To narrate is to tell a story that explains what happened, when it happened, and who was involved.

A news report may be a narrative telling how a man was rescued from icy flood waters or how a brave whistle blower risked her career and perhaps her life to expose an employer's harmful practices. When you read a bedtime story to a child, you are reading a narrative. In a college paper on campus drug use, telling the story of a friend who takes Ecstasy would help bring that subject to life. In an e-mail or letter, you might entertain a friend by narrating your failed attempts to windsurf during a seaside vacation.

We tell stories to teach a lesson, illustrate an idea, or make someone laugh, cry, or get involved. No matter what your narrative is about, every narrative should have a clear point: It should reveal what you want your reader to learn or take away from the story.