How to tell a story( Past Events) in English? - Spoken English lesson

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18 Jul 201408:48

Summary

TLDRIn this educational video, Niharika teaches the art of storytelling in English. She emphasizes the importance of anecdotes, which are short stories about personal experiences. The video covers how to structure a story with linking words like 'firstly,' 'then,' and 'finally.' It also discusses the use of past and present tenses for different effects. Niharika advises using descriptive words to make the story engaging and not to sound like a lecture, ensuring a captivating narrative.

Takeaways

📚 Anecdotes are short stories about personal experiences or incidents involving someone you know.
🗣️ Storytelling is useful in English for conveying past events in a conversational manner.
💡 Link your ideas by sequencing them to maintain a logical flow in your story.
📝 Keep stories short, simple, and grammatically correct for better understanding.
🔑 Start a story with phrases like 'firstly', 'first of all', or 'to start off with'.
🔄 Use 'then', 'after that', or 'next' to continue the narrative and link events.
⏸️ Introduce interruptions or new elements with 'suddenly' or 'unexpectedly' to add drama.
🏁 Conclude with 'finally', 'eventually', or 'in the end' to wrap up the story effectively.
🕰️ Use past tense for storytelling, present tense for jokes or to add dramatic effect.
📈 Past simple tense is used for sequential events, while past continuous provides background or ongoing actions.
🎨 Use descriptive and emotive words like 'amazing', 'fantastic', or 'terrifying' to make the story engaging.

Q & A

What is an anecdote?
-An anecdote is a short story about something that happened to you or someone you know.
Why is telling a story or anecdote useful in English?
-It helps to convey past events in words, making conversations more engaging and personal.
In what situations can you tell a story?
-You can tell a story when discussing past events with friends, detailing past events like job interviews, parties, or trips.
What is important before beginning to tell a story?
-It's important to link your ideas and sequence them, keeping the story short and grammatically simple.
What words can help you begin your story?
-Words like 'firstly', 'first of all', 'to start off with', or phrases like 'that reminds me of' can help you begin a story.
How can you continue your story?
-You can continue your story by using words like 'then', 'after that', or 'next' to link the events.
How can you add interruptions or new elements to your story?
-You can add interruptions or new elements by using words like 'suddenly' or 'unexpectedly'.
What words can help you end your story?
-Words like 'finally', 'eventually', or 'in the end' can help you conclude your story.
What tenses are commonly used to tell a story?
-The past tense is commonly used, but the present tense can also be used for dramatic effect or when telling jokes.
When should you use the past continuous tense in a story?
-You should use the past continuous tense when providing a background to a story or showing progress in the narrative.
How can you make your story more engaging rather than sounding like a lecture?
-Use descriptive and emotive words like 'amazing', 'fantastic', 'terrifying', and 'petrifying', and consider exaggerating for effect.

Outlines

00:00

📖 How to Begin and Structure a Story

In this paragraph, Niharika introduces the concept of anecdotes, which are short stories about personal experiences or events involving someone known. She emphasizes the importance of linking ideas and sequencing them to convey past events effectively. Niharika suggests starting a story with phrases like 'firstly,' 'first of all,' or 'to start off with.' She also provides examples of how to continue a story using words like 'then,' 'after that,' or 'next.' To add interruptions or new elements, she recommends using 'suddenly' or 'unexpectedly.' Ending a story is crucial, and words like 'finally,' 'eventually,' or 'in the end' can be used. The paragraph focuses on how to structure a story using simple grammar and short sentences.

05:04

🗣️ Tenses and Language in Storytelling

The second paragraph delves into the use of tenses when telling a story. Niharika explains that while past tense is commonly used for storytelling, present tense can be employed for dramatic effect or when telling jokes. She illustrates the use of past simple tense for sequential storytelling and past continuous tense for providing background or showing progress within a story. The paragraph also advises on using expressive language and avoiding a lecture-like tone. Encouraging the use of words like 'amazing,' 'fantastic,' 'terrifying,' and 'petrifying' to make the story engaging, Niharika concludes with a motivational note, wishing the audience success in their storytelling endeavors.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Anecdote

An anecdote is a short, interesting story about a real incident or event. In the context of the video, anecdotes are used to engage listeners and make storytelling more relatable. The speaker mentions anecdotes as a useful skill in English to convey past events in an interesting way, such as sharing personal experiences or incidents involving others.

💡Linking Ideas

Linking ideas refers to the process of connecting different parts of a story or narrative in a logical and coherent manner. The video emphasizes the importance of linking ideas to sequence a story effectively. For example, the speaker suggests starting a story with phrases like 'firstly' or 'to start off with' to set the scene and then using 'then' or 'after that' to progress the narrative.

💡Past Events

Past events are occurrences that have already happened. The video's theme revolves around recounting past events through storytelling. The speaker gives examples such as job interviews, parties, or trips, which are all past events that one might narrate to others.

💡Interruptions

Interruptions in storytelling are unexpected twists or turns that add excitement or suspense to a narrative. The video script uses the phrase 'suddenly' to introduce an interruption, such as 'suddenly Amy fell off the bar,' which adds a dramatic element to the story being told.

💡Ending a Story

Ending a story refers to the conclusion of a narrative. The video discusses the importance of ending a story correctly to leave a lasting impression. Phrases like 'finally' or 'eventually' are suggested to wrap up the story, as seen in the example where the speaker concludes the party story by saying 'eventually we had to pick her up and take her to her house.'

💡Past Tense

The past tense is a verb form used to describe actions or states that occurred in the past. The video explains that the past tense is most commonly used when telling stories, as it helps to sequence events in chronological order. The speaker gives examples like 'I packed my bags' and 'I called for a cab' to illustrate past simple tense.

💡Present Tense

The present tense is used to describe actions or states that are happening now or are generally true. In the video, the speaker mentions using the present tense for dramatic effect or when telling jokes, such as 'she walks into the room' to create a vivid, immediate scene.

💡Past Continuous

Past continuous is a verb tense used to describe an ongoing action in the past. The video script uses 'past continuous' to set the background for a story, like 'we were driving down the motorway,' which provides context for the interruption that follows.

💡Exaggeration

Exaggeration is a rhetorical device that involves overstating or放大 details for emphasis or effect. The video encourages the use of exaggeration in storytelling to make it more engaging. The speaker suggests using words like 'amazing,' 'terrifying,' or 'petrifying' to add drama and color to the narrative.

💡Descriptive Words

Descriptive words are adjectives or adverbs that add detail and color to a story. The video advises using descriptive words like 'amazing,' 'fantastic,' or 'fabulous' to enhance storytelling. These words help to convey the emotions and atmosphere of the events being described, making the story more vivid and engaging.

Highlights

A useful skill in English is telling stories or anecdotes.

Anecdotes are short stories about personal experiences.

Stories help convey past events.

Stories can be told in various situations like with friends or during job interviews.

Linking ideas is crucial when telling a story.

Stories should be kept short and grammatically simple.

Use words like 'firstly' to begin a story.

Starting phrases can trigger a story, such as 'that reminds me of...'

Use 'then', 'after that', or 'next' to continue the story.

Interruptions in a story can be introduced with 'suddenly' or 'unexpectedly'.

End a story with words like 'finally', 'eventually', or 'in the end'.

Past tense is commonly used for storytelling.

Present tense can be used for jokes or to add dramatic effect.

Past simple tense is used for storytelling in sequence.

Past continuous tense provides background or shows progress in a story.

Use expressive words like 'amazing', 'fantastic', or 'terrifying' instead of 'nice' or 'bad'.

Exaggeration can be used to make the story more engaging.

Avoid making the story sound like a lecture.