Page 58 - İngilizce 12 | Kazanım Kavrama Etkinlikleri

FUNCTIONS: English 12
• Talking about wishes and regrets
Manners 28
• Apologizing Theme 10
• Giving explanations
L1
1. Read and complete the text with the six-word stories below.
a “Not quite what I was planning.”
b “Shared a story, changed the world.”
c “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
How many words ARE needed to tell a story?

If you were told to tell a story in six words, what would you say? Probably, you would say;
‘No way!’ However, it is claimed that the famous American author Ernest Hemingway did
it. In the 1920s, he bet ten dollars that he could write a complete story that could make
people cry in just six words. To the astonishment of his friends, he won the bet by writing
the shortest story in the world: (1)
In 2006, inspired by this anecdote, Smith Online Magazine asked its readers to write a story
in just six words and published a book named after one of the submissions telling about the
common disappointment in life: (2)
However, so many people took up the challenge that the editors of the magazine had to work on a second
collection of six-word stories. Then, Larry Smith, the founder of the magazine, started the Six-Word Memoir
Project as he was on a quest to help other people tell their stories. Nowadays, his project has become an
inspirational and addictive form of self-expression embraced by lots of people of all ages around the world.
Thus, more than 1 million Six-Word Memoirs have been shared across Smith Magazine sites, and his
project can be found in classrooms, hospitals, prisons, etc. The project is also used in therapy groups as
stories are deceptively simple and surprisingly powerful. Sharing regrets and disappointments heals people.
Therefore, Larry Smith keeps telling about his project in various educational events and invites people to
write their life stories. He finishes his talks with his own six-word story: (3)
2. Read the text again and circle the correct option.

1 Hemingway’s story tells about a heartbreaking loss/dramatic change.
2 The readers took/ignored the six-word challenge seriously.
3 The name of the first six-word book had a sense of satisfaction/dissatisfaction.
4 Larry Smith’s six-word challenge turned into a success/failure story.
5 Stories have strong positive/negative effects on human psychology.
6 Larry Smith believes that stories will unfortunately/incredibly change the world.

3. Below are some of the six-word life stories sent to Smith Magazine. Read and discuss what the
writers would change if they had a chance.
1 Wrong era, wrong class, wrong gender. 4 Really should have been a lawyer.
2 Worry about tomorrow, rarely enjoy today! 5 Born London, lived elsewhere, died inside.
3 Found true love, married someone else. 6 Any chance I could start again?

4. Match the regrets with the stories in Exercise 3.
a I wish I could turn back and try it all d If only I hadn’t missed the love of my
once more. life.
e I wish I hadn’t ruined my life talking
b I wish I weren’t so anxious about time.
inside.
c If only I had chosen the right f If only I’d been born in a different time
profession for me.
under different circumstances.

5. Now, it is your turn for your tiny stories. Write your life story in six words.

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