STORY STRUCTURE

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 396.

Text 2

TASK 2

To practice your skills in modal verbs use read the following sentences and choose the suitable modal verb from the list of the suggested ones. Check the answers with those of your groupmates'.

1. I'm not really sure where Beverly is. She (must sit/ might be sitting/ ought to be sitting) at the editorial office or perhaps she's at the press conference.

2. Mike (should have returned/ can return/ must have returned) the video we have made on his way to work. It was on the table at the news desk, but now it has gone.

3. You (must check/ ought to check/ can check) the text of the article to be sure that everything is alright.

4. The computer is not working. I (will not be able to meet/ mustn't meet/ have to meet) the deadline. The computer (must have been damaged/ may have been damaged/ can be damaged) during production.

5. We (must to/ have to/ ought to) get a package and a live from our New York correspondent.

6. The editor thinks you (ought to/ must/ should) interview the film festival organizers.

7. If Debbie hasn't come yet, she (may be waiting/ should wait/ must be waiting) for us in the city desk.

8. Nick decided not to join us for lunch. He (had to/ ought to/ must) stay at work to finish the report.

9. The cameraman says he (has better/ should/ must) get footage of the setting before we arrive.

10. Jim is still an inexperienced reporter; he (need to/ must/ ought to) be told what news to write about.

11. We (could/ might to/ need) get an exclusive if we don't waste any time.

12. We (should/ need/ ought to) also interview the police and find some experts who can talk about how big the problem is across Europe.

13. If I hadn't taken a taxi, I (could have been/ might have been/ must be) late for the meeting with the editor-in-chief.

14. You (will need to/ must/ ought to) write all that up in a brief for us, but you (don't have to/ mustn't/ needn't) go into too much detail.

15. We (should/ have to/ must) remember to be sensitive during the interview.

If you wish to practice more on modal verbs use you may find theoretical information as well as practical tasks on the following site on the Internet: http://menuaingles. blogspot.com/2011/01/unit-19-level-3-upper-intermediate.html

Every newspaper genre has a particular structure which helps organize the information of the story in a certain way, logically and thus make it familiar for the readers to read and comprehend the article.

· Do you like writing articles? Would you like to devote your career to print media?

· Have you ever thought about writing stories in English? Where could you print your own stories?

& READING AND DISCUSSING 2

The text “Story Structure” written by Jim Hall will give you some useful information about the ways of writing news stories. While reading the text define these ways and then together with your groupmates discuss both advantages and disadvantages of all the ways how to write news items described in this particular text. Think which way of presenting information you personally appeal to.

You have several options when it comes to the structure of your story. You can choose a chronological order, where you present the key events in your story as they occurred. It is more likely, though, that you will use one of the three traditional news forms: a) the inverted pyramid, b) the narrative or c) the hourglass.

The most popular structure for news stories is the inverted pyramid. In the inverted pyramid, the information is arranged in descending order of importance. The most important material is placed at the beginning of the story, and less important material follows. Succeeding paragraphs explain and support the lead.

The inverted pyramid is popular because it still serves readers well. It tells them quickly what they want to know. It also serves the reporter by forcing him / her to sharpen his / her news judgment, to identify and rank the most important elements of the story. But the inverted pyramid has big disadvantages. Although it delivers the most important news first, it does not encourage good writing. Many times stories do not have an ending crafted by the writer; they simply end. There is no suspense. Reporters tend to lose interest, time and energy. Writing in the second half of the story is casual at best, and poor at worst.

People are prominent in the story, and they are responsible for the action. The story has a beginning, middle and end. Quotations sound like real speech. The words and actions of the characters reveal motives.

A third story structure, the hourglass, combines some of the best elements of both the inverted pyramid and the narrative. It consists of three parts: a top, which tells the news quickly; the turn, a nimble transition; and the narrative, a chronological retelling of events. The hourglass works well with police stories, courtroom dramas and other incidents that lend themselves to chronological narration. The hourglass has several advantages: readers get the news high in the story; the writer gets to use storytelling techniques; and it encourages a real ending.

www.courses.vcu.edu/ENG-jeh/BeginningReporting/Writing/ storystructure.htm

As you already know, a well organized newspaper article helps readers understand the story better and find in the text the necessary information a reader looks for. From the following text you will know about several ways of structuring your news article. Study them thoroughly and compare with the Belarusian tradition of organizing a news item. Do you see differences or common features?