STORIES

 

Stories describe a sequence of events. To describe these events in chronological order, we use a variety of past tenses like Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect along with appropriate sequence words such as:

 

First At first Then/Next After/Before During/Meanwhile Finally As soon as At last In the end

After a while No sooner … than Hardly … when Since While Until By the time As

 

There are some rules of writing a story.

· A story can be written either in the first or in the third person. When the story is written in the first person, the writer is part of the story and expresses his/her own personal feelings and experiences. When the story is written in the third person, the writer is not directly involved in the story but a clear picture of the feelings and experiences of the people is given.

· When writing a story, one should bear in mind that it must be exciting, strange or funny in order to hold the reader’s interest. Some important factors that determine a successful story are: a) a good beginning; b) a good ending; c) an interesting plot; d) a combination of short and long sentences; e) quotes from the people involved; f) moving back or forward in time; g) creating mystery/suspense.

 

Paragraph Plan for Stories

 

Introduction	Main Body	Conclusion
Paragraph 1 Set the scene: who-where-when(describe the weather, time, atmosphere, people involved, etc.)	Paragraph 2 Before the main event(s) (describe incidents leading up to the main event)	Paragraphs 3-4 The main event(s) (describe the main event(s), people involved, more details, etc.)	Final Paragraph End the story   (refer to moods, consequences, people’s reactions, feelings, comments)

B) Write the development of the story.

 

Tim Shown Is Taken Ill.

 

Tim Shown went to his office as usual, but in two hours’ time Tim’s unusual paleness attracted the attention of his fellow-workers. Tim didn’t describe exactly how he felt, but it was obvious that something was wrong with him. His friends advised him not to risk his health and see a doctor at once.

I. a) Read the title and say what the text is going to be about.

B) Read and check if your guesses are correct.

 

Eat to Relax

 

We all know that eating healthy foods helps us to live longer and to ward off the danger of strokes or heart disease. A healthy lifestyle, which includes regular exercise and a diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, not only keeps the doctor away but also makes us feel good. Being in good health is an important way to reduce stress, but this is not the only benefit of eating properly. In particular, the types of food that we eat influence our moods. Eating carbohydrate-rich foods like breads, cereals, rice and pasta causes the production of seratonin, which makes us feel calm. Fruit and vegetables also set off the production of this chemical, but in smaller doses. Milk, cheese and yoghurt can also help, especially when eaten together with carbohydrates. Next time you feel stressed, try a little bread and a glass of milk and you’ll feel relaxed in no time.