Narrative Text Adalah Apa? Ini Pengertian, Ciri-ciri, Struktur serta Contohnya

Narrative text dikenal sebagai salah satu jenis teks yang akan dijumpai dalam aspek kehidupan sehari-hari, terutama saat peserta didik mempelajari materi ini dalam mata pembelajaran bahasa Inggris. Namun, ada tidak sedikit orang justru bertanya-tanya tentang sebenarnya apa itu narrative text?

Narrative text dalam bahasa Indonesia disebut juga sebagai teks narasi. Seperti namanya, teks ini akan berisikan narasi yang memiliki ciri khas tertentu dan mampu memudahkan pembaca membedakannya dengan jenis teks lain. Biasanya teks narasi ini berisikan tulisan yang bertujuan untuk menghibur para pembacanya.

Oleh sebab itulah, tidak hanya dapat dijumpai saat seseorang terlibat dalam proses pembelajaran bahasa Inggris di kelas saja, narrative text juga dapat dibaca pada waktu-waktu yang lain. Inilah yang membuat narrative text menarik untuk dijadikan sebagai referensi bacaan.

Nah, bagi detikers yang penasaran dengan narrative text, artikel ini akan merangkum informasinya secara rinci. Mari simak baik-baik penjelasannya berikut ini.

Pengertian Narrative Text

Apa itu narrative text? Mengutip dari buku 'Supersmart Book Bahasa Inggris SMA Kelas X, XI, XII' karya Diyah Nur Hidayati, narrative text adalah teks yang ditulis dengan tujuan untuk menghibur pembacanya. Biasanya cerita yang tersaji dalam narrative text dibuat sedemikian rupa dan terkadang dibumbui dengan konflik antartokoh.

Tidak hanya membuat cerita semakin menarik, konflik tersebut juga membuat narrative text memiliki alur tersendiri. Hal ini juga memungkinkan pembaca mengetahui penyelesaian akhir cerita yang kerap berisi pesan moral atau amanat yang berharga.

Sementara itu, Ika Femilia P, SPd dan Smart Teachers Team dalam bukunya 'Bongkar Pola Soal UNBK SMA/MA IPS 2020' memberikan penjelasan pengertian narrative text adalah teks yang berisi tentang suatu cerita. Narrative text juga berisikan bagian-bagian yang runtut, sehingga mampu membawa pembaca mengikuti alur cerita dari awal sampai akhir.

Ada berbagai contoh narrative text yang dapat dengan mudah ditemukan dalam keseharian. Sebut saja dongeng, fiksi, cerita rakyat, fabel atau cerita binatang, mitos, legenda, dan kisah-kisah menarik lainnya. Inilah yang membuat narrative text dikenal juga sebagai teks yang mampu menghibur para pembacanya.

Ciri-ciri Narrative Text

Lantas, apa sajakah ciri-ciri narrative text? Serupa dengan jenis teks lainnya, terdapat ciri khas yang dimiliki oleh narrative text. Masih mengacu dari buku yang sama, salah satu ciri khas yang dapat dijumpai pada paragraf narrative text adalah penggunaan past tense.

Untuk diketahui, past tense adalah bentuk kata kerja dalam bahasa Inggris yang mampu menggambarkan kejadian di masa lampau. Sebagian besar kata kerja dalam narrative text ditulis dengan bentuk past tense yang ditandai dengan penggunaan subject ditambah dengan verb-2.

Tidak hanya itu saja, ciri narrative text lainnya juga ditandai dengan adanya saying verb. Istilah saying verb dapat dipahami sebagai kata kerja yang menandakan adanya sebuah percakapan di dalam paragraf. Adapun contoh saying verb berupa say, ask, tell, reply, order, state, hingga suggest.

Kemudian di dalam buku 'Mega Bank Soal Bahasa Inggris SMP Kelas 1, 2, & 3' oleh Tim Guru Eduka, terdapat ciri-ciri narrative text lain yang membantu pembaca mengenalinya. Berikut beberapa di antaranya:

1. Penggunaan bahasa disusun dengan past tense, tapi direct speech justru menggunakan present tense. Misalnya saja saat sudut pandang seorang tokoh yang terlibat percakapan dengan tokoh lainnya.
2. Kemudian di dalam narrative text juga terdapat konflik yang harus dihadapi oleh para tokohnya.
3. Beberapa narrative text dilengkapi dengan penulisan akhir cerita yang dituliskan secara langsung maupun tersirat.
4. Tidak hanya itu, sebagian narrative text juga dilengkapi dengan pesan moral yang dapat dipetik oleh setiap pembaca.

