I. What is a good story?
Writing a good story either in first or third person means to describing a sequence of events in an interesting. Lively way. A good story should consist of:
a. an interesting beginning to catch the reader’s attention and make him / her want to go on reading your story.
b. Good development in the main body to develop your story you should use appropriate tenses, especially past ones, e.g. Past Simple to describe the main events, past continuous to set the scene, past perfect to talk about events which happened before the main events, etc. (eg. He went out to the car. It was raining hard and a cold wind was blowing. He had rung her ten minutes before, so he knew she would be waiting.)
c. A good ending. If possible an unexpected or unpredictable one, to surprise the reader and create a long-lasting impression on your piece of writing.
II. Points to Remember
a. never start writing your composition before deciding on the plot.
b. Use time words (before, until, then, next, lastly, etc.) to make the sequence of events clear.
c. Use various adjectives ( horrified, surprised, etc.) and adverbs ( absolutely, extremely, etc) to stress feelings and actions. This will make your story more interesting.
d. Use the senses to describe atmosphere, especially when you want to emphasize specific parts of your narration.
III. Organization of the composition
Introduction
Paragraph
Set the scene: ( who – where – when --- what)
Main Body
Paragraphs 2 –4
Development ( describe incidents leading up to the main event and the event itself in detail)
Conclusion
Final Paragraph (refer to moods, consequences, people’s reactions, feelings, comments)
IV. Exercises
1. Match the titles with each story:
1) The Handsome Man
2) A Knight in Shining Armour
3) Escaped Prisoners
A
When Larry’s car breaks down on the way to a fancy-dress party, he has to
walk three miles to the nearest petrol station in a suit of armour.
A robbery at the station gets Larry taken hostage. Thus begins one of the
wildest and funniest get-aways ever seen.
B
When two prisoners from the Windson-Grey prison escaped, they never thought
they would be caught by people from another planet! Can the two escape again, this
time back to earth? What do the people of Trixom want with them? The answer may lie
in their new friend, Lexer.
C
Before they knew Clark Fossi’s name, the women of Chesapeak Bay called him
“That Handsome Man”. Then a dead body is found floating in the bay. Can a man that
handsome be a murderer? Some of the women of Chesapeake Bay will do anything not
to find out the truth.
2. Read the story extracts and match them with the title and decide what the types of stories they are:
Science fiction 1. Who Shot Henry Jennings? ( )
romance 2. Naughty Nigel ( )
drama 3. The Battle of the Galaxies ( )
action/ adventure 4. Run for Your Life ( )
horror 5. Family Crisis ( )
comedy 6. Don’t Break my Heart ( )
murder/ mystery 7. The Creature from the Deep ( )
A. Jim had set up his fishing line and was about to settle down for a peaceful night of fishing on the seafront when suddenly his rod was pulled right out of his hands. He gasped in terror as suddenly, before his eyes, something began to rise from the waves.
B. Nigel was always in trouble --- but the trouble was he didn’t know why! It wasn’t his fault that his pet spider had somehow crawled up Miss Piggy’s leg. And he had nothing to do with Fanny’s falling in the pond. It wasn’t as if he’d pushed her in, his hand had just, well, sort of slipped ….
C. Rachel felt that her heart would suddenly stop beating. She couldn’t believe this was happening, not after everything they’d shared together. Darren had come into her life unexpectedly and had changed her world completely. And now, just as suddenly, it looked as though he’d have to leave.
D. The meeting of planet leaders had ended in agreement., They had to prepare to defend themselves with all their available forces, otherwise the Valarians would take over the entire galaxy.
E. Kincaid was running through the forest, the men chasing him on horseback getting closer and closer. He jumped into a river, but he didn’t feel safe until he was further down stream.
F. Roger was away on business when the call came through to his hotel room. He picked up the phone and heard his mother’s trembling voice on the other end, “Roger, I know it’s been a long time, but please come home. The family needs you!”
G. Detective Jaffrey stared in disbelief at the body of the highly respected businessman Henry Jennings lying on the while marble kitchen floor in a pool of blood. Suddenly he caught sight of a small gold earring lying near the corpse. Perhaps this was the clue that would lead him to the murderer.
3. Match the following beginnings with the endings:
Beginnings:
A. She woke up feeling the floor shaking violently beneath her. At first she thought it was part of the dream she had been having, but then she realized what was happening.
B. What can I tell you about Roger? He was the kind of man you’ve probably all met at some stage in your lives-self-confident, charming, polite … and completely ruthless. So I wasn’t surprised when I saw his picture in the newspaper.
C. The grey sky covered the city like a heavy blanket, making the buildings dull and shadowy. The rain had been whipping the faces of the hurrying citizens with icy, sharp drops and now the roads were dark and shining, the air damp and cold. I looked carefully before crossing the street.
D. “Where is all this light coming from?” peter asked Tim as he stared at the green beams crossing the starry summer sky.
