Why do we love stories?

Answer each question with 2–3 sentences.

1. What was your favourite story as a child?
2. Do you prefer reading, listening or watching a story?
3. Who is the best storyteller you know?
4. Have you ever cried at a story?
5. Is there a book that changed your thinking?
6. Do you tell stories about your own life?

Read each word and the example. Then say a sentence about stories.

Choose the word that fits.

1. The sequence of events in a story is its .
2. The main character in a story is the .
3. An ancient story that explains the world, often with gods, is a .
4. Good stories help us feel for people whose lives are very different from ours.
5. A good tale can an audience for hours.
6. The central idea of a story, such as love or loss, is its .
7. A skilled can hold a whole room with only a voice.
8. A long poem about heroes, such as the Odyssey, is an .

Choose the right answer, then press Check answers.

1. a plot is the
   authorsequence of eventstitle
   of a story
2. a protagonist is the
   publisherlast chaptermain character
3. an oral tradition passes stories on by
   printingpaintingspeaking
4. empathy = understanding another person's
   addresssalaryfeelings
5. to captivate = to hold someone's
   coatmoneyattention
6. universal = shared by
   everyonenobodyone person

Use these phrases to describe and recommend stories.

• It is a tale in which...Це історія, у якій...It is a tale in which a king loses everything.
• the author whose stories...автор, чиї історії...He is an author whose stories are loved worldwide.
• the storyteller from whom I learned...оповідач, від якого я навчився...She is the storyteller from whom I learned the old tales.
• many of whomбагато з яких (про людей)The listeners, many of whom were children, sat in silence.
• several of whichкілька з яких (про речі)He wrote ten novels, several of which became films.
• the theme to which the story returnsтема, до якої повертається історіяLoss is the theme to which the story returns.
• What captivates me is...Мене захоплює...What captivates me is the voice of the narrator.
• It stays with you long after...Вона залишається з тобою ще довго після...It stays with you long after you finish.

Read the text. Hover over the dotted words for help.

1. Storytelling appears in every known human culture.
   TrueFalse
2. The text says all studies agree that fiction increases empathy.
   TrueFalse
3. Campbell described a hero's journey in 1949.
   TrueFalse
4. The text suggests that stories can simplify the truth.
   TrueFalse
5. The Iliad and the Odyssey were written before they were performed.
   TrueFalse

1. Why do stories stay in memory?
2. Can a story change a person's mind?
3. Whose voice is missing from the stories you know?
4. Will AI storytellers replace human ones?

Common mistakes: put the preposition before whom / which in formal style, use whose (not who's) for possession, and use of whom / of which after quantifiers. ✗ The author who's stories are famous → whose. ✗ The villagers, many of them are old → many of whom are old. ✗ The story to that she refers → to which. ✗ The man with who I studied → with whom.

1. The author,
   whosewho's
   stories are told worldwide, is a teacher.
2. The villagers,
   many of themmany of whom
   are elderly, still tell the old tales.
3. The story to
   thatwhich
   she refers is famous.
4. She has three novels,
   two of them whichtwo of which
   were translated.
5. The teacher
   with whomwith who
   I studied was a poet.
6. This is a tale
   in whichin that
   a king loses everything.
7. The year
   whenwhich
   the book appeared was 1949.
8. The reason
   forwhy
   he left is unclear.

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

1. The author who's stories are famous is a teacher. →
2. The villagers, many of them are old, tell the tales. →
3. The story to that she refers is famous. →
4. The man with who I studied is a poet. →
5. It is a tale in that a king loses everything. →
6. She wrote three novels, two of them which were translated. →

Answer in detail. Use advanced relative clauses and participle clauses.

1. Which story would you recommend, and what is the theme to which it returns?
2. Who is the storyteller from whom you learned the most?
3. Which authors, many of whom you admire, have shaped your thinking?
4. What is a story in which the ending surprised you?
5. Which stories do you retell, and to whom?
6. Why are the stories to which we return so often usually simple?

Three people discuss why stories matter. Compare them. Who values stories for pleasure? Who values them for learning? Whose view is closest to yours?

Your teacher will time you.

1. Plan for one minute, then speak for one or two minutes.
2. Part 1: describe a story that matters to you and its theme.
3. Part 2: say why stories matter (use at least two advanced relative clauses, for example with whom, in which or many of which).
4. Part 3: say whether stories can change people's minds.

1. What kind of stories do you like most?
2. Did someone tell you stories when you were small?
3. Do you tell stories to children?
4. Have you ever retold a story in your own words?
5. Which character would you like to be?
6. Do you prefer happy or sad endings?
7. Do you listen to audiobooks?
8. What story do you tell about yourself?

1. Who is the best storyteller in your family?
2. Who taught you to love reading?
3. Who wrote a book that moved you?
4. Who would you like to hear tell a story?
5. Who in your life tells funny stories?
6. Who writes the stories of your country?

1. Are stories more powerful than facts?
2. Do films tell stories better than books?
3. Should children be told frightening stories?
4. Is it right to retell old myths in a new way?
5. Can a story be both true and false?