UNIT 2: SHORT STORIES

A short story is a fictional work of prose that is shorter in length than a novel. Usually, people read
stories because they want to be entertained. That is why it is very important that the author writes
in such a way as to hook the reader. There are some key elements in every short story: narrator,
setting, character(s), plot, conflict and theme are probably the most important. And, of course, do
not forget every story has a title!

§ Match each of the elements mentioned above with an appropriate definition.

Name of the story: __________________
Sequence of events: __________________
Main idea of the story: __________________
Time and place where the story happens: __________________
Voice that tells the story (usually using the 1st or the 3rd person): __________________
Someone who takes part in the action of the story: __________________
Problem the main character has to face: __________________

§ Read the following short story.

Nobody knew where they were. Ten people were trapped on a mountain top in
a terrible snowstorm.

The snow continued to fall. Sheila had never been in such a situation before
and she was shivering, but didn’t panic. The other skiers looked frightened
though. More than eight hours had passed since the snowstorm and there was
no sign of anyone coming to rescue them.

All of a sudden, Sheila remembered something. During the storm, she had
fallen and left her mobile phone in the snow because she didn’t want to lose the
others.

As quick as lightning, Sheila ran to where she had fallen, found the phone and
saw that it was still working. She called her dad. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said
comfortingly. ‘A rescue team is already on its way.’ Sheila was relieved. This
ordeal was almost over.

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 1. A very important feature is missing in this story. What is it? Write a suitable one.
2. Identify the setting, the type of narrator, the characters and the main conflict in the story.
Setting: _________________
Narrator: _________________
Characters (elicit which the main character is): _________________
Conflict: _________________
3. Pay attention to the underlined verbs. What is their tense? Sort them out below:
Present simple Past simple Past continuous Past perfect

4. Look at the words in bold. What are they? Can you provide other examples?
5. How many paragraphs are there in the story? What happens in each?

§ Read the first part of this story.

1. Think of a suitable title.

2. Some verbs are underlined because they are mistaken. Correct them.

John was bored. School was over and all of his friends went somewhere else to spend their holidays. But not
him. His parents had decided to spend these holidays at home.
John were tired of playing videogames and watching Netflix, something he never thought could ever
happen... He have a strange need to move and breathe fresh air. So he decide to check on his dog, Cucumber,
who was alone, as usual, in the garden.
The garden isn’t huge but there were lots of plants and trees, especially at the far end. John had never felt
attracted to the vegetation. After all, what can he do with it? But that’s where Cucumber were today: lying
among the trees, probably enjoying the fresh air in the shadow. It was a bit hot that day, but some black
clouds was beginning to cover the sky. “How long before it start raining?” think John.

Now go on with the story.

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How do I begin and end my narrative writing effectively?

The beginning and end of a piece of writing are very important. Your opening should make the
readers want to read to the end. Your ending should fully develop the main event. Good stories
also show how the main event has affected the characters.

§ Let’s imagine a student has to write a story about telling a lie and this is the plan
he/she made.

This student has used a good story structure and kept to two main characters. Now let’s observe
different ways of opening a story:

Think about the ending: which would be most effective? Why?

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One way to make sure your events are fully developed into a satisfying ending is to think about
the effect they have had on the characters.
• Characters learn a lesson.
• Events set up at the beginning develop and change things for the characters.
• Surprise ending.
Which do you think is best for this story plan? Think of possibilities for your choice.

How do I develop interesting characters?

To make your narrative writing engaging all the way through, you need to create believable
characters. One way to do this is to ‘show’ what they are like, rather than tell.

Think about:
- How the character moves (actions)
- How other people react to him
- What he says

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Now it’s your turn!

Write a story about telling a lie.

Think:
• Opening of the story: Will you start with mystery, action or conflict?
• Ending of the story: Will the characters learn a lesson? Will things change? Surprise?
• Characters: How will you show the readers what they are like?

Use dialogue, action, variety of tenses, paragraphs, time expressions, adjectives

and adverbs.

Now, you are ready to start! Write your story.

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Adjectives about feelings

1. Sort out the following adjectives. If you don’t know the meaning of some of them, look them up
in the dictionary.

Brave – careful – angry – annoyed – clever – confident – aggressive – awful – excited – interesting
– joyful – wonderful – confused – disappointing – exhausting – frustrated – helpless – hurt – lonely
– shocked – terrible – amused – bored – frightened – resentful – bitter – guilty.

POSITIVE ADJECTIVES NEGATIVE ADJECTIVES

2. Choose three adjectives and make sentences with them to show you understand their meaning.
1) _________________________________________________________________________

2) _________________________________________________________________________

3) _________________________________________________________________________

3. Choose another three adjectives and find their antonyms.

1) _____________________________
2) _____________________________
3) _____________________________

4. Think and find better alternatives for these four adjectives:

1) afraid: _____________________________________________________
2) sad: _____________________________________________________
3) angry: _____________________________________________________
4) strange: _____________________________________________________

5. What time expressions do you know? Complete the spider web with as many as you can:

TIME EXPRESSIONS

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6. What connectors can you think of? Add them to this web:

CONNECTORS

v Write a story about a time when you/a character got into trouble. Your
story should begin with this phrase:

“The trees were so high you couldn’t see where they ended.”

§ Ask yourself:
-Who is speaking? Is it the main character (1st person narrator) or a 3rd person narrator?
-What is this place with high trees? What time is it? Is it day or night?
-Why is the character (or characters) there?
-How does he/she feel?

§ Before writing, plan your story:

§ Don’t forget to include adjectives, adverbs, dialogue, variety of tenses and paragraph
division.

§ Special task: If your main character had a mobile phone, what would it look like? Check
his/her whatsapp, his/her three favourite songs and some of his latest photographs.

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