E. He could hear the wind howling through the window as he made his way down the creaking wooden stairs, lighting his way with two candles. This huge empty house always frightened him. Still , he had to be here tonight as he had been every year on the same day.
…… Endings:
1) It couldn’t have been their imagination. The deep hole in the field was still hot and glowing.
2) “Thank God! I’m safe now,” I thought as I entered my flat. But as soon as I turned on the light, I noticed a glass on the table. He was there waiting for me.
3) With some hope she started shouting. It wasn’t long before she could see daylight again. She was injured but alive.
4) … As the clock struck twelve he started shivering. He knew they would come to visit him again.
5) As the policemen took Roger out of the courtroom I could hear people murmuring. I felt relief. After all, he had got what he deserved: 30 years in prison.
4. Read and put the paragraphs into the correct order:
A The captain was showing Danny the different controls and dials when suddenly the cockpit door burst open. A tall man with a scar on his left cheek, who was carrying a gun, grabbed Danny and shouted at the captain. “This is a hijacking. I’m in control now.” without thinking of the danger Danny bit the man’s hand as hard as he could. The hijacker screamed in pain. Quickly the co-pilot grabbed the gun while the captain knocked the hijacker unconscious.
B Danny looked excitedly out of the window as the airplane was taking off into the bright sky. Then he smiled happily at his dad who was holding his soft hand tightly.
C “This is going to be the best Christmas ever,” thought Danny. “I can’t wait to tell Grandpa about what I did.” When the plane landed Danny was given a hero’s welcome. As a reward the airline gave Danny and his family free flights for the rest of their lives.
D They had been flying for an hour when Danny’s father disappeared for a few minutes. He came back followed by a friendly looking stewardess in a blue and red uniform. “Would you like to see the cockpit, Danny?” she asked. Danny could not believe it. “This is a dream come true,” he thought as he followed the stewardess to the front of the plane.
5. The adverbs below describe the way a person might speak or act. Choose suitable words from the list to complete the sentences:
threateningly hurriedly confidently angrily suddenly
a) “Get out of here!” Bill shouted ________ , his face turning red.
b) _______, without any warning, her guide turned round and held a knife to her throat.
c) She gathered her papers together _________ and rushed off to the meeting, which had already begun.
d) “Don’t worry, I’ll kill the dragon,” the knight said __________ to the king.
e) “If you tell anyone, you’ll be sorry,” said the kidnapper _________.
6. Read the story and add in the correct time words:
After, While, As soon as, Immediately, As, While, after, When, then,
“What is going on?” I wondered as I came round the corner and saw a huge crowd
gathered in the middle of the usually quiet street. Two fire engines were parked outside
my block of flats.
1) ____________ I noticed that their ladders were raised as far as the third floor, just below my flat. 2) ____________ I was rushing towards the building I became aware of the group of bystanders and some fire-fighters standing around the entrance. 3) ___________ I came close to them, they recognized me. Being on the 8 o’clock new every night surely makes you familiar to a lot of people. 4) ___________ they had greeted me I asked what was happening. They told me that the flat below mine had caught fire, but they had managed to put it out. 5) _____________ I was going into the building a man carrying a large television set stopped me.
“Hi, Paul,” he said. “Could you give a hand loading this into my van over there?”
6)___________ I was helping him I wondered who he was, but then I realized that he must have recognized me from TV. “Thanks, Paul,” he said 7) ___________ we had put the TV in the van. “I’d really love to get your autograph (親筆簽名) but I am in a hurry. See you,” the man said and drove off. Smiling, I entered the building and headed for my flat. 8) ____________ I reached it I saw that the door was open. Nervously I entered the flat. It was 9) __________ that I noticed that my television was missing. I had just helped a burglar to steal my own television!
7. Successful use of various adjectives shows a good knowledge of the language, especially when we write stories. Go through the following adjectives and match then with the nouns in the list. Some of the adjectives can be used more than once:
Adjectives: soft, bright, cold, expensive, fluffy, blazing, strong, high, snowy, light, starry, clear, grey, moonless, rocky
Nouns: clouds, wind, night, lights, eyes, perfume, sunshine, mountains,
e.g. soft clouds, soft wind
8. To make a story more interesting we can involve our senses. Read the short extracts and look at the phrases in bold. Which of the senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste) do each of these phrases refer to? Finally, identify the type of story. Which would you like to read and why?
A. When he reached the top of the hill, Keith realized what was lighting up the sky on the cool moonless night. There, in front of his care was a huge spaceship. It was completely still, and thousands of colourful lights were flashing along its surface. The smell of burning rubber filled Keith’s car as he hit the brakes.
B. A bullet whistled past policeman Mark Raymond’s ear. He fell to the hard ground, pistol in hand. “Let the child go free, and no one will get hurt,” he shouted. He heard the house’s front door slowly creak open and saw the little girl come out, her tears shining in the morning sun.
