1 The pictures tell a story. Look at them and point to the
following things: flippers, mask, knife, seal, net, rock, beach, fishing boat. Now, answer the questions below.
6 What did she see in the water?
7 What did she do then?
8 What happened at the end of the story?
1 Who was involved in the story?
2 Where was the girl?
3 What was the weather like?
4 How did the girl feel?
5 Why did the girl get into the water?
2 Read the story below and write the topic of each paragraph in the bubbles provided.
• description of events before the • ending (feelings and reactions) main event • description of the main event
• setting the scene (who-where-when-what)
3 Decide which of the adjectives below describe weather and which describe atmosphere and complete the tables.
strange, wet, cloudy, magical, sunny, windy, still, silent, foggy, noisy, calm, rainy
5 Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense: present perfect or past simple.
1 He ...phoned... (phone) the garage because his car ...had broken down... (break down).
2 She (wash) the dishes after she
(finish) her meal.
3 Paul (go) to the doctor because he
(hurt) his leg.
4 As soon as they (do) their homework,
they (go) out to play.
5 The train (leave) two minutes before
Pam (arrive) at the station.
6 I (get) wet because I
(forget) to take my umbrella.
4 Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or the past continuous.
1 It (rain) heavily and Pete
(drive) very fast when he (have) an accident.
2 It (snow) heavily and the children
(make) a snowman outside.
Suddenly, a bright light (appear) in the sky.
3 One day, while I (sit) in the garden, I
(hear) a strange noise. It
(come) from the apple tree, so I (go) to have
a look.
4 The sun (shine) and the birds
(sing) so we (decide)
to go for a picnic.
5 The wind (blow) through the trees
and the wolves (howl) outside. Sandra
(feel) really scared!
I First read the story below and put the paragraphs in the correct order. Then, circle the correct time words.
O Read the story in Ex. 7 again and underline :
a) the sentence which describes the weather.
b) the sentence which describes the atmosphere.
c) the adjectives which describe feelings.
d) the sentence(s) which create(s) mystery orsuspense.
10 CAN YOU WRITE A GOOD STORY?
Test yourself by answering these questions.
1 Which tense do we use to give backgroundinformation?
A past simple B past continuous C past perfect
2 Which paragraphs make up the main body of a story?
A 1 and 2 B 3 and 4 C 2 and 3
3 Which paragraph describes the main event? A the third B the second C the first
4 Which paragraph sets the scene?
A the second B the third C the first
5 Which tense do we use to describe an action whichhappened before another action in the past?
A past perfect B past simple C past continuous
6 We never end a story by ...
A writing "THE END" at the bottom of the page. B creating mystery or suspense. C using direct speech.
"D Match the sentences to the pictures below.
1 Jennifer ran to the first door, rang the bell and shouted.
2 It was a cold, dark evening and the streets were empty.
3 "Don't worry! You left your handbag on the train!" the man explained.
4 Then, she heard footsteps behind her.
First, answer the following questions, then tell the story by looking at the pictures.
1 What was the weather like?
2 Who was involved in the story?
3 Where and when did the story take place?
4 What did she see when she looked over her shoulder?
5 How do you think she felt?
6 What did she feel on her arm?
7 What did the man say?
8 What do you think happened at the end of the story?
12 Use the information from Ex. 11 and the plan below to write a story entitled A Stranger in the Night.
Latimer