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L4: Story Setting:

Unlocking
the Power of Imagination

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 LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of the session you should be able to:

1 ❖ Define Setting in stories.

2 ❖ Analyze types and aspects of setting.

3 ❖ Describe time , place and directions

using prepositions.

4 ❖ Project assignment:
Create your story setting.
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 OUTLINE

1 2

•Definition Functions of Setting

3 4 5

Types of Grammar:
setting QUIZ Prepositions of
Time and place
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Review: What are the most important elements of a story?

Plot
Theme
Characters
Point of view
Setting

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Why might you ask about the significance of the
setting?
Let’s watch the video about setting and answer the following questions:

1. What is setting?
2. What can setting reveal?
3. Which elements are informed by the setting?

4. Why did the author choose a cave in

Odyseus?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30CPmgVQNks
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Why might you ask about the significance of the setting?
1. What is setting?
-It’s where and when the events of the text are happening.
2. What can setting reveal?
-It can reveal conflict, plot and context.
3. Which elements are informed by the setting?
-The mood, theme and the plot the author is telling are informed by the setting.

4. Why did the author choose a cave in Odysseus?Did He want Odysseus to be

trapped?
-The cave’s gloom sets a darker mood and it allows Odysseus to hide in the dark

until he blinds the cyclops and then sneaks off.

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Let’s recapitulate: Complete the definition of story setting with the missing words:

physical /plot / cultural / the context / character/ environment

 The setting of a story is ……………….in

the context a scene or story that describes the
elements in which a story is taking place, including time, place,
environment
and…………………..

physical
 The environment of the story, can be made up of the ……………location,
cultural
climate, weather, or social and …………………surroundings.

 Each component in story setting helps to build the narrative’s

plot
mood,………………., and ………………………development
character

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 What are The Functions of a Setting?
 It helps the reader visualize the places in
the story

 It creates a mood or atmosphere

 It shows the social environment

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 How does a good setting help the reader visualize the
places in the story?

 A creative author includes description

of the setting using the five senses:

• SIGHT
• SMELL
• TASTE
• Hearing
• Touch/feel 10
Take a Look…Which is better? Which mood /atmosphere does
it reflect?
The castle
was beside
the water

OR…

The waves crashed loudly against the shoreline. The fog lifted lightly and the
medieval castle came into view. The fog brushed my face and I could smell the
smoke from the fire in the distance and taste the sea salt on my lips.

Serene Tranquility a peaceful and calming Nostalgia or Historical

atmosphere. Connection
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 Let’s practice more: It’s Your Turn:
• In your own words, write a detailed description of the setting in this picture. Include
many adjectives and don’t forget to include descriptions for some of the five senses:
see, hear, feel, smell, taste (group work )

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 Let’s read this example and identify the setting
Sun-warmed stone meets shining river beneath a Time:
castle's watchful gaze. I can hear birdsong mingling
with the murmur of water, painting a peaceful scene Sun-warmed stone:
that I can feel in a forgotten time. Suggests a daytime, potentially midday
Birdsong: Further supports daytime
A forgotten time: evokes a nostalgic or
Place: dreamlike atmosphere
Shining river:
It may refer to countryside

Castle:
Indicates a historical place , potentially near or within
a kingdom

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 How does the writer involve the five senses in this description?

The writer paints a picture of “sun-warmed stone meeting a shining river

Visual beneath a castle's watchful gaze”. This appeals to the sense of sight
Sense:

Auditory ‘’Hearing birdsong mingling with the murmur of water’’ allows the
reader to imagine the peaceful atmosphere.
Sense

By incorporating these sensory details, the writer allows the reader

to not only see the scene but also hear, feel, and sense the atmosphere.

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 How about the social environment that setting show?

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 Setting and the social environnent:

What does the word Castle stand for? Suggests a hierarchical society with nobility
or royalty residing in the castle.

What does the word Birdsong suggest?

Hints at a peaceful environment

What does word the "forgotten time” It could indicate potential past conflicts or instability.
reflect?

Show, don’t tell in your writing!

Show the readers the setting of a story through powerful writing and the
use of literary devices.
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LISTENING PRACTICE: LISTEN TO THE RECORDING, IMAGINE, DRAW
AND GUESS THE SETTING.?