Struktur Narrative Text

Sebagai kerangka yang mampu membentuk cerita di dalam narrative text, terdapat beberapa struktur yang ada dalam jenis teks ini. Sebagian narrative text hanya terdiri dari tiga struktur, tapi beberapa di antaranya juga memiliki lima struktur. Masih mengacu dari buku 'Supersmart Book Bahasa Inggris SMA Kelas X, XI, XII', berikut beberapa struktur narrative text.

1. Orientation

Struktur narrative text yang pertama adalah adanya orientation yang merupakan bagian berisikan pengenalan karakteristik tokoh. Biasanya tokoh-tokoh dalam sebuah narrative text akan diperkenalkan di awal. Tidak hanya karakteristik tokoh, ada juga sebagian narrative text yang langsung mengungkap latar belakang tempat dan juga waktu.

Bagian orientation biasanya dapat dijumpai pada paragraf pertama pada narrative text. Ini memudahkan pembaca untuk memahami gambaran awal terkait dengan cerita atau kisah yang akan diuraikan di dalamnya.

2. Complication

Selanjutnya, ada complication yang dapat dijumpai pada pertengahan atau menjelang narrative text berakhir. Istilah complication diambil dari kata complex yang menandai adanya konflik atau masalah yang timbul.

Tak hanya sekadar timbul saja, konflik atau masalah tersebut juga bisa mengalami perkembangan yang melibatkan antartokoh. Dengan adanya konflik atau masalah ini terkadang membuat jalan cerita yang disuguhkan semakin menarik untuk diikuti oleh para pembaca.

3. Resolution

Setelah adanya konflik atau masalah dalam cerita, akan muncul resolution yang menjadi penyelesaian dari itu semua. Biasanya bagian resolution akan menandai berakhirnya konflik atau penyelesaian dari sebuah cerita.

Sebagian narrative text akan berakhir pada bagian resolution ini. Namun demikian, tidak jarang juga beberapa di antaranya akan diakhiri dengan adanya simpulan cerita atau bahkan pesan moral yang disampaikan di bagian akhir nantinya.

4. Re-orientation

Struktur narrative text yang bisa saja ada atau tidak di dalam teks ini adalah re-orientation. Bagian ini dikenal bersifat opsional karena hanya ada sebagian narrative text yang menggunakannya.

Bagian re-orientation dapat dipahami sebagai simpulan dari cerita yang disajikan kepada pembaca. Bagian ini menandai berakhirnya sebuah cerita yang ditandai dengan adanya simpulan.

5. Coda atau Moral Value

Tak hanya re-orientation, ada juga coda atau moral value yang termasuk sebagai bagian dari struktur narrative text bersifat opsional. Seperti namanya moral value ini akan berisikan amanat atau nilai moral yang terkandung di dalam sebuah cerita.

Coda atau moral value ini dapat ditulis secara langsung atau disajikan dengan cara tersirat. Apabila disajikan secara tersirat, maka pembaca dapat menyimpulkan sendiri setelah menyelesaikan proses pembacaan narrative text ini. Sebaliknya, apabila moral value diungkap secara langsung, maka akan ditulis pada bagian paling akhir.

Contoh Narrative Text

Setelah memahami penjelasan singkat tentang narrative text, saatnya bagi detikers untuk mencermati secara lebih dekat contoh teksnya. Mengingat narrative text adalah bagian dari teori yang diajarkan dalam mata pelajaran Bahasa Inggris, maka contoh narrative text biasanya tersaji dalam bahasa Inggris. Berikut beberapa contoh narrative text sebagai referensi.

Contoh Narrative Text #1: True Friends

Once upon a time, there were two close friends who were walking through the forest together. They knew that anything dangerous can happen everytime in the forest. So they promised each other that they would always be together in any case of danger.

Suddenly, they saw a large bear getting closer toward them. One of them climbed a nearby tree at once. But unfortunately the other one did not know how to climb up the tree. So being led by his common sense, he laid down on the ground breathless and pretended to be a dead man.