C. Clair asked Molly to sit down. Her silk skirt rustled as she sat comfortably in the armchair. Clair could smell her expensive perfume. “Could this woman have the heart of a killer?” she asked herself. But the cruel look in Molly’s eyes soon answered her question.
D. Susan rushed to the hospital as fast as she could. Her husband had finally woken up. The accident had happened three months before, leaving David in a coma. Three months without hearing his voice or seeing his smile. Three months of worrying, visiting the same white hospital, smelling the same antiseptic smell, drinking the same bitter coffee. Now they could leave all that behind them.
A. lighting up the sky ---
cool, moonless night --- sight/ touch
huge spaceship ---
colourful lights were flashing --- sight
smell of burning rubber ---
B. whistled ---
hard ground ---
shouted --- hearing
creak ---
tears shining ---
C. rustled ---
expensive perfume --- smell
the cruel look in Molly’s eyes --- sight
D. hearing his voice ---
seeing his smile ---
white hospital ---
antiseptic smell --- smell
bitter coffee ---
9. An interesting beginning grabs the reader’s attention. You can start a story: a) by describing weather, surroundings, people etc. involving your senses; b) by using Direct Speech; c) with a question; d) with a dramatic sentence creating mystery or suspense; e) by referring to your feelings or mood etc. Read the following beginnings and decide which of these techniques are used.
A. “What I’m about to tell you could change your life forever,” the mysterious stranger told me, looking straight into my puzzled eyes. “Listen carefully and don’t ask any questions until I've finished what I have to say.”
B. As I stepped off the plane, my stomach felt as though a hundred tiny butterflies were flying around inside it. My legs began to tremble as I walked down the steps leading to the runway and for a moment I thought I’d faint with dizziness. Would he remember me after all these years?
C. Grey clouds blocked out every trace of sunlight and the continuous drizzle made everything damp and cold. As we were walking along in silence, the only sounds wre those of our feet in the mud and the howling of the wind over the mountains.
D. “Come here. Yes, you. Come here!” the sergeant’s voice sounded hard as he fixed his cold eyes on me. I had known this day would come. I hadn’t expected it to come so quickly, though.
A. use of Direct Speech, reference to feelings (_____________________)
B. dramatic sentence creating suspense, ________________________________, question
C. use of senses to ________________________
D. ______________, use of senses ( hard voice, cold eyes), dramatic sentence creating suspense
10. A good ending to a story is as important as a good beginning. You can finish a story by: a) using Direct Speech; b) referring to people’s feelings/ moods; c) describing people’s reactions to the event developed in the main body; d) creating mystery or suspense (unexpected ending). Read the following endings and say which of the above techniques are used for the following endings. The decide what type of story each suggests. Write possible beginnings for each ending.
A. …h(huán)e stepped out of the car, guns pointing at him from all directions. He realized it was all over.
B. … Sophie looked at the spaceship disappearing in the sky and wondered if he really had spent a night with aliens or if it was just his imagination. But then he felt the weight of the blue crystal in his hand.
C. “Hey you! Don’t move!” a voice said. But it was too late.
D. … As the clock struck twelve he started shivering. He knew they would come to visit him again.
E. … the killer had been put behind bars. Detective Burns knew the people of Sheffield would sleep better tonight.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Suggested beginnings:
A. ____________________________________________________________________________
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B. ____________________________________________________________________________
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C. ____________________________________________________________________________
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D. ____________________________________________________________________________
11. Here are some reasons why stories can be entertaining, boring etc. Match these reasons with the adjectives which can be used to describe stories as in the example:
scary characters, tragic end, too much violence,
funny incidents, predictable characters, clever plot,
story too long, thrilling plot, original ideas,
unhappy situations, lots of action, repetition, realistic
Entertaining funny incidents,
Boring
Shocking
Frightening
Sad
Exciting
Interesting
12. Read the story and write an ending of your own:
I was alone in the house, reading a scary ghost story as snow fell silently outside. The only sound was the ticking of my old grandfather clock. The dying fire cast an orange glow onto the walls of my study.
I was absorbed in the story when suddenly I began to feel that someone was watching me. The clock stopped ticking. I looked around but I could see no one. Was my mind playing tricks on me?
Trying to ignore my fears, I returned to my book. After a few seconds, though, the book was knocked to the floor by an unseen hand. “Who’s there?” I cried. I saw something standing in front of me that made my blood run cold. A shadowy white ghost pointed a pale finger at me. Its mouth moved. “ Come on! Come with me. It is time,” it said.
“What do you want?” I managed to ask, shaking with fear. The ghost took me by the hand and led me to the window. Just as we reached it, the clock struck twelve.
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13. Read and continue the story. Use sequence words. Eg. As soon as, after, before, when, then, hardly…when, etc.
One Saturday afternoon Jim Randall and his younger sister Pamela were staying at home watching TV. Their parents had gone out for the day. They were watching an exciting film when suddenly a news presenter came on with an urgent announcement. A dangerous criminal had escaped and was somewhere in the town.
At this moment, a neighbour’s dog started barking. ……
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