Important synonyms :In the beginning: First, at first; initially;Later: after; next; then; afterward; after a while; after that; soon; later on; soon after; just then; right after;As soon as just when; once; when;Suddenly: immediately;Finally: lastly; at last; at the end;

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I remember when I first arrived in the United States. Even before the plane landed, the little windows in the airplane revealed snow and ice-covered houses and buildings. As I walked off the plane, cold air crept through the corrugated ramp that led to the airport terminal. Some people inside the airport were wearing big coats and hats, which I had seen on television, but never up close. I felt a little dizzy and needed to sit down, and then my cell phone rang. It was my Aunt Sophia. She was waiting for me outside in the passenger pick-up area, so I walked quickly to the exit, forgetting all about my luggage. When the sliding glass door opened to the outside, there was my aunt–a woman I hadn't seen in over ten years–wearing a parka and waving her arms frantically in my direction.

The topic sentence in this paragraph is the first sentence, I remember when I first arrived in the United States. The supporting sentences that follow should be about this experience and how it is still remembered. The concluding sentence in this kind of paragraph would lead to the action in the next paragraph–if there is one.

The sequence of activity can be implied or reassembled by the reader as demonstrated in this paragraph:

Those of us who found out early that our teacher would be Mr. Fine shuddered to think of having to spend an entire year in his classroom, trapped and subjected to months of unending terror. We'd heard stories. We knew. Then a month before school was to begin, a list mysteriously surfaced showing the names of all the sixth-grade students at Fairmont Elementary, their teachers, and their classrooms. Normally such information wasn't known until the first week of classes, but John Patrick's mother was a secretary at the school, and somehow this list appeared. It didn't matter how it was found, or who exactly leaked the information. It was that cold list of names that would cause a couple of dozen eleven-year-olds to panic. But as it turns out, we were all wrong about Mr. Fine.

Or the activity can be clearly sequenced so that there's no mistake about what happens first, second, third, and so on:

Theo's day began with a shock. As soon as he arrived at the office that morning, he learned that his best friend was dead. Wasn't it just twelve hours ago that they were eating chicken wings and tipping back beer in front of a baseball game at the Cooper's Bar and Grill? After a long day of crunching numbers at the office, they stopped at a bar for a Thursday afternoon happy hour. They saw a few coworkers there, and before they knew it, it was closing time. Bill got in a car with someone he met just that evening and that was the last time Theo saw him.

When you do the prewriting for a narrative paragraph, list the sequence of activity. When you are ready to write, you can use this information in plotting out the events. It is not necessary to always go directly in order. An event that happens last can appear first in the paragraph. In fact, this is a good way to arouse interest in the reader. As long as the paragraph seems fairly logical, you have a lot of creative freedom in writing this kind of paragraph.

My Seashell Surprise

My first seashell hunt had a surprise ending. Early one morning my dad and I walked to the beach with a red bucket. The sand was soft and cool. We collected orange, white, and brown shells of all different shapes and sizes. When our bucket was almost filled, I spotted something black and shiny pointing out of the sand. I reached down and grabbed the object right before a wave crashed against my legs. The object felt sharp and curvy. Finally, I opened my hand. "What is this?" I asked my dad. He said, "It's your lucky day. That's a shark's tooth!"

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Sunday is the most rewarding day for me because it is the only day when my family and I can do what we like together. Every Sunday morning I get up at six. My two sons I go jogging around our neighborhood. At about seven we come home and have breakfast together. At nine we go to church and come home at about twelve. After having lunch, at about two we often go to the countryside for a nice walk, or visit a relative, or go shopping. We often get home at about eight and have a small dinner. After dinner, my sons prepare the school equipments they need in the following days. Then we usually watch a film on TV and then go to bed at about ten. Before falling asleep, I often expect that the next Sunday comes soon.

