narration
/nəˈreɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /nəˈreɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /na-ˈrā-shən nə-/ (ame, mw)
narration — noun
- narrationsingular
- narrationsplural
1. the activity by which someone tells a story, either out loud or in writing, putt
the activity by which someone tells a story, either out loud or in writing, putting the events in order and explaining what happened.
Tamar's calm narration helped the children follow the long folk tale to its surprising end.
narration + possessive noun, subject of helped
Good narration moves the story forward without leaving the reader confused.
narration as bare noun subject of generic statement
Rafael uses photos and short clips to support his narration of the family trip.
The teacher praised Hugo for clear narration and asked him to read his essay aloud.
- storytelling
more general; covers oral and creative traditions, not just one performance
- recounting
stresses the report of events that really happened, not invented ones
- telling
more everyday; often paired as 'the telling of the story'
文法句型
narration of [event/story]
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person or a piece of work (a chapter, an essay, a film). Distinguish from sense 2 by checking whether the focus is the act of telling (sense 1) or the spoken voice-over added to images (sense 2).
常見錯誤
2. the spoken words added to a film, television show, or play that describe what is
the spoken words added to a film, television show, or play that describe what is happening on screen or set the scene for the audience.
The documentary about the rainforest opens with quiet narration by Tyler over slow drone shots.
narration by + person; typical film-context use
Marco recorded the narration for the museum's audio guide in a small studio downtown.
narration for + media product; collocation: record the narration
Without the narration, viewers would not understand why the old factory was being torn down.
Esteban added a few jokes to the narration so the school video felt less boring.
- voice-over
more technical; specifically the off-screen voice on a film or commercial
- commentary
more often live, as during a sports broadcast
文法句型
narration by [person]
narration for [film/show]
用法筆記
Frequently paired with verbs like 'record', 'add', 'write'. Distinct from sense 1 because the speaker is reading prepared lines over moving images or staged action, not telling a story freely.
常見錯誤
3. a single told or written account of something that happened — the story itself,
a single told or written account of something that happened — the story itself, not the act of telling it.
Hoa wrote a short narration of the village wedding for her grandmother in Vietnam.
countable: a narration of + event
The historian quoted a soldier's narration of the battle from a letter dated 1916.
possessive + narration of + historical event; formal register
Several survivors offered narrations that disagreed about which boat had left the harbour first.
Tariq's narration of the protest filled four pages and named each speaker in order.
文法句型
a narration of [events]
用法筆記
Countable in this sense ('a narration', 'narrations') — sense 1 is usually uncountable. Distinguish from sense 1 by asking whether the focus is the finished product (sense 3) or the activity itself (sense 1).