Narrative language & discourse — The Story You Tell About Yourself
Grammar: None
Free ESL grammar exercise on narrative language & discourse themed around the story you tell about yourself. Printable worksheet from classplan.ai.
What's on this worksheet
A Level 5 (advanced) ESL grammar exercise on media. The worksheet has a short reading excerpt, a grammar reference and graded practice items.
From the reading
What makes a story land? Researchers point to three features: specificity, stakes, and surprise. A story about a woman changes fewer minds than one about a 34-year-old pharmacist in Guadalajara who made one decision on a Tuesday morning that cost her everything.
Grammar
- Causality chain
- Links events by consequence, not time: Because of that, she left. Because of that, everything unravelled. Causality drives stories forward.
- Specificity device
- Concrete detail creates presence: Not 'a woman' but 'a 34-year-old pharmacist in Guadalajara.' Specificity lowers the listener's defences.
Sample items
- She grieved. ______ that, she walked.... that, she began to understand.
- The story was not about a person — it was about ______ in Guadalajara who made one choice.
- He made clear that she had one chance and ______ to lose.
Subscribe to access the full exercise
View Plans