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STORY:

Beginnings and endings:

A narrative needs an interesting beginning to catch the reader’s attention and encourage him or her to read on, and a clear ending to round the story off satisfactorily. A weak beginning or ending can spoil the effect of the story, so it’s worth spending time working out how to start and finish.

Verb tenses:

We use:

The simple past to describe the main events:

I ran to answer the phone but it stopped ringing as I picked up the receiver.

The past continuous to set the scene:

It was raining heavily as we set off.

The past perfect to describe events which happened before the main events:

When I got on the bus all the seats had been taken.

Preset participles to show two actions which are linked:

Noticing that she looked lost, I asked if I could help.

Perfect participles to show that one action was complete before another started:

Having reported my stolen passport to the police, I returned sadly to the hotel.

Time Links:

before …. then … at first, … next …

later … during … after that … afterwards …

when … finally, … as soon as … eventually, …

immediately … in the end, … once …

A few days earlier … Just after that … Some time later …

Following the accident … Later on …

Adding variety and interest:

Try to use different adjectives to convey the atmosphere. For example, if you want

to convey the idea of fear, you could use frightened, terrified, scared.

Varying the length of sentences can be effective.

Use direct speech occasionally for dramatic effect (remember to use inverted commas correctly: “No,” he yelled, “don’t touch that switch!”)