2b
Write a story
A. Discuss.
• What's the most dangerous situation you have ever been in? How did you feel?
B. Read the writing task and the story that follows and answer the questions.
When it is possible, underline words / phrases in the story to justify your answers.
An international magazine has organised a short story
competition and you have decided to enter. The
competition rules say that the story must end with the
following words:
They were lucky to be alive.
It was cold, dark and quiet, for now. Terry and his brother, Phil, were
sitting in the cabin shaking with fear. It had been Terry's idea to spend
the New Year in the mountains. However, it was turning out to be a
very bad one. Surely it wouldn't be long before the 400-kilo beast
would break into the cabin.
Terry got up quietly and glanced outside. When he looked at Phil again, he was
so terrified he could barely speak. He held up two fingers and whispered, 'There
are two of them!' There was no hope left. Two polar bears would easily find a
way in.
Suddenly, Terry had an idea. He searched through his bag and removed a
small box. Phil immediately understood. Terry had some fireworks which he
wanted to set off at midnight, but now was probably a better time. So, he
lit one and threw it outside.
They held their breath. A moment later, there were loud bangs and flashes of
light, which scared the polar bears away. 'They're gone!' cried Phil. The boys
were so relieved!
The fireworks attracted some locals who took the boys to safety. They were lucky to be alive.
1. Has the writer ended the story appropriately?
__________________________________________________________________
2. What tenses does the writer use throughout the story?
__________________________________________________________________
3. What words/phrases does the writer use to link ideas?
__________________________________________________________________
4. Why does the writer use Direct Speech in the story?
__________________________________________________________________
Look at the table beloW. Then read the story and circle the correct words / phrases.
LINKING WORDS/PHRASES
TIME:
CAUSE - REASON:
before, when, as soon as, while, as, during,
because, because of + noun, as
after that, after a while, later, soon, then, at first.
in the beginning, finally, by the time,
at that moment, since, just as,
in the meantime, till / until, immediately EMPHASIS:
in fact, actually, as a matter of fact
RESULT - CONSEQUENCE:
so that, such that, so, therefore, for this reason,
as a consequence, as a result
Hana loves exploring places on her mountain
bike. However, last month she had an
experience she wants to forget. She was
riding through the woods (1) while / during
the sun was going down. She was admiring
the beautiful colours in the sky and (2) as /
because of this, she didn't notice the deep
hole in the ground and fell into it. But worst of
all, her arm was caught between two rocks.
They were (3) so / such heavy that she
couldn't move them. (4) As a result /
Because of, she couldn't get out of the hole.
(5) While / So she started calling for help,
but there was no answer. (6) In fact / For this
reason, there was nobody around for miles.
Night came and Hana was terrified, cold and
in a lot of pain. She was exhausted and
decided to get some sleep. But (7) just as /
at that moment she was closing her eyes, she
heard a car nearby. (8) Later / Then an idea
came to her. She reached her bike with her
other hand, turned on the light and moved it
around Fortunately, the driver of the car saw
the light and came to see what it was. Hana
was saved!