What story do you think this setting belong to?

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 LET’S PRACTICE: LOOK AT THIS STORY OPENING AND GUESS THE
SETTING
What story do you think this setting
On a sunny afternoon, warm and sleepy like a cat belong to?
in the sun, she flopped under a big, shady tree.
Sweet-smelling flowers, mixing their perfume
with the scent of dry grass.

Bored by her sister's endless chatter and a long,

slow Sunday, she doodled in the sunlight with her
fingers. Her book lay open in her lap, the familiar
stories blurring in her daydreams. The sky above
was a big, soft blue, with puffy clouds like cotton
candy drifting by.
Lost in her daydreams, Alice enjoyed a quiet
afternoon in a magic land, where curious
adventures awaited around every corner.
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  Time:
 It implies a leisurely timeframe and a relaxing
 The "long, slow Sunday" and space.
the afternoon setting.
 Place:  It implies a fantastical or amusing setting.
 Under a big, shady tree with sweet-
smelling flowers.
 Atmosphere/Mood:  a dreamy and imaginative mood.
 The reference to daydreams reflects:

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WHY IS THE SETTING OF A STORY IMPORTANT?

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1.
Example:

 A dark setting can create a sense

of suspense, while a bright and
cheerful environment can develop
a sense of warmth and
happiness.

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2.
Example:
The condition and style of a character's home
can reflect their personality and motivations.
For example, a minimalist, well-organized
living space might suggest a character
who values simplicity and order.

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3.
Example:

 The geographic location and time

period can drive the genre of the story.

 For example, a starship on the edge of

a faraway star is generally science fiction.

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4. Example:

For instance, a miserable and

isolated physical landscape might
indicate the protagonist’s feelings
of isolation and despair.

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Let’s parctice more: Listening practice: listen, imagine and
draw the setting:

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 Read the following extract and identify the story’s setting and its importance:

The sea stretched forever, like a wrinkled blue

blanket under a ceiling of cotton clouds. Rosie clung
to the ship’s barrier, as ocean spray touched her
face. High above, on the sun-lit terrace, ladies in
fancy hats drank tea and laughed .

Music danced on the breeze, a merry tune lost in the

vastness of the ocean. Down below, in the crowded
steerage, children chased each other between rows of
bunks, their laughter muffled by the ship's steady
vibration. In this floating world, two stories
unfolded, woven together by the rhythmic groan of the
mighty Titanic.
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 Time and Place:

 The Titanic: indicates a historical setting, placing the

narrative in the early 20th century.
 The setting shifts between different areas of the ship,
including the sun-lit terrace and the crowded steerage:

highlights the diverse experiences of the

passengers.
 Theme:
 The contrast between the ladies in fancy hats enjoying tea on
the sun-lit terrace and the children playing in the crowded
steerage:

reinforces the theme of social stratification and class

differences.
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  Mood:
 The use of words like “The sea stretched forever," "wrinkled
blue blanket," and "ceiling of cotton clouds" creates:
a mood of expansiveness and beauty.

 Importance of Setting:

The setting is not just a backdrop but a dynamic element that

influences the mood, time, place, theme, and plot.

The contrasting settings provide a rich backdrop for exploring

social dynamics and individual experiences aboard the ship.

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NOTE!

Some setting descriptions are

important to the story because they
influence the plot while other setting
descriptions are simply aesthetic

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SETTING?

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 TYPES OF SETTING

A specific place and time that plays an

important role in the story.
Integral setting An integral setting dictates other societal
elements in a story like language, dress,
and transportation

-It is relatively unimportant to the plot .

-It is vague and general.
Backdrop setting. *Often found in folktales: E.g, Long ago in a
cottage in the deep wood, Once upon a
time..

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Read the following sentences and decide whether the setting described is a "backdrop" or
"integral" to the story.

