What Is an Example of a Narrative Paragraph?

By Staff Writer | Last Updated August 4, 2015

E. B. White’s “Sadness of Parting” stands as one example of a narrative paragraph. The story first appeared in The New Yorker in May of 1935. This story has only 114 words but tells a complete narrative set in a barbershop.

Even though they do sometimes appear alone, most narrative paragraphs appear as part of a longer narrative within written structures such as the short story, novella or novel. Narrative paragraphs vary depending on a number of factors. A nonfiction narrative paragraph has a different structure than a fictional one, just like narratives meant to describe, persuade or explain use different narrative forms.

No matter the purpose or form of a narrative paragraph, it must fully develop an idea. For instance, one paragraph in a personal narrative or autobiographical work may establish setting, so the paragraph focuses on descriptive details to help put a picture in the reader’s mind. However, a narrative paragraph with the purpose of explaining a phenomenon may provide details of a process or an event. This type of narrative requires chronological order, particularly with nonfiction narratives, so that the reader is not confused or distracted. Many different types of works within the public domain have examples of narrative paragraphs.