Exercise 1. The story is taken from/written by

A helping hand

The story is taken from/written by…

The action takes place/is laid/is set in…

The main characters are…

The story opens up with the description of/the conversation between…

Then…/as the result of it…/after that…/finally…/in the end…

So/therefore/thus/because of it…

Each of these sentences can be rewritten much more briefly without really changing the meaning. Read them carefully, and then rewrite them in few words (between two and ten).

1. If I were asked to give an accurate description of my physical condition at the present moment, the only possible honest reply would be that I am greatly in need of liquid refreshment.

2. People whose professional activity lies in the field of politics are not, on the whole, conspicuous for their respect for factual accuracy.

3. I must confess to a feeling of very considerable affection for the young female person with whom I spend the greater part of my spare time.

4. Failure to assimilate an adequate quantity of solid food over an extended period of time is absolutely certain to lead, in due course, to a fatal conclusion.

5. It is by no means easy to achieve an accurate understanding of that subject of study which is concerned with the relationship between numbers.

6. It is my fervent wish that the creator of the universe will do his utmost to preserve and protect the royal lady who graciously occupies the position of head of state.

7. I should be greatly obliged if you would have the kindness to bring me, at your convenience, a written statement of the indebtedness I have incurred in connection with the meal which you have just finished serving to me.

8. The climactic conditions prevailing in the British Isles show a pattern of alternating and unpredictable periods of dry and wet weather, accompanied by a similarly irregular cycle of temperature changes.

9. I should be grateful if you would be so good as to stop the uninterrupted flow of senseless remarks with which you are currently straining my patience to breaking point.

10. I have long ceased to believe in the existence of the elderly male white-bearded person who is in charge of bringing gifts annually in the last week of December.

Exercise 2.

Read the text carefully and render it in as few words as possible.

Just leave the keys in, sir

Stan Murch, in a uniform-like blue jacket, stood on the sidewalk in front of the Hilton and watched cab after cab make the loop in to the main entrance. Doesn’t anybody travel in their own car any more? Then at last a Chrysler Imperial with Michigan plates came hesitantly up Sixth Avenue, made the left-hand loop into the Hilton driveway and stopped at the entrance. As a woman and several children got out of the doors on the right of the car, toward the hotel entrance, the driver climbed heavily out on the left. He was a big man with a cigar and a camel’s-hair coat.

Murch was at the door before it was halfway open, pulling it the rest of the way and saying, “Just leave the keys in it, sir.”

“Right,” the man said around his cigar. He got out and sort of shook himself inside the coat. Then, as Murch was about to get behind the wheel, the driver said, “Wait.”

Murch looked at him, “Sir?”

“Here you go, boy,” the man said and pulled a folded dollar bill from his pants pocket and handed it across.

“Thank you, sir,” Murch said. He saluted with the hand holding the dollar, climbed behind the wheel, and drove away. He was smiling as he made the right turn into 53^rd Street; it wasn’t every day a man gave you a tip for stealing his car.

Exercise 3.

Make a summary of an examination short-story on your choice. In pairs, make a peer correction of your summaries.

UNIT 2

PLOT AND ITS STRUCTURE

Plot is a chain of fictional events arranged in a meaningful pattern. Each link in this chain helps to build suspense and to solve the problems that the characters face. We can often gain much insight into the meaning of a story by looking at the shape of its plot.

Components of the plot (traditional model of plot development):

· Exposition — usually includes the establishment of the setting, the introduction of the theme and characters;

· Complications — follow the exposition and, as a rule, consist of several events which become tenser (the rising action) as the plot moves toward the moment of decision — the climax;

· Climax — the moment of the highest intensity (the peak of intensity), the crucial event in the story;

· Denouement — the unwinding of the action (the falling action). At this point the fate of the main character is clarified. The conflict is resolved.

Many authors introduce certain deviations from the traditional pattern of plot development, i.e. the author may leave out one or several of the components (e.g. exposition or denouement) or rearrange the components of the plot structure (e.g. a story may open up with the climax).

A fictional plot is usually based on a conflict — a situation or problem which a character tries to resolve. A conflict can be external — a conflict between a character and outside forces (a person against another person, a person against nature, a person against society, etc.) or internal — a conflict within the character him/herself (an individual conflict revealed through the character’s thoughts, feelings, etc.). The largest part of the story will deal with the main character’s struggle to resolve this problem or conflict hence he seeks a solution.

Although the typical fictional plot has a beginning, a middle, and an end, authors may vary their patterns of narration.

Patterns of narration:

1) a straight line narrative (chronological sequence);

2) a complex structure (events are not arranged in chronological order and flashbacks are used to bring the past of the characters into the story);

3) a frame structure (there is a story within the story; the two stories contrast or parallel);

4) a circular structure (the closing event of the story returns the reader to the introductory part).

The author often uses certain techniques to creatively unfold the plot:

· Flashback: A move back in time to an earlier incident, a scene from the past inserted in the narration.

· Foreshadowing: A hint or allusion to events which will develop later in the story.

· Retardation: The withholding of information (the author holds some facts back and keeps the reader guessing).

· Trick ending: The end of a short story comes out as a complete surprise.

Read the short-story and answer the questions that follow it .

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