New to this topic? Start with our companion article: Narrative Microstructure: The Building Blocks of Storytelling | Brisbane Speech Pathologist
When a child tells a story that's hard to follow — not because the story doesn't make sense, but because the sentences are vague, disconnected, or repetitive — the issue is often with narrative microstructure. These are the sentence-level language skills that hold a story together: the conjunctions, the vocabulary, the referencing, the verb tense consistency, and the temporal markers that make a narrative cohesive and clear.
In our previous article, we explained what narrative microstructure is and why it matters for storytelling, academic writing, reading comprehension, and conversation. Microstructure is often where the biggest gains are possible — once children learn to use conjunctions and clear referencing, their storytelling transforms. In this article, we'll look at how speech pathologists assess microstructure, and share practical strategies that parents and teachers can use to strengthen these skills.
How Speech Pathologists Assess Microstructure
When we assess narrative microstructure at Speaking Speech Pathology, we're looking closely at the sentence-level features of a child's storytelling. We typically ask a child to tell or retell a story — using a wordless picture book, a story sequence, or a familiar tale — and then analyse the language they use. Here's what we're listening for:
Conjunction Use
What range of conjunctions is the child using? Are they stuck on "and then...and then...and then," or can they use words like because, but, so, when, after, before, while? Conjunctions show the relationships between events — cause and effect, sequence, contrast — and a limited range means the child's narrative will sound flat and disconnected.
Vocabulary Diversity
Is the child using specific, varied vocabulary — or relying on vague words like "stuff," "thing," "it," and "there"? We look at the range of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs a child uses and whether they can select words that are precise and appropriate.
Referencing and Pronoun Use
Does the child introduce characters clearly and then refer back to them in a way that's easy to follow? Or do they jump straight to "he" and "she" without telling you who they're talking about? We also check whether the child manages shifts in reference — when the story moves between characters, can the listener keep track?
Verb Tense Consistency
Does the child maintain consistent verb tense throughout the story? Inconsistent tense — "The boy walks to the shop and then he jumped over the fence" — can make a narrative confusing and suggest the child hasn't yet mastered tense control in connected speech.
Temporal Markers and Adverbials
Does the child use words and phrases that signal time and sequence — first, then, next, after that, suddenly, finally, the next day? Without these markers, events can feel jumbled, and the listener has to work hard to piece together the order.
Sentence Complexity and Length
We look at how complex the child's sentences are. Are they producing mostly simple sentences ("The boy ran. The dog chased him."), or can they combine ideas using conjunctions, relative clauses, and embedded phrases ("The boy ran because the big dog was chasing him")?
Australian researchers Westerveld and Gillon (2010) have highlighted narrative sampling as a particularly valuable and culturally responsive approach to language assessment. By analysing a child's narrative language, we can see how they use language for a real, meaningful purpose — not just in response to isolated test items.
Why Microstructure Matters for Writing Too
The connection between spoken narrative microstructure and written language is strong. Children who struggle with conjunctions, referencing, and sentence complexity in their spoken stories will typically show the same difficulties in their writing. The Australian Curriculum expects children to progressively develop their ability to write cohesive, well-structured texts — and the sentence-level skills of microstructure are a key part of that.
Working on narrative microstructure in spoken language is one of the most effective ways to build the foundations for strong writing. When a child can produce a well-connected, detailed spoken narrative, they have the building blocks to do the same in writing.
A Few Things That Can Help at Home
These are the kinds of things that naturally build sentence-level storytelling — at the dinner table, in the car, or after reading a book together. A speech pathologist can tailor and go deeper if your child needs more targeted support.
Conjunction Games
Conjunctions — because, but, so, when, after, before, although — are often the unlock moment in narrative work. Fun, low-pressure ways to build them include "finish my sentence" games ("I wanted to play outside, but..." "She ate the cake because..."), or taking turns adding to a story where each new sentence starts with a different conjunction. In my experience, once a child starts reaching for "because" and "so" on their own, the rest tends to follow quickly. This pairs naturally with our practical strategies for building sentence structure.
Retelling Together
After reading a story or watching a short video, retelling it together is one of the most natural ways to build microstructure. You can take turns adding sentences, which lets you model varied vocabulary, clear character references, and connecting words while your child practises alongside you. Saddler and Graham (2005) found that sentence combining — a close cousin of this kind of retell work — significantly improved children's writing quality.
Vocabulary Boosting in Conversation
When your child is telling a story and uses a vague word, you can gently prompt them for something more specific. "The man went to the place" becomes "Where did he go? Was it a forest, a city, a cave?" "She got the thing" becomes "What was it exactly?" It's not correction — it's expansion, and it helps children develop the habit of reaching for precise words.
Strategies for Teachers
Teachers can embed microstructure development into everyday classroom activities:
During Shared Reading
Pause during reading to highlight microstructure features: "Did you notice the author used 'however' here? That tells us something different is about to happen." Point out how authors introduce characters and then use pronouns. Discuss interesting vocabulary choices.
In Writing Instruction
Explicitly teach conjunctions as part of writing lessons. Give children a list of conjunctions they can use as a reference when writing. Teach sentence combining as a regular warm-up activity. When marking writing, give specific feedback on microstructure features — "You used 'because' really well here" or "Can you tell me who 'they' refers to in this sentence?"
Oral Language Activities
Build in regular opportunities for extended oral language — not just single-answer questions, but chances for children to explain, describe, retell, and narrate. Partner sharing, small group discussions, and oral storytelling all build microstructure skills.
When to Seek Support
If your child consistently tells stories that are hard to follow because of vague vocabulary, limited conjunctions, unclear referencing, or inconsistent verb tense — and particularly if these difficulties are affecting their writing at school — a narrative language assessment can provide clarity. We assess both microstructure and macrostructure to build a complete picture of your child's narrative skills and design targeted support.
Alexandra Bouwmeester is a Senior Speech Pathologist (MSPA, CPSP) with over 14 years' experience supporting children's narrative and language skills. She offers mobile speech pathology to families across Brisbane's south side and Logan.
Strong narrative microstructure is something every child can learn — and the results flow into their writing, their reading, and their everyday communication. If you'd like to explore what targeted support could look like for your child, Speaking Speech Pathology is here to help.
References
- Saddler, B., & Graham, S. (2005). The effects of peer-assisted sentence-combining instruction on the writing performance of more and less skilled young writers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(1), 43–54.
- Westby, C. E. (2005). Assessing and remediating text comprehension problems. In H. W. Catts & A. G. Kamhi (Eds.), Language and Reading Disabilities (2nd ed., pp. 157–232). Pearson.
- Westerveld, M. F., & Gillon, G. T. (2010). Profiling oral narrative ability in young school-aged children. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 12(3), 178–189.
