Narration is the act of telling a story or describing events as they happen. When you read a book and hear the voice explaining what characters are doing and thinking, that's narration. The person doing this telling is called a narrator.

In movies and documentaries, you often hear a voice explaining what's happening on screen. That voice-over is narration, guiding you through the story. In video games, narration might tell you about the world you're exploring or explain the backstory of your quest.

Narration can be in first person, where the narrator is a character in the story using “I” and “me” (like when Katniss tells her own story in The Hunger Games). Or it can be in third person, where the narrator describes characters using “he,” “she,” and “they,” viewing everything from outside the story.

Some narrators are completely trustworthy, telling you exactly what happened. Others might be unreliable, leaving out important details or seeing things in a biased way. Good narration reports the facts while also setting the mood, building suspense, and helping you understand why events matter. The same story can feel completely different depending on who's doing the narrating and how they choose to tell it.