SEBA Story Writing – English Grammar
FORMAT & RULES
1. What is a Story?
A story is a short description of connected events, either real or imaginary.
It is written in simple and natural language and usually gives a lesson or moral in the end.
2. Purpose of Story Writing
· To test imagination and creativity.
· To express thoughts in a simple and organized way.
· To teach a life lesson through events.
3. Steps to Write a Good Story (5-Step Formula)
Step 1 – Character:
Choose the main person around whom the story revolves.
Example: “Rina was a young girl who loved helping others.”
Step 2 – Problem:
Introduce a problem or challenge the character faces.
Example: “One day, she found a lost purse while walking home.”
Step 3 – First Solution:
The hero or main character tries to solve it.
Example: “She looked around to find the owner but no one was there.”
Step 4 – Twist:
Something unexpected happens or the first idea fails.
Example: “She thought of keeping it but her conscience stopped her.”
Step 5 – Final Solution (Ending):
End happily with a result or moral.
Example: “She returned it to its owner and was praised for her honesty.”
4. Language and Grammar Rules
· Use past tense.
· Keep tone simple and natural.
· Avoid dialogues and superhuman actions.
· Use connectors: Once, then, suddenly, later, finally, at last.
5. Things to Avoid
1. Don’t use imaginary superheroes or magic.
2. Don’t repeat words like then, but, and so.
3. Don’t write the moral separately — make it clear through the ending line.
1. (Outline: A king distressed — his people lazy — wanted to teach them a lesson — put a big stone in the middle of the road — people went around the stone, blamed the government for not removing it — king had it removed — beneath it was an iron box marked "For the man who removes the stone" — inside a purse full of money — the people were ashamed.) HSLC-2013
The King and the Stone
Once upon a time, there was a wise and kind king who ruled over a rich kingdom. The people of his country lived in comfort but had become very lazy. They always complained about problems but never tried to solve them. This made the king very sad, and he decided to teach them a lesson.
One morning, he ordered his servants to place a large stone right in the middle of the main road leading to the market. Then he hid nearby to watch what the people would do. Many men and women passed by. Some merchants, soldiers, and even nobles walked around the stone, cursing the king for not keeping the road clean. But not one of them tried to remove it.
After some days, the king came to the road himself. He asked his men to roll away the stone. To everyone’s surprise, they found an iron box beneath it with a note that read, “For the man who removes this stone.” Inside the box was a purse full of gold coins. The king gathered his people and told them the purpose of the test. Everyone hung their heads in shame. They realized that hard work and effort are better than complaints and laziness.
2. (Outline: A slave runs away from his master — sees a lion crying in pain — slave takes out the thorn from the lion's paw — a few months later the slave is caught — ordered to be thrown before a hungry lion — the lion rushes at him — licks his hands — remembers kindness — the lion and the slave both set free.) HSLC-2014
The Slave and the Lion
Once there lived a poor slave who served a very cruel master. The master beat him mercilessly and made him work without rest. Unable to bear such torture, the slave one night escaped and hid himself in a dense forest. He was weak and tired. While wandering through the forest, he suddenly heard a loud roar. A lion was lying under a tree, crying in great pain. Though the slave was frightened, he noticed a large thorn stuck deep in the lion’s paw. Gathering courage, he went near and gently pulled out the thorn. The lion looked at him thankfully, licked his hands, and quietly walked away.
After a few months, the slave was caught and brought before the king. The king ordered that he be thrown into a cage with a hungry lion as punishment. The hungry lion rushed toward him, but suddenly stopped and began licking his hands. Everyone was amazed to see such affection. It was the same lion the slave had helped. The king was deeply moved by this act of gratitude and ordered both to be set free. The slave bowed to the king in tears, realizing that true kindness always returns in unexpected ways.
3. (Outline: The lion, king of beasts — kills many animals — all animals terrified — hold a meeting — decide to send one animal to the lion every day — lion agrees — the turn of the hare — arrives late — tells there is another lion in the forest — the lion wanted to seize and kill him — hare takes the lion to a deep well — the lion sees his reflection — thinks there is another lion in the well — jumps in.) HSLC-2015
The Clever Hare and the Foolish Lion
Once upon a time, there lived a mighty lion in a large forest. He was the king of all animals but very cruel by nature. Every day, he hunted and killed many animals, not because he was hungry but to show his power. All the animals were frightened and tired of his cruelty. So, one day, they held a meeting and decided to send one animal to the lion every day as his food. The lion agreed to the plan.
