English Grammar and Composition chapter 19: Completing Stories

Textbook (verbatim transcription): Completing Stories

Verbatim transcription of the printed NCTB textbook pages.

Contents8

Printed page 273 We all like to listen to stories. But it is not always easy when it comes to telling or writing a story well. It requires a lot of planning and organization in building up the plot and the characters. There are some common techniques of telling a good story. For example, how you begin it, how you carry the story forward, and how you end it. Before you start to write a story, you must have the whole plot clear in your mind, and the main points arranged in their proper order. Read the following story, one of Aesop's well-known fables, and see how the story has developed.

The Seven Sticks Long ago and far away, there was an old farmer who had seven sons. When he thought that he was about to die, he gathered his sons about him. He told a servant to bring in a bundle of seven sticks tied together. Handing the bundle to his oldest son, the father said to him, "Now break the bundle". The son tried with all his might, but he could not break the bundle. One by one, the other brothers tried. None of them was strong enough. The father smiled, "Now, my sons, untie the bundle. Each of you take a stick and try to break it." This time they had no difficulty doing as their father bid them. In a few moments all the sticks were broken. "In unity there is strength," said the father.

Activity 1 Following are some hints for another of Aesop's very well-known fables. The moral of the story is, "Where there's a will, there's a way". Try to complete the story by filling in more details. Use the moral in the right place of the story. Printed page 274 A thirsty crow came upon a pitcher \dots\dots. his beak was short and the water was very low \dots\dots. a bright idea\dots..took a pebble \dots.another one \dots..then another one\dots\dotswater began to \dots\dots.he dipped his beak and drank\dots\dots.

Activity 2 Write stories with the following sentences as the beginning. Remember that before you start to write, you must first think out the steps in the story clearly in your mind and arrange them in the right order. a. There was a crash and shuttering noises. As Selim looked back, he found people rushing to the corner of the road. He also ran and after parting his way through the crowd, he saw \dots\dots b. It was almost mid- night and Abir had still a long way to go. The country road was deserted. Only a faint light from the house far to the left reached the spot. All around him was quiet with the occasional hooting of an owl somewhere. The trees looked dark and ominous. Then suddenly \dots\dots c. Mukta got up from the bed as usual. She finished her morning chores and ran down the streets to catch the bus to school. That was when she remembered that it was the morning of May 23 \dots\dots.

Activity 3 Write stories using the following sentences somewhere in the middle of the stories. a. \dots Finally the two men jumped into the river. The current was fierce but they tried to swim as fast as they could. It was a matter of life and death \dots\dots Printed page 275 b. \dots The two of them sat looking at each other. They could not believe what they had just heard. Could it be true \dots. c. \dots She looked at the picture again. Her hands were now shaking perceptibly as tears rolled down her cheeks \dots..

Activity 4 Write stories with the following lines at the end of the stories. a. The night finally ended. The sun was rising with its red morning glow and everything seemed nice and quiet again. b. We all stood there quietly as the car rolled of silently. The Headmaster turned his head slowly from the back of the car to take a last look at the school. He tried to smile at us but tears were already rolling down his cheeks. c. The bus stopped at the school gate but it took some time before all the students got off. They were all tired and exhausted by the day's happenings. It was quite an adventure for all of us.

Activity 5 Look at the picture and write a story about it using your imagination. Figure Description: A digital camera mounted on a tripod-style stand, with a small LED light panel attached below it on the same mount. Writing or completing a story involves imaginative thinking and involves crafting of an imaginary story that will have a reflection of real life. It involves description of an imaginary situation with creative use of language. Sometimes you are required to develop a plot. Printed page 276 Write stories using the following hints.

Activity 6 A poor farmer has a son, who is extraordinarily bright, financially insolvent, the boy drives auto rickshaw and earns expenses for education, does very well, admitted in medical college, passes MBBS with gold medal, had to struggle hard all along for earning, father could not help much, obtains MBBS, becomes an MBBS doctor, obtains FCPS, becomes a famous doctor, serves the poor, parents are very happy, built a house for the parents and they live happily.

Activity 7 An honest officer; lives a simple life; somehow manages both ends meet; has difficulty funding for children's education; temptation for bribe, but retains his principles; his subordinates and colleagues, who are not like him, do not like him, they try to put him in trouble; once they took a large amount of bribe, and for safety hid the bag full of money in his office. The bribery was reported, police came to search for the money, it was found in his room, he was arrested, sent to jail , was suspended from his post, finally he was found not-guilty; got a compensation pack, and the real culprits were arrested and punished.

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