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Types of Stories

1. adventure

2. science fiction

3. historical

4. thriller

5. crime

6. detective

7. spy

8. romance

9. ghost

10. mystery

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Activity 2 CB p. 10

The Highest Mountain in the World

Nepal is a small Asian country. It lies

between India and China and is very

mountainous. The highest mountain in

Nepal is Mount Everest. It is 8,848

metres high and is also the highest

mountain in the world.

In 1920, a group of British climbers tried

to climb Mount Everest for the first

time. However, they didn’t succeed in

reaching the summit because the air was

too thin, and the climate was freezing.

Between 1921 and 1953 many climbers

tried to reach the top of Mount Everest.

But each time the cold weather and the

thin air stopped them. Moreover, many

Read the text below about the highest mountain in the world. After reading, find examples

of conjunctions (linking words) and note them down in your exercise book. The first one has

been found for you. Do NOT write in your Coursebook.

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climbers died on the way. Then in 1953, two climbers finally reached the summit of Everest. They

were Tenzing Norgay from Nepal and Edmund Hillary from New Zealand.

Tenzing Norgay

Tenzing Norgay was born in a small village in Nepal in 1914. He had twelve brothers and sisters

and his family was very poor. He didn’t go to school so he never learned to read or write. Tenzing

looked after the family’s animals and often took them up into the mountains to find food.

Meanwhile, he learned many things about climbing.

Tenzing tried to climb Mount Everest six times between 1935 and 1952. After he succeeded in

climbing it in 1953, he became very famous. In 1955 he moved to India and started to teach

mountaineering to young Asian climbers. He died in India in 1980.

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Time order words and phrases

Time order words and phrases make the sequence of events clear when you tell a story.

Make use of them to give your story clarity. Some examples of time order words and phrases are:

first(ly); second (ly); third (ly); then; next; last(ly); finally; eventually

(just) before; (just) after; after that; meanwhile; in the meantime

Top Tip, CB p. 10

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Activity 3, CB p. 11

Read the text below, which is part of an interview with Khalid Al Siyabi, the first Omani to

climb Mount Everest. Before you read, check the meanings of the following words.

Sherpa triple altitude sickness summit expedition setback

As you read, look for answers to these questions:

■ What is the role of Sherpas?

■ Why doesn’t every climber make it to the top of Everest?

Interview questions:

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Interview questions:

Is there only one way up Everest?

No, there are more than eight ways up, but there are two famous routes – the north

route and the south route. We took the south route.

Who did you climb with?

I was with a team of 19 climbers. The others were from Argentina, the US, Canada, the

UK, Ireland, Turkey and Australia. We had 36 Sherpas with us – local people from the

Himalayan region. The Sherpas are the real heroes of a climbing expedition. They carry

triple the weight that the climbers carry, they fix the route and they help you all the way.

I’ve climbed many times with the same Sherpa, Jangbu.

Did everyone make it to the top?

Unfortunately, no. Conditions were very tough and only 10 people from our team made it to the summit.

There are a lot of challenges on the mountain, of which the most dangerous is altitude sickness. The human

body is used to being at sea level, so if you are at a height of 4,000 metres you can suffer very bad

headaches, breathing difficulties and heart problems. Not every climber makes it.

Was there ever a moment when you felt you couldn’t go on?

No, I was always sure I could do it. I kept myself positive all the way. But just before Jangbu and I reached

the summit, we had an unexpected setback.

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Activity 4, CB p. 11

while before that first meanwhile

in the meantime after a time second next

then at last just then eventually

Listen to Khalid telling the story of what happened just before he reached the summit of

Everest. After listening, write the following time order words and phrases into your exercise

book. Then listen again and tick the ones that you hear while Khalid is talking.

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Writing a narrative about a�personal experience

a. Layout

1. Before you start writing, plan how you are going to organize your narrative. Think about the information you are going to include. Use basic question words to get yourself started. Ask yourself the following questions, and write notes to answer them.

• Who was involved in the situation?

• When did it take place?

• Where did it take place?

• What happened?

• How did you feel about it?

• Why did you feel this way?

2. Divide your narrative into paragraphs. Make sure that each paragraph:

• is clearly organized

• has a topic sentence expressing the main idea

• has two or three supporting sentences

3. Give your narrative a title, an introduction and a conclusion.

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Examples of topics for personal narrative.

1. An embarrassing experience (for example – as a result of a misunderstanding).

2. A first-time experience (for example – first day at school, first time playing a new sport, first time travelling in a plane, first time visiting another country).

3. The best day of your life.

4. A frustrating experience (for example – a bad day at home, at school, shopping etc).

5. A situation where you struggled with a problem, but in the end you found a solution.

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Writing a narrative about a�personal experience

b. Language

1. A narrative relates an event from the past. Therefore most of the verbs will be in the past tense form, especially the simple past.

2. If appropriate, use some direct quotations to make the story more alive and interesting, and draw the reader in.

3. Describe not only the events that took place, but also your feelings about them.

4. Use time order words and phrases to make the order of events clear.

Examples:

first(ly); second(ly); third(ly); then; next; last(ly); finally; eventually; (just) before; just (after); before that; after that; in the meantime; meanwhile

5. Write a first draft, then check it and make any necessary corrections. Write a final draft.

When checking your draft, you should pay attention to:

• Style: Have you used linking words and time order words and phrases?

• Grammar: Have you checked your verb tenses are correct?

• Spelling: Have you checked your spelling?

• Punctuation: Have you checked that you have used capital and full stops in the right places?

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