narration
gb/nɛɹˈeɪʃən/ us/nɛɹˈeɪʃən/
B2
English
~ 9000
elbeszélés, történetmesélés, narráció, beszámoló
NOUN
B2
1
elbeszélés
B2
Usage pattern:
the narration of [a story/event]
Her calm, clear narration kept the children interested throughout the story.
Nyugodt, világos mesélése végig lekötötte a gyerekeket.
The book’s slow, detailed narration makes you feel as if you are inside the character’s mind.
A könyv lassú, részletes elbeszélésmódja olyan érzést kelt, mintha a szereplő gondolataiban járnál.
Good narration can turn a simple event into a powerful story.
The film uses first-person narration to show the hero’s private thoughts.
After reading his narration of the journey, I felt like I had traveled with him.
Learner examples
His narration of the story was very exciting.
A történet elmesélése nagyon izgalmas volt.
The teacher’s narration helped the students understand the picture book.
A tanár mesélése segített a diákoknak megérteni a képeskönyvet.
The movie has simple narration, so it is easy to follow.
She practiced her narration before reading the story to the class.
Clear narration makes the story easier to understand.
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse 'narration' with 'narrator' and 'narrative'. The 'narrator' is the person or voice telling the story, the 'narrative' is the story or structure itself, and 'narration' is the act or process of telling the story.
Meaning
the act of telling a story
Collocations
the narration of events
|voice-over narration
|first-person narration
|third-person narration
|continuous narration
|film narration
Synonyms
storytelling (Focuses more on the creative or entertaining act of telling stories, often spoken and informal.)
|
narrative (More often refers to the story itself or its structure, not just the act of telling it.)
|
relating (A more general and slightly formal word for telling events; less tied to art or media.)
Antonyms
silence (Represents the absence of anyone telling or explaining events.)
Themes
literature
|media
|education
|communication
|arts_entertainment
Definition
The act of telling a story or explaining what is happening in words.
The act or process of telling a story or describing events, especially in a book, film, or speech.
NOUN
B2
2
narráció
B2
Usage pattern:
narration by [someone]
The documentary’s narration is provided by a well-known actor.
A dokumentumfilm narrációját egy ismert színész mondja.
Without clear narration, the training video is hard to understand.
Világos narráció nélkül az oktatóvideót nehéz megérteni.
We recorded the narration after all the animation was finished.
The film has no dialogue, only music and narration.
She was hired to do the English narration for the nature series.
Learner examples
The narration in this video is very fast.
Ebben a videóban a narráció nagyon gyors.
He listened to the narration and read the subtitles at the same time.
Egyszerre hallgatta a narrációt és olvasta a feliratot.
The cartoon has funny narration for children.
They added new narration to explain the science better.
The narration tells us what the animals are doing.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes call this 'a narrator' when they mean 'narration'. The 'narrator' is the person or voice; the 'narration' is the spoken text or audio that you hear.
Meaning
spoken commentary in films/videos
Collocations
voice-over narration
|narration track
|off-screen narration
|background narration
|narration by an actor
|spoken narration
Synonyms
voice-over (A very common media term; almost always refers specifically to recorded speech heard over pictures.)
|
commentary (Broader; can include live or unscripted talk (for example in sports), not only scripted storytelling.)
Antonyms
dialogue (Refers to characters speaking to each other, which contrasts with a separate narrating voice explaining the action.)
Themes
media
|film
|education
|arts_entertainment
|communication
|technology
Definition
The spoken words you hear over a film, video, or show that explain what you see.
Spoken words that explain, describe, or comment on what is happening in a film, television program, video, or presentation, usually recorded as a separate audio track.
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
3
beszámoló
B1
elbeszélés
B2
Usage pattern:
a narration of [the incident/events]
Her careful narration of the accident matched the security camera footage.
A balesetről adott alapos beszámolója megegyezett a biztonsági kamera felvételével.
The book opens with a brief narration of the country’s modern history.
A könyv az ország modern kori történelmének rövid, időrendi bemutatásával kezdődik.
The witness’s narration of events changed slightly during cross-examination.
The letter contained his own narration of what led to the disagreement.
The historian’s narration of the battle is both accurate and vivid.
Learner examples
The police wrote down his narration of the crime.
A rendőrök lejegyezték a bűntényről szóló beszámolóját.
He gave a clear narration of what happened that night.
Világos beszámolót adott arról, mi történt azon az éjszakán.
We listened to her narration of the trip from start to finish.
The article starts with a short narration of the company’s past.
Their narration of the story was different from ours.
Common mistake:
Learners may use 'narration' instead of more common words like 'story' or 'report' in everyday speech. In casual conversation, 'story', 'report', or 'what happened' are more natural; 'narration' often sounds formal or technical here.
Meaning
a detailed account of events
Collocations
a detailed narration
|a clear narration of the incident
|narration of events
|narration of the facts
|the official narration
|a full narration of what happened
Synonyms
account (Common in formal and news contexts; stresses a version or report of what happened.)
|
description (Focuses more on what things were like, not necessarily on sequence.)
|
report (More institutional or official; often used for news, police, or work contexts.)
Antonyms
summary (Gives only the main points, not a detailed, step-by-step description of events.)
Themes
law
|journalism
|history
|communication
|education
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A detailed story or report that explains what happened, step by step.
A spoken or written account that describes events in detail and usually in the order they happened.
Grammar
Dictionary form
narration
IPA
GB/nɛɹˈeɪʃən/
US/nɛɹˈeɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
nar - ra - tion (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (ra)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: narration
- Plural: narration, narrations
Word family
Expressions
first-person narration
1/fˈɚst pˈɚsən nɛɹˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
story told using I or we
A way of telling a story where the narrator is a character and uses 'I' or 'we' to tell the story.
Examples
- The novel is written in first-person narration, so we only know what the hero knows.
- First-person narration can make a story feel more personal and emotional.
- In first-person narration, the reader sees the world through one character’s eyes.
off-screen narration
1/ˈɔf skɹˈin nɛɹˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
narration from an unseen voice
Spoken words in a film or video that you hear while the person speaking is not shown on the screen.
Examples
- The film begins with off-screen narration that sets the scene.
- Off-screen narration explains the character’s past while we see old photographs.
- The director decided to remove the off-screen narration to make the story less obvious.
omniscient narration
1/ɑmnˈɪʃənt nɛɹˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
all-knowing third-person narration
A type of third-person narration where the narrator knows everything, including all characters’ thoughts and things that happen in different places.
Examples
- The novel uses omniscient narration to move smoothly between the minds of several characters.
- Omniscient narration was common in nineteenth-century fiction.
- Through omniscient narration, the author explains details that no single character could know.
third-person narration
1/θˈɚd pˈɚsən nɛɹˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
story told using he/she/they
A way of telling a story where the narrator is outside the story and calls the characters 'he', 'she', or 'they'.
Examples
- Most classic fairy tales use third-person narration.
- Third-person narration allows the writer to move between different characters easily.
- The teacher asked the students to change their stories from first-person to third-person narration.
voice-over narration
1/vˈɔɪs ˈoʊvɚ nɛɹˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
narration recorded over images
Spoken words that are recorded and played over pictures in a film, show, or video to explain what is happening.
Examples
- The documentary uses voice-over narration instead of on-screen interviews.
- Clear voice-over narration makes the training video easier to follow.
- They hired a famous actor to do the voice-over narration.