Word
Definition
n. the act of telling a story or describing a series of events. It can be the spoken words in a movie or the way a writer tells a tale in a book.
n. the act or process of telling a story or recounting a sequence of events. Often refers specifically to the spoken commentary accompanying a film, broadcast, or performance.
Examples
“The documentary features clear narration by a famous actor.”
“The author uses first-person narration to make the reader feel closer to the main character's thoughts.”
“While the visual effects were stunning, the film's disjointed narration made it difficult for the audience to follow the complex historical timeline.”
Examples
simple
“The documentary features clear narration by a famous actor.”
contextual
“The author uses first-person narration to make the reader feel closer to the main character's thoughts.”
complex
“While the visual effects were stunning, the film's disjointed narration made it difficult for the audience to follow the complex historical timeline.”
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the general act of storytelling; countable when referring to a specific instance or style of telling.
Real-World Examples
“A few of us comedy performers auditioned to take over the narration.” “I’m equally intrigued by a 1955 series by Han Youngsoo: small, noirish works of Korean street scenes that beg for narration from the viewer.” “Sometimes clouds do the speaking, in her work, and sometimes monsters do; sometimes, in the middle of a collection of poems, she lets an imaginary Catherine Deneuve take over the narration.” “Speechki says it recommends publishers identify that narrations are synthetic and that it informs them of Audible’s policies.” Etymology
From Middle French narration, from Old French narracion, from Latin narrātiō.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/narration
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0