a way of testing your ability to tell a story in a clear and interesting way. You’re expected to think about where your story begins and ends, and how to convey it with eye-catching language and a satisfying pace.

These skills are quite different from those needed for formal academic writing. For instance, in a narrative essay the use of the first person (“I”) is encouraged, as is the use of figurative language, dialogue, and suspense.

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Narrative essay assignments vary widely in the amount of direction you’re given about your topic. You may be assigned quite a specific topic or choice of topics to work with.

  • Write a story about your first day of school.
  • Write a story about your favorite holiday destination.

You may also be given prompts that leave you a much wider choice of topic.

  • Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself.
  • Write about an achievement you are proud of. What did you accomplish, and how?

In these cases, you might have to think harder to decide what story you want to tell. The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to talk about a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

For example, a trip where everything went according to plan makes for a less interesting story than one where something unexpected happened that you then had to respond to. Choose an experience that might surprise the reader or teach them something.

Narrative essays in college applications

When applying for college , you might be asked to write a narrative essay that expresses something about your personal qualities.

For example, this application prompt from Common App requires you to respond with a narrative essay.

In this context, choose a story that is not only interesting but also expresses the qualities the prompt is looking for—here, resilience and the ability to learn from failure—and frame the story in a way that emphasizes these qualities.

An example of a short narrative essay, responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” is shown below.

Hover over different parts of the text to see how the structure works.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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If you’re not given much guidance on what your narrative essay should be about, consider the context and scope of the assignment. What kind of story is relevant, interesting, and possible to tell within the word count?

The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to reflect on a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

Don’t worry too much if your topic seems unoriginal. The point of a narrative essay is how you tell the story and the point you make with it, not the subject of the story itself.

Narrative essays are usually assigned as writing exercises at high school or in university composition classes. They may also form part of a university application.

When you are prompted to tell a story about your own life or experiences, a narrative essay is usually the right response.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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Caulfield, J. (2023, July 23). How to Write a Narrative Essay | Example & Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/narrative-essay/

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00:00:00 TEACHER: Welcome. In this lesson, you'll be working to answer the lesson question, how can you use a narrative to write about overcoming a challenge? Let's think a little bit about challenges, such as the challenge this rock climber is facing, how proud he's going to feel when he reaches the top.
00:00:21 But when this photograph was taken, he was right in the middle of his climb, and perhaps he's feeling a little bit challenged. Maybe his muscles are sore. He's tired and he's uncertain about whether he's going to reach the top. We face all sorts of challenges in life, at work, at school, ethical dilemmas, personal tragedies.
00:00:43 And overcoming a challenge can show us how strong we really can be. Let's start by looking at your lesson goals.
00:00:00 TEACHER: So let's go over the goals for this lesson. In this lesson, you're going to learn to plan and prewrite to set up a sequence of events, to develop the point of view through dialogue, and to revise writing to add description. And all of these skills will help you as you write a narrative essay about overcoming a challenge.
00:00:24 Next, let's look at some words that you'll want to know for this lesson. Here, you see some words that you'll want to know. The words in green are general academic words. You might see them in lots of different classes. The words in purple are words that you're most likely to see in your English language classes. You've already, in fact, seen some of these words in the
00:00:46 lesson goals-- "description," "revise," "dialogue," and "point of view." Now might be a good moment to pause, look these words up in your glossary, and write down the definitions in your eNotes. Next, we'll continue to think about this idea of challenges. As a first step to prepare to write about overcoming a
00:01:09 challenge, let's consider the concept of challenge a little bit more. We are all constantly learning, growing, trying new things, and feeling that sense of accomplishment when we overcome a challenge. Here are some illustrations of some challenges. We face challenges in growing up and improving in skills, such as learning to ride a bike or walking to a store for
00:01:34 the first time. We face challenges in setting and achieving goals, such as running a race or learning to play a new song. And some challenges aren't by our choice and we need to adapt to overcome them, such as moving or losing someone we love. Whether these challenges are large or small, they are all valid, and they all have an impact on who we are.
00:01:59 Next, you'll think about some common challenges you might face at school.

Narrative Essay Quiz Questions And Answers

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Here's an amazing 'narrative essay quiz' that consists of some questions based on the techniques and style of narrative writing. Do you think you have a good understanding of narrative writing? Well, let's find out! Try answering the questions below and see how well you can score. So, good luck, and don’t forget to share this quiz with friends!

A narrative is ___________.

A detailed chronological story

Comparing and contrasting stories

A detailed biograpHy

Summarized story

Rate this question:

What is the first step you should take when writing a narrative?

Write your conclusion

Choose an interesting topic

Think of a thesis statement

Decide the plot

What sums up the story?

Introduction

The title of the story

What is the meat of the essay, broken up by paragraphs?

Which of the following is not an example of descriptive language.

None of the above

What should the introduction do?

Hook the reader

Argue the topic

Give details of the story

Introduce the characters

What contains background information and the thesis?

Who wrote narrative as rhetoric .

George Orwell

James pHalen

None of them

The writer should not use transition words (eg. 'therefore', 'however') in narrative writing? State true or false. 

It is important to ensure that your narrative essay has a clear structure and theme. state true or false. .