1. The quiet village, with its small houses and winding streets, backdrop.

2. The bustling market, filled with vendors and lively chatter, integral.

3. The mysterious island, with its hidden caves and ancient ruins, integral.

4. The school courtyard, with its benches and blooming flowers, integral.

5. The mystical forest, with its ancient trees and unseen creatures, integral

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 Remove the backdrop setting from the following examples
:

"In a lively city "In a faraway

In a world where "Long
full of energy and kingdom,"
magic thrived," ago,"
new ideas,"

Integral

"Within the
"Amidst the "Once upon a "Long ago in a futuristic
mystical forest," time," land far away," landscapes of a
distant future,"

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Let’s guess the type of this setting:
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland :
Example of integral setting

-Without Wonderland, the

strange characters and
inexplicable events would not
have taken place.

-Real world does not operate

that way .
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What is the type of this setting?

It is a backdrop setting:

The setting is only needed

so that the scenes can take
place and be understood by
the audience.

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Identify the type of each setting:

Integral setting Integral setting

Backdrop setting

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 WHAT ARE OTHER TYPES OF COMMON SETTINGS?

CULTURAL SETTING: The values, HISTORICAL SETTING:This is setting that

attitudes, and beliefs of a place
It incorporates past events, disasters, and people.
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-A fantasy world: involve magic or magical
abilities A utopia setting is an idealized landscape, often
-Many fantasy worlds draw heavily on real- fantastical, where harmony, abundance, and perfection
world history, geography, sociology, prevail.
mythology, and folklore.
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A fictional city refers to Example: Gotham
a town, city or village that is invented for
City in Batman
fictional stories and does not exist in real
life, or which people believe to exist
without definitive proof 40
$

How to choose and write a story setting?

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 TIPS FOR CHOOSING A SETTING FOR YOUR STORY
1.Decide if your story needs a specific setting: integral setting or backdrop setting.

2.Decide if your setting is a real or imagined place.

3.Find a setting that supports the action: it supports the development of conflict and tension
from the rising action until the climax and falling action.

4.Pick a setting that supports character actions and development.

5.Research your setting: To create vivid and realistic setting descriptions, you need to do research.
This will help you accurately depict plot events.
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How to write setting of a story?
1. Decide what mood you’re going to
establish

Contemporary 2. Decide which period or moment

best fits the context of your story
Tokyo, Japan, 2020s.

In a cozy living room,

firelight paints a scene of 3. Identify the atmosphere you
slumber upon a red- are going to portray
cushioned throne where a
contented cat reigns.
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 4. Incorporate all elements of a story

5. Use all five senses when describing the

setting

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 6. Don’t describe the setting of a story all
at once

7. Remember that the setting of the story

has a direct effect on the character and the
plot.

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LET’S RECAPITULATE! FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE MISSING WORDS
the scene / mood /where and when / details/ / confusing/ senses/

➔
where and when
Using setting is simply adding in the ……………………….of events
in a story.
➔ Picture ……………………….in
the scene your head, then write down what
details
you see, using as many …………………..as you can.

➔ Creating clear depictions of time and place in a story creates

……………………..and
mood moves the story along.
confusing
➔ Without setting, the plot line would be ………………..and boring.

➔ A key element of a strong setting is using descriptive details,

senses
engaging the reader’s………………………

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 CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER:
1. What is the purpose of describing the setting in a story?
a) To reveal the plot twist

b) To provide context and create a vivid and

immersive experience for the reader.
Answer: b: to provide context …
c) To introduce the main characters

d) To establish the conflict

2. What type of setting tells you about a specific time and location of a story?
A. No Setting
B. Integral Setting
C. Plot Answer : b integral setting
D. Backdrop Setting

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 5. What type of setting does not give a specific time and location
of a story?
A. Integral Setting
B. No Setting Answer: d: backdrop
C. Mood setting
D. Backdrop Setting

6. How does the setting affect the story?

A. The setting has no impact on the story. Answer d: providing the

backdrop and atmospher
B. The setting only affects the characters, not the plot.

C. The setting is irrelevant to the overall theme of the story.

D. The setting affects the story by providing the backdrop and atmosphere
in which the events take place.

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7. Read the sentence below. Choose the best answer(s) that is/are an
element of setting.“The moon was shining brightly as the fox slowly crept
toward the chicken coop.”
A.Fox slowly crept Answer: b and c
B.Chicken coop
C.Moon was shining brightly
D. B and c

Setting includes sights.

a)True Answer: A: True

b) False

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 What story does this setting come from?

a) Frozen

b) The lion, the witch and the wardrobe

c) Polar express

d) Happy Feet

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 What story does this setting come from?

a) Rapunzel

b) Harry Potter

c) Cinderella

d) Star Wars

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Grammar in Use: Prepositions of time and place

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DEFINITION:

 Preposition is a word, which is used before a noun, a noun

phrase or a pronoun , connecting it to another word.