The bear came near the one who was lying on the ground. It smelt his ears and slowly left the place because the bears do not want to touch the dead creatures. After that, the friend on the tree came down and asked his friend that was on the ground, "Friend, what did the bear whisper into your ears?" The other friend replied, "Just now the bear advised me not to believe a false friend."

Moral of the Story- A true friend in need is a friend indeed.

(Sumber: buku 'Top One Ulangan Harian SMA/MA IPA Kelas XI: Pilihan Cerdas Menjadi Bintang Kelas' oleh Tim Super Tentor)

Contoh Narrative Text #2: The Magic Box

Once upon a time, there was a poor farmer who dug up a big box in his field. He took it home and showed it to his wife. His wife cleaned it and kept it in their house. One day, she dropped an apple into it. Immediately, the box began to fill up with apples. No matter how many were taken out, others took their place. So, the farmer and his wife sold the apples and were able to live quite comfortably.

Then the farmer dropped a coin into the box. At once, the apples disappeared and the box began to fill itself with coins. Every day the farmer and his wife collected hundreds and hundreds of coins from the box. Soon, they became very rich.

Now, the farmer's grandfather lived with the couple. He has not very strong and he could not go out to work. So, the farmer asked the old man to help him take the money out of the box. When his grandfather became tired and wanted to rest, the farmer shouted at him, "Why are you lazy? Why can't you work harder?"

The old man did not say anything, but he continued working until he fell inside the box and died. At once, the money disappeared and the box began to fill up with dead grandfathers.

The farmer had to pull them out and bury them. To do this, he had to spend all the money he had collected. When he had used up all the money, the box broke and the farmer was just as poor as he was before.

(Sumber: buku 'Supersmart Book Bahasa Inggris SMA Kelas X, XI, XII' karya Diyah Nur Hidayati)

Contoh Narrative Text #3: The Peasant in Heaven

Once, there was a poor pious peasant who died and arrived before the gate of heaven. At the same time a very rich lord came there. They both wanted to get into heaven.

Then the heaven's door keeper came with the key, opened the door, and let the great man in, but apparently did not see the peasant, and shut the door again. Then, the peasant outside heard how the rich man was received in heaven with all kinds of rejoicing things he got inside the heaven.

At length all became quiet again, and the heaven's door keeper came and opened the gate of heaven, and let the peasant in. The peasant, however, expected that they would make music and sing when he went in to the heaven, but all remained quite quiet. He was received with great affection, it is true, and the angels came to meet him, but no music and song for him.

Then the peasant asked the heaven's door keeper how it was that they did not sing for him as they had done when the rich man went in, and said that it seemed to him that there in heaven things were done with just as much partiality as on earth.

Finally, said the heaven's door keeper, "by no means, you are just as dear to us as anyone else, and will enjoy every heavenly delight that the rich man enjoys, but poor fellows like you come to heaven every day, but a rich man like this does not come more than once in a hundred years.

(Sumber: buku 'Bongkar Pola Soal UNBK SMA/MA IPS 2020' karya Ika Femilia P, SPd dan Smart Teachers Team)

Contoh Narrative Text #4: Fox and A Cat

One day a cat and a fox were having a conversation. The fox, who was a conceited creature, boasted how clever she was. "Why, I know at least a hundred tricks to get away from our mutual enemies, the dogs," she said.

"I know only one trick to get away from dogs," said the cat. "You should teach me some of yours!" "Well, maybe some day, when I have the time, I may teach you a few of the simpler ones," replied the fox airily.

Just then they heard the barking of a pack of dogs in the distance. The barking grew louder and louder the dogs were coming in their direction! At once the cat ran to the nearest tree and climbed into its branches, well out of reach of any dog. "This is the trick I told you about, the only one I know," said the cat. "Which one of your hundred tricks are you going to use?"
The fox sat silently under the tree, wondering which trick she should use. Before she could make up her mind, the dogs arrived. They fell upon the fox and tore her to pieces.

(Sumber: buku 'Bongkar Pola Soal UNBK SMA/MA IPS 2020' karya Ika Femilia P, SPd dan Smart Teachers Team)

Contoh Narrative Text dan Strukturnya #5

Orientation

One day, the little boy was very hungry. He was happy to see a jar of nuts on the table. Because nuts were one of his favorite things to see.