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My day was a disaster. First, it had snowed during the night, which meant I had to shovel before I could leave for work. I was mad that I hadn't gotten up earlier. Then I had trouble starting my car, and to make matters worse, my daughter wasn't feeling well and said she didn't think she should go to school. When I eventually did arrive at work, I was twenty minutes late. Soon I found out my assistant had forgotten to make copies of a report I needed at nine o'clock. I quickly had to make another plan. By five o'clock, I was looking forward to getting my paycheck. Foolish woman! When I went to pick it up, the office assistant told me that something had gone wrong with the computers. I would not be able to get my check until Tuesday. Disappointed, I walked down the hill to the parking lot. There I met my final defeat. In my hurry to park the car in the morning, I had left my parking lights on. Now my battery was dead. Even an optimist like me had the right to be discouraged!

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Here is another interesting narrative sample.

Close-up study of the planet Mars began when rockets were developed that could send scientific instruments into space. In 1965, the first observations of Mars were done by the American spacecraft Mariner 4, which flew near the planet to collect data and take photographs. Four years later, more data and photographs were collected by Mariners 6 and 7 as they flew past the planet. Then, in 1971, Mariner 9 actually went into orbit around Mars, and during the following eleven months, sent back more than 7,000 images before contact with the spacecraft was lost. The next major step, in 1976, was the landing of two Viking crafts on two different areas of Mars' surface. These landers were able to send hack important data about the atmosphere of the planet. 

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One day a father and his rich family took his young son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be. They spent a day and a night in the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" The boy replied, "Very good, Dad!" The father continued, "Did you see how poor people can be?" The boy just said, "Yeah!" The father asked again, "And what did you learn?" The boy answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden; they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars; our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon. When the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless. The son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are!" 

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The Funniest incident in my life:

The most hilarious (funniest) thing that has ever happened to me is when I and my family decided to prank my father, and convince him that I caught the coronavirus. At the beginning, we waited for my father to get back home. As soon as he arrived , I started to cough and pretend that I had breathing difficulties, and my mother told him that I am not feeling well. My father was really confused, and he called my brother. A few moments later, my father tried to call the local health authorities. Suddenly, my mother stopped him. My father did not know what to do, and he told everyone not get near me. At the end, he decided to lock me in my own room. Finally, we told him the truth and everyone started to laugh. All in all, it was a very nice moment that made us forget about the global issue for a while.

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An Unforgettable Experience in my life:

Last weekend, I had the best experience of my life. On Friday night, my best friend visited me and we made a delicious pizza. After we ate, we had a friendly video game competition. After a while, my other best friend, Ali, joined us. On Saturday, my dad took us out on the boat. The weather was perfect and the water was warm. It was a great day to go for a swim. Laterin the evening, we went to the movies. We saw an action film and ate a lot of popcorn. Thenthat night, we spent some time playing chess. Finally, on Sunday, we went bike-riding around town. All in all,we had great moments. Now, with this experience, I've changed my opinion about weekends. Now I have to say that weekends can only be as exciting and fun as we'd make them be.

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Peddling On My Own

Learning how to ride a bike for the first time was a nerve racking independent moment. I was about five years old when my sister informed me that I was too old to still be riding a bike with training wheels. That was the time I decided not to depend on them anymore. Even though I had some doubt, my sister and I went outside and started to take the little wheels off my bike. After my bike went through the transformation, I was now ready for the big moment. With butterflies in my stomach, I slowly got on the bike, and with my shaky hands, I gripped the handles tightly. Meanwhile my sister was holding on to me to help keep my balance. I was so afraid the she would let go, yet I was determined to ride this bike on my own. Next with a little push from her, I started to peddle. The faster my bike went the faster my heart raced. Finally I looked back nervously and noticed that my sister let go of my bike a long time ago. I was so excited that I accomplished freedom on my bike that I forgot to peddle. The next step I remember, I was lying on the ground, yet I did not care because of the adrenaline rush. I will never forget the exhilarating moment and growing up stage of riding a bike without training wheels.