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COMMENTS

  1. Writing a Narrative Application Essay Flashcards

    Writing a Narrative Application Essay Read the beginning of Trevor's narrative. Thinking back on that afternoon, I knew then that my best friend was keeping something from me. If I thought about it—I mean, really thought about it—there had been other signs. They may have been subtle, but they had been there, nonetheless.

  2. Writing a Narrative Application Essay Flashcards

    Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Which sentence makes the best use of descriptive language?, Read the concluding reflection from Kyle's essay. My infatuation with reading, ignited in the sixth grade, significantly changed my life. Ultimately, it was from my sixth-grade teacher that I learned the true power that lies between the covers of a book. It wasn't ...

  3. Writing a Narrative Application Essay Quiz Flashcards

    Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Harrison is going to write a personal narrative about his uncle and the reasons he admires him. Which sentence most effectively uses description to show the reader what kind of person Harrison's uncle is?, Which elements does strong narrative writing always contain? Check all that apply., Read the paragraph from Nick's personal ...

  4. Writing a Narrative Application Essay Flashcards

    Study Writing a Narrative Application Essay flashcards from Isaac Ruano's class online, or in Brainscape's iPhone or Android app. Learn faster with spaced repetition.

  5. How to write a college application essay: 7 tips + step-by-step how-to

    Section 2—How to draft your narrative college application essay If you want to write a narrative about a challenge you've faced, the Feelings and Needs exercise below will help you develop great bullet points to turn into an essay.

  6. PDF Question Lesson Goals

    Elements of a Narrative Essay the writer's life. A narr point using the writer's Strong narrative writing has: clear point of vie engaging dialogue. rich

  7. Writing a narrative essay about overcoming a challenge—any advice

    Remember, a powerful narrative essay about overcoming a challenge should demonstrate your personal growth, resilience, and character development. Showcasing these qualities through your story can make your essay a compelling and memorable piece of your application.

  8. Grade 12 ELA course activities

    Writing a Narrative Application Essay Write a reflection to include in your narrative essay. Be sure to write about how your experience has left a lasting impact, how it has changed your thinking, or how it connects to another area of your life or to the world.

  9. How to Write a Narrative Essay

    A narrative essay tells a story. In most cases, this is a story about a personal experience you had. This type of essay, along with the descriptive essay, allows you to get personal and creative, unlike most academic writing.

  10. PDF Words to Know

    Writing a Narrative Essay A narrative essay tells a story about the writer's . In a narrative, the writer: • on something that has happened.

  11. Writing a Narrative Application Essay 70%

    Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Write a few sentences explaining what you think makes someone a hero., Which type of writing would best tell about your experiences with a hero in your life?, The topic (what you will write about) is and more.

  12. Transcript

    In this lesson, you're going to learn to plan and prewrite to set up a sequence of events, to develop the point of view through dialogue, and to revise writing to add description. And all of these skills will help you as you write a narrative essay about overcoming a challenge.

  13. Narrative Essay Quiz Questions and Answers

    Here's an amazing 'narrative essay quiz' that consists of some questions based on the techniques and style of narrative writing. Do you think you have a good understanding of narrative writing? Well, let's find out!! Try answering the questions below and see how well you can score. So, good luck, and don't forget to share this quiz with friends!

  14. PDF Warm-Up Write a Personal Narrative That Expresses Your Identity

    Summary ? ? Expresses Your Identity How can you write a personal narrative that expresses who you are? Answer Use this space to write any questions or thoughts about this lesson.

  15. Writing a Narrative Application Essay Quiz

    Quiz yourself with questions and answers for Writing a Narrative Application Essay Quiz, so you can be ready for test day. Explore quizzes and practice tests created by teachers and students or create one from your course material.

  16. Write a narrative essay about a person you consider to be a hero. Share

    Consider the actions that this person took and the qualities that make them heroic. Next, begin writing your essay with an attention-grabbing introduction that provides some background information on the person you are writing about. In the body of your essay, provide a detailed description of the person and their actions.

  17. PDF Lesson Question

    What makes something funny? Write a research-based essay to inform the reader about the elements of humor—why we find certain events or information amusing, what types of humor exist, and what we know about the science of humor. Properly cite research, and use appropriate formatting, graphics, or multimedia to inform the audience about this topic.

  18. Writing a Narrative Application Essay 100% English IV

    Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Read the paragraph from Nick's personal narrative. Standing alone in my family's barn, I thought about how much hard work and time my parents had invested—how much hard work and time we had all invested—in maintaining a fully operational farm.

  19. eWriting for Student Learning Path

    Follow the steps of this learning path to complete the process: Step 1 eWriting Overview Step 2 Pre-Writing Step 3 Rough Draft Step 4 Final Draft

  20. PDF Lesson Question

    your Organize your writing according to . Use Write a compare-and-contrast essay. and terminology correctly.

  21. Writing a Narrative Application Essay Flashcards and Study Sets

    Learn Writing a Narrative Application Essay with free interactive flashcards. Choose from 1,887 different sets of Writing a Narrative Application Essay flashcards on Quizlet.

  22. Writing a Narrative Application Essay Pre-Writing Active

    A narrative essay is a piece of writing that recounts a tale. Most of the time, this is a narrative about a personal experience. Unlike most academic writing, this sort of essay, like the descriptive essay, enables you to be personal and creative.

  23. PDF PowerPoint Presentation

    How do you write a narrative that conveys an experience and captivates an audience? Lesson Goals Use narrative techniques.