Complication

"Ah, I'd like some of these nuts. I'm sure mother would give them to me. But I can't ask her. Because she isn't here yet. I'll just take a big handful. I'm sure it's okay" said the little boy.

Then the little boy put his hand in the jar and grabbed a big, big handful.

However, when he tried to pull his hand out, he couldn't. The neck of the jar was too small. His hand was stuck.

He tried and tried, again and again. But he couldn't take the whole handful out. Soon, he started to cried.

His mother walked into the room and asked. "What's the matter? Why are you crying?" then she looked little boy's hand and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I can't take this handful of nuts out of the jar," cried the little boy.
"Well, don't be so greedy," his mother answered. "Just take two or three nuts. Then you can take your hand out easily."

Resolution

He tries her advice ... and of course, it worked!

(Sumber: buku 'Bongkar Pola Soal UNBK SMA/MA IPS 2020' karya Ika Femilia P, SPd dan Smart Teachers Team)

Contoh Narrative Text dan Strukturnya #6

Orientation

Once upon a time, there was a fisherman named Batara Guru Sahala who lived in Batak land. One day, he caught a fish that could talk. The fish begged Sahala to set it free and he did accordingly.

Complication

As soon as the fish was free, it changed into a woman. She was so beautiful that Sahala fell in love with her at once. He asked her to marry him. The woman agreed to marry Sahala, but in one condition: he had to keep the secret that she was once a fish. Sahala promised her that he would not tell anyone about it.

They were happily married and had two daughters. Every morning Sahala went out fishing. His daughters would bring him his lunch. One day, however, instead of bringing the food to their father, the two girls ate it.

When Sahala knew what they had done with the meal, he got very angry. He shouted at them saying, "You behaved exactly like the daughters of a fish."

The girls did not understand what their father meant. They went home and asked their mother about it. Their mother was very annoyed. Although Sahala apologized to her later, she would not forgive him for breaking his promise.

Resolution

From that moment on, Sahala took a lesson that he should not have broken his own promise. Sahala was so grief-striker that he decided to wander for the rest of his life.

(Sumber: buku 'Supersmart Book Bahasa Inggris SMA Kelas X, XI, XII' oleh Diyah Nur Hidayati)

Contoh Narrative Text dan Strukturnya #7

Orientation

Amelia's house was in a quiet place. It was a hilly village. The garden of her house was very beautiful. Flowers with various colors grew there. Amelia grew some roses. She's a natural lover. One day Amelia closed her book. She felt tired after studying hard. She stood by the window. She could see the mountain from there. It was a beautiful bluish green.

"How beautiful. How wonderful it would be if I could reach the top of that mountain without climbing."

"If you want to fly up there, follow me," said a soft voice. Amelia was surprised. "Who are you? Why did you come in without permission?"

"My name is Yuli. My home is a bit far from here. I want to be your friend, Amelia," said the girl.

"You know my name," said Amelia.

Complication

"I often hear your mother calling you," Yuli answered. She reached out her hand to Amelia.
Amelia shook Yuli's hand.

"Why is your hand so cold? Are you ill?" asked Amelia, worried.

"I haven't been to school for a few days," said Yuli.

"If you were sick, why aren't you in bed now?" asked Amelia.

"The fresh air will make me better, Amelia," said Yuli pulled Amelia's hand. She wanted Amelia to follow her.

"Oh, no. I cannot go now. I must do my homework."

Resolution

"Okay. How about tomorrow? My mother will make some delicious cakes for me. You must taste some, Yuli," said Amelia.

"Thanks Amelia. You are so kind." Yuli waved to Amelia and then she was gone. Amelia's mother was puzzled to see her daughter talking alone.

(Sumber: buku 'Mega Bank Soal Bahasa Inggris SMP Kelas 1, 2, & 3' oleh Tim Guru Eduka)

Itulah tadi penjelasan mengenai narrative text lengkap mulai dari pengertian, ciri-ciri, struktur, dan contohnya. Semoga informasi ini dapat menambah wawasan baru bagi detikers, ya.

Video Data EF: 5 Wilayah di RI yang Paling Jago Bahasa Inggris

Video Data EF: 5 Wilayah di RI yang Paling Jago Bahasa Inggris