A story

Look at the short story and do the exercises to improve your writing skills.

Exam question

Write a story with the title “The English Exam”. You should use a variety of tenses and your story must be between 180 and 220 words.

Top Tips for writing

1. Your story should have a clear beginning, middle and end.

2. Use clear paragraphs.

3. Use a variety of narrative tenses.

4. Use direct speech or indirect speech when the characters talk.

Exercises

1. Check your understanding: multiple choice

  Circle the best word to complete these sentences.

1. When Dimitri woke up he felt   annoyed with his friend / tired and a bit anxious .

2. He thought he was unprepared / well prepared for the exam.

3. Dimitri realised he didn't have his wallet when he was on the bus / in the exam .

4. His friend Lucas lent him some money / bought him lunch .

5. Lucas thought the exam was easy / difficult .

6. If you want to say something is easy in English, you can say it is 'a piece of cake / bread ’.

2. Check your writing: matching – tenses

  Match the example sentence with the purpose (and tense).

Example sentences

1…….. The sun was shining and the birds were singing.

2…….. I was having a shower when she called. 

3…….. I saw that film last week.

4…….. I had been waiting for nearly an hour when he finally arrived. 

5…….. She had seen that boy somewhere before. 

Purposes and tenses

a. a completed action before a time in the past (Past perfect)

b. something that started and continued until a time in the past (Past perfect continuous)

c. setting the scene (Past continuous)

d. a finished action at a specific time in the past (Past simple)

e. an action that was in progress when there was an interruption (Past continuous and past simple)

3. Check your writing: gap fill – tenses

  Complete the sentences with the correct tense of the verb in brackets. Write one, two or three words. 

1. We decided to stop and rest our legs as we _______________ (walk) all day.
2. After breakfast, Tim _______________ (go) down to the garden to get some fresh air.
3. I tried to open the door but someone _______________ (lock) it from the inside.
4. I _______________ (travel) in Italy when I first met her.
5. It _______________ (rain) softly and people were starting to put up their umbrellas.
6. He looked again at the open door and the old, half-broken steps. His mother _______________ (warn) him not to go near that house, but it fascinated him.
7. ‘Come in out of the rain!’ Dad said. While we _______________ (get) dry and chatting about the evening's events, Dad made hot chocolate.
8. She was really excited about the race. She _______________ (train) for weeks, and she knew she was ready.

Discussion

Have you taken an exam recently? How did it go?                                                           Do you like writing stories?

Answers

1. Check your understanding: multiple choice

1. tired and a bit anxious
2. well prepared
3. on the bus
4. lent him some money
5. easy
6. cake

2. Check your writing: matching – tenses
1. c  2. e  3. d  4. b  5. a

3. Check your writing: gap fill – tenses

1. had been walking
2. went
3. had locked
4. was travelling
5. was raining
6. had warned
7. were getting 
8. had been training