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Telling A Story

Step Up American Pragmatics and Culture

+Basic Story Structure

Introduction

Beginning

The Story

The End

Moral

+Story Structure: Introduction

Introduce the story by telling what kind of story it is. Examples:

“This is a true story” “This is a story I heard from a friend.”

Sample Language: First of all,To start off with, Initially,

+Story Structure: Beginning

Tell how the story started. Provide background information about the

setting & time period when the story took place. Mention where, what time of day, what the weather was

like, etc. Ex. Golden Girls – Sophia’s Storytelling

Sample Language for Continuing:

Then,After that,Next,As soon as / When + full clause,... but thenImmediately,

+Story Structure: The Story

Tell the main events, in the order that they happened. Ex. I woke up, went to the kitchen, and saw

the huge hole in the window…

+Sample Language

Interruptions / New Elements to the Story: Suddenly,

Unexpectedly, Examples: Suddenly, a child burst into the room with a note

for Ms. Smith.Unexpectedly, the people in the room didn't agree with the mayor.

Events Occurring at the Same Time While / As + full clause

During + noun (noun clause) Examples: While we were getting ready for the trip, Jennifer

was making the reservations at the travel agent's.During the meeting, Jack came over and asked me a few questions.

+Story Structure: The End

Tell what has changed or how things are now. You could have a happy ending, sad ending, or

even a cliff hanger. Ex. “so we managed to get to the concert right

on time”

Sample Language for Ending: Finally,In the end,Eventually,Lastly,

+Story Structure: The Moral

Make final comments or provide moral conclusions about the story. Ex. “In the end, it was better that it happened

that way because if it had happened the way I planned, no one would have been happy.”

+Other Important Elements Of Story Telling

Cause and Effect Provide reasons for different actions that occur in

the story

Link Ideas Logically

Use proper verb tenses Reported Speech

+Think of your own story to tell…

Think of a story that has happened to you or a friend of yours that is remarkable. What happened?

Was this a happy or sad story? Why?

What were the main events of the story? In what order did they happen?

How have things changed because of this story? What are things like now?

What lessons did you learn from the story?

+Now You Try…

Tell me your story.