LIFE SKILLS: CREATIVE WRITING
1 Ask and answer the questions with a partner.
1 In my free time, I really enjoy reading fantasy and adventure novels because they are exciting and have interesting worlds. 2 The last book I read was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. 3 Yes, I often imagine my own stories and sometimes write short mystery stories in my notebook.
2 Read the article on the opposite page about how to plan a story. Do you use a similar process for writing stories? Complete the sentences in the article with the words in the box.
I use a very similar process when I write stories because planning the characters and setting first makes writing the plot much easier.
1 There are fictional stories that writers imagine and true stories about events that really happened. 2 Most stories have one or two main characters. 3 The narrator is the person who tells the story. 4 Most stories take place in a particular place and time, or setting. 5 In the middle, there is often a problem that the characters have to solve.
3 Complete the sentences about the article with two or three words.
1 There are ways to plan the creative writing process. 2 The villain is someone who makes problems for other characters. 3 Sometimes the narrator knows what a character is thinking. 4 The setting includes facts about the location and time of the story. 5 Most writers revise and change their work many times before they are happy.
4 Match the highlighted words in the text to the meanings.
1 unusual or unknown — strange 2 well-known and easy to recognise — familiar 3 work to find an answer — solve 4 the feeling of a situation — mood 5 working in the best way — efficient 6 think or believe that something will happen — expect
5 Listen to Sam and Kate. How does Sam describe the genre of his story for English class?
Sam describes the genre of his story as an untypical mystery and a suspense story at the same time [00:35, 02:05, 02:20].
CREATIVE WRITING
6 Listen again and answer the questions.
1 Sam hasn’t finished writing his story yet because he only needed to make a plan for the English class today. 2 He is thinking about setting his story in an old house in the countryside (possibly in Scotland) in the 19th century. 3 The four main characters are going to be a group of friends (or cousins) their age: two boys and two girls. 4 When they go down to the basement, the door suddenly closes and they get locked inside and cannot get out. 5 The characters cannot call the police because the story takes place in the past, before phones existed. 6 Sam has not planned or written the ending yet because he wants to surprise everyone when he reads it in class.
7 Complete the list of narrative connectors in the Useful language with connectors from the box which have a similar meaning.
1 At first / First of all 2 Then / Next 3 After a while / A while later 4 Suddenly / All of a sudden 5 Fortunately / Luckily 6 Finally / In the end
PROJECT
Plan a short story. Then work with a partner to compare ideas. Use the story ideas and the questions below to help you. Share your plan with a partner. Give each other ideas to make the stories better.
1 The main characters are two teenagers, Mark and his sister Emma. 2 The setting is a mysterious, foggy old castle in the mountains during an autumn evening. 3 At first, Mark and Emma take shelter in the abandoned castle after a heavy thunderstorm starts. 4 Next, the heavy wooden gate slams shut behind them, locking them inside, and they hear strange footsteps upstairs. 5 The most important moment is when they discover an old secret tunnel behind a bookshelf in the library that leads under the castle walls. 6 In the end, they use the secret passage to escape safely outside just as the storm stops.
Write a first draft of your story. Then revise the draft, making corrections and any changes that are necessary. Read your story to the class.
First of all, Mark and Emma were hiking in the mountains when a heavy storm began. To escape the rain, they ran towards an ancient castle on a hill.
Then, they pushed the heavy front door open and walked inside. All of a sudden, the massive door slammed shut behind them, and they realized they were trapped. A while later, while searching for another exit in the dark library, they heard mysterious footsteps coming from the floor above.
Suddenly, Emma noticed a hidden lever behind a large bookshelf. When she pulled it, a secret door opened, revealing a dark tunnel leading out of the castle walls. Luckily, they ran through the tunnel and emerged safely outside into the fresh air just as the rain stopped. In the end, they returned home with an unforgettable story to tell.
VOCABULARY
1 Complete the sentences with the words in the box.
1 Jake offered to repair my bike because it wasn’t working properly. 2 The button on my coat fell off. I’ll have to sew it back on again. 3 I think it’s really important to recycle rubbish, to help the environment. 4 For a school project, I have to design an original cover for a mobile phone. 5 When their house burned down, they had to rebuild their whole life. 6 Lots of people like to customise their things so that they are a little bit different.
2 Match the sentence halves.
1 c (I usually cough a lot when I have a cold.) 2 d (When you look at the computer all day, it’s important to blink.) 3 a (My legs ached so much after all the running we did yesterday.) 4 b (When we feel very tired, we yawn.) 5 f (It took me a long time to recover from the illness.) 6 e (Be careful! That pan is hot and you could burn yourself.)
3 Match the words in the box to the meanings.
1 celebrity 2 festival 3 musician 4 studio 5 lyrics 6 live 7 clip 8 soundtrack
4 Complete the adjectives in the conversation.
Anna: Do you know the 1 historic town of Samport? Fred: I think so. It’s a 2 typical English town, isn’t it? Anna: Yes. Most of the buildings are in an old, 3 classic design but there are some quite 4 modern buildings too. Fred: There’s a 5 brand-new art gallery there, isn’t there? I think it opened last month. Anna: That’s right. There’s a 6 spectacular exhibition on at the moment that includes lots of different art forms. Everyone says it’s amazing! Fred: Oh, yes, I read about it. It includes things like ballet and paintings. It sounds really 7 original and different. I’d like to see it!
GRAMMAR
1 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs. Use the past simple or past continuous.
1 The weather was awful at the festival – it was raining, and I didn’t have my umbrella. 2 Justine was watching TV when she received a text message. 3 At the park last week, Magdalena was texting while I was reading my book. 4 Yesterday Alex missed the bus and forgot his homework. 5 Jack was listening to music when his mum called him for dinner.
2 Complete the sentences with the modal verbs in the box.
1 I think you should study tonight – you have a test tomorrow. 2 When you are in class, you mustn’t use your mobile phone – it’s against the rules. 3 You don’t have to do the shopping – I’ll do it later. 4 That doesn’t look good – you ought to go to the hospital and see a doctor. 5 I have to be at home for dinner tonight – my aunt is coming.