 Simple prepositions: Prepositions which consist of only one

word.
e.g. in, on, at, with, against etc..,
 Compound prepositions: Prepositions which consist of two
or more words.
e.g. instead of, in the middle of, by the side of etc..,

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 PREPOSITIONS OF TIME :

at midnight
Very at the moment AT refers to a very
specefic specific time
at 12:30

ON refers to on Monday
a slightly on Jan 5th More specefic
broader
on your birthday
time,

in July
IN refers to
in summer
the widest time General
in the summer
period in 2005 56
 LET’S PRACTICE: FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE RIGHT PREPOSITIONS :
AT,IN, ON

1.at for a PRECISE TIME

at
● I have a meeting …………………9am.
● The shop closes …………………..midnight.
at
● Jane went home ……………………
at lunchtime.
2. in for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
in
● In England, it often snows……………… December.
in
● Do you think we will go to Jupiter ………………. the future?
in
● There should be a lot of progress …………………. the next century.
3. on for DAYS and DATES
on
● Do you work ………………Mondays?
on
● Her birthday is ………………. 20 November.
on
● Where will you be ………………New Year's Day?

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 Identify the mistakes in the following sentences:

● I went to London in last June. (last June)

● He's coming back on next Tuesday. (next Tuesday)
● I go home at every Easter. (every Easter)
● We'll call you in this evening. (this evening)

When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use

the prepositions at, in, on.

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 PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE:
● at the bus stop. At a POINT in
● at the end of the space/At an event:
street/ locate something at
● At the concert certain point:

The smallest location

on for a SURFACE: to on the cover of the book.
indicate position above and on this menu
in contact with On the surface
the surface of something On the floor
Smaller

ENCLOSED
SPACE: to locate in an office
Bigger
something enclosed in New York
in a space In the bedroom
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 Let’s practice: Fill in the blanks with the right PREPOSITIONS :
AT,IN, ON
•in a boundary: Where the area starts and ends IS important.
in
1. I’m ……………. the supermarket.
2. He plays guitar ……………..
in the bedroom.
3. I wash my hair …………….
in the shower.
•on a surface: Where the area starts and ends IS NOT important.

on
4. I’m ………….. the 4th floor.
on
5. Dinner is ………… the table.
on
6. The bus is ………. the road.
•at a point in space / at an event
at
7.I work …………. the supermarket.
at
8.I’m ………….. the bus stop.
at
9.I’m ……….. the concert.

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1.I went to Scotland _ 2001.
A. in
B. on
C. at
D. None

2.I will start my new job_ Sunday.

A. in
B. on
C. at
D. none

3. They are rarely__ home at lunch time.

A. on
B. in
C. at
D. None

4. I love to go running _ the morning.

A. in
B. on
C. at
D. None
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 in on
5. The art exhibit is ​ ……………… the Snodgrass Gallery ​…………………Pacific Street.
a) in
b) on
c) at
d) None
in
6. There's a rock concert ………………..​ on
the park ​………………… the corner.
a) in
b) on
c) at
d) None
at
7. Is there a good movie ​ …………….. the Film Palace tonight?
a) In
b) On
c) at
d) None
8. Let’s meet ______
at the bus stop.
a) In
b) On
c) At
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d) None
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 DESCRIBE YOUR SETTING!
 You are asked to use the vocabulary acquired during this session in order to write a
description of your project’s setting: Time and place (when and and where the story
takes place).
 You need to be specific: Era, time of year, time of day, season, weather, natural
surroundings, country, city, neighborhood…
 Don’t forget to add physical details.

You may answer these questions:

● Where is it?/ When is it?
● What is the weather like?
● What are the social conditions?
● What is the landscape or environment like?
● What special details make the setting vivid?
● What mood does the setting establish?
● Does the setting engage the reader’s senses or not?

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