Page 76 - Prime Time 1-5 Leaflet

An English magazine has asked its readers to send in short
stories with the title: ‘A Lucky Escape’. The best story wins
í250. Write your story for the competition (200-250 words).
1 Answer the questions.
1 How has the writer set the scene?
2 What senses has the writer referred to?
3 What is the climax event?
4 What adjectives/adverbs has the writer used?
5 What time words has the writer used to show the sequence
of events?
Stories
Stories can be written either in the first or the
third-person and present a series of events,
real or imaginary. The events in the story
should be written in the order in which they
happen. Stories include:
ñ an introductory paragraph which sets
the scene (describes the time, place, people,
activity, weather, etc),
ñ main body paragraphs (describing incidents
leading up to the main event, the main event
itself and its climax) ,
ñ a concluding paragraph (describing what
happens in the end, people’s reactions/feelings, etc)
Stories are characterised by:
ñ the use of past tenses (The sun was shining
brightly when they set out. She put on her coat,
opened the door and went outside. When the waiter
brought the bill, Mr Bartlett was embarrassed to find
he had forgotten to bring his wallet.)
ñ linking words/phrases that convey time
and sequence of events (first/at first, then/
next, after/before that, during, while, meanwhile,
as soon as, the moment that, by the time, in the
end/finally, etc) .
ñ descriptive adjectives/adverbs to make
the story more interesting (elegant, pleasant,
breathtaking, fast, politely, softly, etc)
ñ direct speech to make the story more
dramatic (“Whatever are you doing?” she yelled.)
Useful Language
Starting a story/Setting the scene
ñ Karen felt (exhausted) as she had been (studying
hard for her exams for six months).
ñ The birds were singing happily when Tom
woke up on Saturday.
Leading up to the main event
ñ At first, we didn’t notice (anything strange).
ñ The (party) had only just (started) when …
ñ The next thing (Tom) knew, (he was …) .
The main event/climax of the story
ñ They started (screaming and shouting in panic) .
ñ I felt sure (the plane) was going to (crash).
Describing people/places/objects/feelings
ñ The old man behind the counter …
ñ The streets of the small town were crowded
and bustling during Carnival week.
ñ Small puffy white clouds drifted lazily above
our heads.
ñ To their (surprise/disgust/horror, etc) …,
ñ Imagine our (disappointment) when …
Ending a story
ñ I’ve never felt so (relieved/scared, etc) in my
whole life.
ñ He knew he would never … again.
ñ It was the most (embarrassing) moment I’ve
ever experienced.
Practice
A Lucky Escape by Jane Lucas
One Friday afternoon, last winter, I was travelling home
on the bus. It was very cold and the rain was pounding
heavily against the windows. I was looking forward to having
a hot bath and a cooked meal to warm myself up once I got
home. I had no idea that I would have a very lucky escape.
The bus was making its way along the high street when
something went terribly wrong. We were only about five
minutes away from my house when suddenly the driver
slammed his brakes on. Everyone on the bus was thrown
forwards and then the bus skidded, spun around and veered
off the road. The last thing I remember is spinning over and
over.
When I came round, people were moaning. My head was
throbbing and there was blood running down the side of my
face. I realised I was trapped in the bus which was on its side,
but I could hear the sound of sirens in the distance. Soon
after that, the emergency services were cutting us out of the
vehicle and taking people to hospital.
Fortunately, a couple of hours and three stitches later, I
was able to go home. I was extremely relieved that no one
was seriously injured and very happy to finally make it home.
1
2
3
4
Writing Bank
WB1
1 SAMPLE PAGE FROM
WRITING BANK