Anecdote

PURPOSE
To share with others an account of an unusual or amusing incident.
Anecdote usually deals with something unexpected or out of the ordinary.

GENERIC STRUCTURE
1. Abstract : signals the retelling of an unusual incident
2. Orientatiton : sets the scene (when and where)
3. Crisis: provides details of the unusual incident
4. Reaction: reaction to crisis
5. Coda (optional) : reflection on or evaluation of the incident

LANGUAGE FEATURES

• Use of exclamations, rhetorical question and intensifiers (realy, very, quite, etc) to point up the significance of the events.
• Frequent use Simple Past Tense.
• Past continuous tense is sometimes used.
• Use of material processes/action verbs to tell what happened
• Use of exclamations (e.g. ‘guess what?!’ ; ‘I couldn’t believe it!’)
• Use of intensifiers (e.g. ‘really?!’; ‘very amazing’)
• Use of temporal conjunctions (e.g. and, then)

Example of Anecdote / Contoh Anecdote

A Boy or Girl?

Abstract 

A lot of boys and girls in Western countries are wearing the same kinds of clothes, and many of them have a long hair, so it is often difficult to tell whether they are boys or girls.

Orientation 

One day, an old gentleman went for a walk in a park in Washington, and when he was tired, he sad down on a bench. A young person was standing on the other side of the pond.

Crisis 

“My goodness”. The old man said to the person who was sitting next to him on a bench. “Do you see the person with the loose pants and long hair? Is it a boy or agirl?”. “A girl,” said his neighbour. “She’s my daughter.”

Reaction

“Oh!” the old man said quicly. “Please forgive me. “I didn’t know that you were her mother.”

Crisis

“I’m not,” said the other person. “I’m her father,” he added.

Coda

The old gentleman could say nothing to know the fact.

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Example/Contoh Anecdote lebih banyak lagi: