HOW TO WRITE A GOOD STORY

Activity 1 - Getting started

In this lesson you are going to use your imagination to write a short story. What makes a story
enjoyable for you? Check the words in bold in the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary if you
need to.

Now put these things in order from most important to least important.

• An unusual setting • A surprising ending

• An exciting plot • Easy to read
• Believable characters • Lots of description

Activity 2 – Read an example story

Task 1: You are going to read a short story but first match these words from the story to their
meaning.

1. ……… burglar a) an imaginary creature that is large, ugly and frightening

2. ……… flour b) the area of floor at the top of the stairs
3. ……… monster c) white powder used to make cakes and bread
4. ………. landing d) someone who steals things
5. ………. tiptoe e) to walk quietly on your toes

Task 2: Think about the words you matched in Task 1 and read the opening sentence below.
What do you think happens in the story? Write your answer in your notebook.

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Task 3: Now, read the story. Were any of your ideas from Task 2 correct?

The Monster in the Kitchen

Peter woke up suddenly that morning because there were strange
noises coming from downstairs. Bang! Crash! “Mum?” he shouted.
But no one answered him. The noises were coming from the kitchen.
“It might be burglars...or a monster,” he thought. He got out of bed
and tiptoed quietly to the landing. As he stood there, his black cat,
Jennie, ran out of the kitchen. But she wasn’t black anymore – she
was completely white! He walked down the stairs and slowly looked
round the kitchen door. His 3-year-old sister was sitting on the floor.
She had a big jar of flour and was hitting it with a spoon. There was
flour everywhere! “You really are a little monster,” said Peter.
(118 words)
Task 4: Read the story again and write the answers to the questions in your notebook.

1. Why did Peter tiptoe to the landing?

2. Why do you think his black cat had turned white?
3. Was there really a monster in the kitchen?

Exam Tip!

When you write your story, pay close attention to any names or pronouns used in the opening
sentence, and make sure your story follows the same pattern. For example, if the story begins in
the 3rd person, e.g. ‘Jamie got up...’, it should continue that way using pronouns or possessive
adjectives like he, him and his.

Activity 4 - Pronoun and possessive adjectives review.

Task 1: Fill the gaps in the table

Subject Pronoun Object pronoun Possessive adjective

I me my
you you _______
he ______ his
she her
It ______ its
______ us our
they them ______

Task 2

1. Circle the names, subject and object pronouns and possessive adjectives in the opening
sentences in the table below. The first one has been done for you.
2. Now use this information to help you match the first half of the sentences (1- 5) with the
second half (a – e).

1. Flying in a helicopter was a new a) ...I heard a tiny voice coming from inside it.
experience for Sarah and Jenny...
2. Alice never studies but... b) ...and they were very excited.
3. I was sunbathing in the garden... c) ...her grades are always so good.
4. I knew it was a magic lamp when... d) ...when suddenly a spaceship landed in front of me.
5. Jamie got up in the middle of the night,
e) ...no one saw him leave the house.
so...

Get ready to write

Writing tip!
Planning is the first stage in writing. Your plan is the foundation that your writing is built on.
Planning your writing involves first understanding the assignment, then brainstorming ideas, and
finally, organizing your thoughts in a structured form.
KEY LANGUAGE AND IDEAS FOR STORIES

Brainstorm:
- Write 5-10 words related to the topic of the story
- Who are the characters?
- Where is story taking place?
- When?
- What happened?
- The climax
- The resolution

Organisation
Organize your story into paragraphs

1. Beginning – Exposition. The first paragraph gives details about the characters, the place and
the time of the story. Set the scene and introduce the main characters.
2. Middle – Action. The second paragraph gives the main events of the story; time expressions
make the order of the events clear; introduce a twist in the story (if appropriate)
3. End – Resolution. The last paragraph ends the story.

