It means that recount text is also used for r etelling authors’ or other people’s
experiences, feeling, and responses to those experiences. From several definitions above, it can be said that recount text is a factual
text which give explanation of some information to entertain or to inform the readers. The characteristic of the text is retelling the past experience and giving
the chronological description of what and when it occurred. Examples of recount text can be found in a news item, a journal, a biography, or a testimony of a
witness of an incident or events.
2. Types of Recount
According to Mukarto, there are three types of recount text. They are personal recount, procedural recount, and biographical recount.
a. Personal Recount
A personal recount usually retells an experience in which the writer was personally involved. It describes past event experiences by retelling events. Its
purpose is to inform or to entertain the reader. b.
Procedural Recount A procedural recount records events such as a science experiment or a cooking
experience. The purpose of it is to inform the reader about the procedure to do something.
c. Biographical Recount
A biographical recount uses specific names of the people involved in the biography. The purpose of biographical recount is to inform the reader by
retelling past events and achievements in a person’s life.
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Mukarto, et al., English on Sky 2, Jakarta: Erlangga, 2007, p. 62.
3. Contracting a Recount
A recount text has three main sections. The first paragraph includes orientation or background information about who, what, where, and when. The
second paragraph is retells the events in the order in which that happened called events. The last is re-orientation which includes the conclusion or the end of the
text.
4. Generic Structure: Parts of Recount Text
Rudi Hartono said that “Recount is one kind of genre text, containing about retelling
events for the purpose of informing or entertaining.”
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Recount text presents the events chronologically in the order in which they happened. And the
text consists of: a
Title optional b
Part1: Setting or orientation It provides the background information. It answers the questions: Who?
When? Where? Why? What? c
Part 2: List of events It presents events: what people do? It tells the events chronologically. By
using conjunctions or connectives such as: first, next, then, finally, and so on. And those conjunctions are to show the sequence of events.
d Part 3: Reorientation
It presents the concluding comments. It expresses the author’s personal opinion regarding the events described.
The example of recount text: None of your business
Last week, I went to my sister’s school to see her performance in a drama. First, I looked for the best seat in the school hall. Then, I sat and waited
patiently for the drama.
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Rudi Hartono, S. S., M. Pd, Genres of Texts, English Department Faculty of Language and Art: Semarang State University, 2005, p.6.
