Text types: Stories

Linking clauses to create a story

Information flow across clauses

In stories the beginnings of most clauses, or themes, usually refer to the characters taking part in the events of the story. In other words one or more characters are usually the main focus of the story. However, storytellers can also use clause beginnings to shift the focus to other elements of the story world, for example, to elements of the setting such as time and place. Shifting the focus can help storytellers sequence the events of the plot, as well as build atmosphere and suspense.

In the narrative My day out at Ocean Park the main characters in the story, the two sisters Lara and Rosie, are often referred to in the clause beginnings, or themes. The clause beginnings are combined with the repetition of the sisters' names and the she/her pronoun chain. Most of the clause beginnings refer to the older sister Lara. This makes the character Lara the main focus of the story. However, sometimes the storyteller shifts the focus to Rosie by putting her into the clause beginnings. Here are some sentences from the ORIENTATION stage of the story which show how the storyteller usually focuses on Lara but sometimes shifts the focus to Rosie: 

Here are some examples in which the storyteller shifts the focus to time. In many stories the first sentence of the story focuses on time. As the story unfolds, shifting the focus of some clauses to a time helps the storyteller sequence the events in a story:

Here are some examples in which the storyteller shifts the focus to place. Shifting the focus of some clauses to a place helps the storyteller build the setting of the story:

The legend The Legend of Hua Mu Lan is about the character Hua Mu Lan. Hua Mu Lan appears in many of the clause beginnings and so she is the main focus of the story. The storyteller, however, begins the story with a focus on time and often shifts the focus of the story away from Hua Mu Lan. The shifting focus of the story helps emphasise the sequence of events and build the atmosphere and suspense. At one point in this story the storyteller uses a clause beginning to shift the focus to the people Hua Mu Lan travelled with:

Then the storyteller shifts the focus to how Hua Mu Lan and her friends travelled:

The focus on Hua Mu Lan and her friends experiencing so much together at this stage of the story explains why her friends were so amazed and confused at the end of the story when they discovered she was a girl.