Text types: Recounts

Linking clauses to create a recount

Information flow across clauses

The beginning sentence of most paragraphs is used to foreshadow the topic of the paragraph. These topic sentences prepare the reader for what the paragraph is about. They also act as 'signposts' helping the reader to find different events in the recount. The topic sentences of a recount are like a summary of the events in the recount.

The beginnings of most clauses usually refer to the people and things taking part in the events in a recount, so in the recount My day out at Ocean Park it is the three friends, Lara, Sophia and I, who are referred to. The clause beginnings combine with the repetition of the friends' names and the I/my and we/us/our pronoun chains.

Because the storyteller has put the three friends into many or most of the clause beginnings, the three friends become the main focus of the recount and in this way we experience the events of the recount from their perspective.

We went on lots of rides. 
My friend Lara was really brave on the rides. 
We went there on the cable car over the seahorse symbol. 
Our first stop was the Flying Swings. 
Then we bought some yummy lunch. 
We had to hurry, however, 
because we wanted to watch a marine show at the Ocean Theatre.

The clause beginnings of some clauses are used to recycle information introduced at the end of the previous clause. Pronouns can also be used to recycle this information:

Some clause beginnings temporarily shift the focus to a time or place. 

At about nine o-clock we arrived at Ocean Park, ... ( focus on a time)
At the Ocean Theatre we sat down at the front. (focus on a place)

Shifting the focus of some clauses to a time helps the storyteller sequence the events in the recount. 

Sometimes a whole clause is used to shift the focus temporarily to a time.

While we were watching the marine show, we ate our lunch. 
When one of the trainers pretended to be drowning, the sea lion rescued him. 
While we were riding on the roller coaster, my clip fell out ...
When we reached the other side, we went to see the pandas.