Time expressions
To put the events in a chronological order, we must use time expressions
At first…/Then…./ After that…/The moment that…/ Meanwhile

Introduce a twist:
Suddenly…/ All of a sudden,…/ Just then,…/ As soon as…/ Soon after that…/ Later that
night…/ 5 minutes later…/ That was when…

To begin a story: To end the story:

When I first… In the end…
At the beginning… Eventually, …
It all began… When it was all over…
After everything that happened…

Adjectives and adverbs make the story more interesting.

Adjectives to describe
- places: busy, quiet, modern
- people: friendly, kind, tall
- feelings: excited, angry, delighted

Adverbs to describe:
- how someone does something: quickly, slowly, carefully
- to comment on what happened: luckily, fortunately, unfortunately

Direct Speech- reproduce the words of the characters, what they think or feel.
“What a terrible experience!”, he thought.

Verb tenses:
Past Simple – to describe the main event
Past Continuous – to give background information, to describe the atmosphere
Past Perfect – to describe what happened before the main event.
Activity 5 – Read the exam task. Which is the best way to continue the story (1,2 or 3)?
Why?
• Your English teacher has asked you to write a story.
• Your story must begin with this sentence:
I opened the letter from my cousins in Brazil.

1. I have three cousins who live in Brazil, and I get on very well with them. They are all very
keen on football.
2. They said they were coming to visit me, and they were arriving on the 15th – today!
3. I think Brazil is a really interesting country, and I would love to go there one day. There are
lots of amazing wild animals there.

MODEL ANSWER

I opened the letter from my cousins in Brazil. They said they were coming to visit
Beginning
me, and they were arriving on the 15th – today!
I was really excited. First, I cleaned everything in the flat. Then I went to the
supermarket to buy food. After that, I made a cake to make them feel welcome.
Middle By evening, I was completely exhausted. I picked up the letter again to check the
time of their flight, and that’s when I noticed the date. They were arriving on the
15th July, but today was 15th June.
We had a wonderful time together in July, and all laughed about the mistake I had
Ending
made!

Task:
• Circle the time expressions used to order the events.
• Underline 4 adjectives

Activity 6 – Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in brackets. Use the past
simple, past continuous or past perfect.

1. I packed my bags and then _____________ (call) a taxi to take me to the airport.
2. Sara _____________ (wait) for me when I got to the restaurant.
3. I could finally relax because I _____________ (pass) all my exams!
4. I found an old key while I _____________ (walk) along the beach.
5. James was late because he _____________ (forget) to set his alarm.
6. I opened the door and then quickly _____________ (close) it again.

Activity 7 – Choose the correct time expressions to complete the sentences

I was really scared when my car broke down near the forest. 1Then/First, I tried starting the car,
but that didn’t work. 2Finally/Then, I tried to call a friend, but I had no signal on my phone. 3Next/
After, I decided to wait for another car so I could ask for help. 4An hour later/Before an hour, I was
still sitting there! Suddenly, I heard the sound of another car. 5Finally/ After, someone came to
help me and I got home safely.

Activity 8 – Read the exam task. Before you write your story, complete the table with ideas.
• Your English teacher has asked you to write a story.
• Your story must begin with this sentence:
We had decided to spend the day at the zoo.
• Write your story in about 100 words
Brainstorm some ideas:
5-10 words
related to the
topic

Where is the
The resolution story taking
place?

The Climax When?

What Who are the

happened? characters?

Beginning
Paragraph 1
(the background of the story, characters)
Middle
Paragraph 2
(the main events)
Ending
Paragraph 3
(bring the story to an end)
Write the story using your notes
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Check your story and make changes if necessary

•Does your story have a clear beginning, middle and ending?
•Have you used verbs in the past simple, past continuous and past perfect?
•Have you used time expressions to order the events?
•Have you used adjectives and adverbs to make your story interesting?
•Have you used the correct number of words?

More practice – use your mobile phones: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-

english/activities-for-learners/b2w003-order-of-events