Days passed peacefully until the turn of a small hare came. The clever hare decided to teach the lion a lesson. He walked slowly and reached the lion’s den very late. The angry lion roared at him for being late. The hare politely said that another lion in the forest had tried to stop him, claiming to be the real king. The proud lion became furious and asked the hare to take him there at once. The hare led him to a deep well and pointed inside. The lion saw his own reflection in the water and thought it was another lion. In anger, he jumped into the well to fight and drowned instantly. The clever hare returned safely and told the story to all the animals, who danced with joy.
4. (Outline: A hungry fox sees a crow with a piece of meat — wishes to have the piece of meat — praises the crow — asks the crow to sing — the crow sings — the piece of meat falls down from her beak — the fox picks it up and runs away.) HSLC-2016,2020
The Fox and the Crow
One bright morning, a hungry fox was wandering through a forest in search of food. He looked here and there but found nothing to eat. After a while, he saw a crow sitting on a branch of a tall tree with a piece of meat in her beak. The sight of the meat made the fox’s mouth water. He wished to have it, but he knew that he could never reach so high. Then a clever idea struck his mind.
The fox looked up at the crow and said sweetly, “Oh, what a beautiful bird you are! I have heard your voice is as sweet as your looks. Won’t you please sing a song for me?” The crow felt proud and foolishly opened her beak to sing. As soon as she began to caw, the piece of meat fell down. The fox quickly picked it up and laughed aloud. “Thank you, madam,” he said, “for your lovely song and my breakfast.” Saying this, he ran away into the forest with the meat.
The poor crow realized her mistake and felt ashamed of her foolishness. From that day, she learned never to trust flatterers again.
5. A car hits an old man and escapes — he is injured badly — crowd gathers on the spot — only show sympathy — they speak about the evil of rash driving — nobody comes forward to help the injured man — two schoolboys arrive — feel sorry for the old man — take him to the hospital. HSLC-2017,2019,2022
True Kindness of Two Schoolboys
One afternoon, an old man was crossing a busy road in the town market. Suddenly, a speeding car came and hit him. The driver did not stop but quickly drove away. The old man fell to the ground, bleeding badly and crying in pain. Soon, a crowd gathered around him. People began to talk about the evils of rash driving and how careless drivers had made the roads unsafe. But sadly, no one came forward to help the poor man. Everyone was busy blaming the government or the police.
After a few minutes, two schoolboys came that way. Seeing the injured man lying helplessly, they felt very sorry for him. Without wasting a moment, one of them ran to call a rickshaw, while the other tried to stop the bleeding with his handkerchief. They took the man to the nearest hospital, where the doctors attended to him immediately. The old man’s life was saved because of their timely help.
The crowd who had done nothing earlier now realized their mistake. They praised the courage and kindness of the two boys. That day, everyone learned that real humanity lies not in talking but in helping others in need.
6. Write a story based on the following outline:
Twelve fools start on a journey — cross a river — count themselves — each one not counting himself — each time counts eleven — a passerby offers to produce the twelfth man — pays each fool a blow — counts twelve. HSLC-2018
The Twelve Foolish Men
Once there were twelve foolish men living in a small village. One day, they decided to go on a journey to a nearby town. On the way, they came to a river and crossed it safely, one after another. After reaching the other side, one of them said, “Let us see if all of us have crossed the river safely.” So, one fool began to count the others but forgot to count himself. He counted only eleven. Another man also counted and got the same number.
They became very sad, thinking one of them had drowned. They sat by the riverbank and began to cry loudly for their lost companion. Just then, a wise passerby came by and asked what had happened. When he heard the story, he understood their foolishness. To teach them a lesson, he said, “Don’t worry, I’ll bring your missing friend back.”
He made all twelve men stand in a line and gave each one a light blow, saying, “One, two, three…” until he had struck twelve blows. Then he said, “There! Now you have twelve men.” The fools were overjoyed and thanked him for finding their missing friend. From that day, they realized how silly they had been.
7. Develop a short story with the following hints. Give a suitable title.
Two cats steal a cake — they quarrel over their share — they ask a monkey for making two equal divisions of the cake — cats are deceived. HSLC-2023,2024
The Two Foolish Cats and the Clever Monkey
Once upon a time, two hungry cats found a cake lying on the roadside. Both of them jumped at it at the same time and caught it together. “I found it first,” said one cat. “No, I did,” said the other. They began to quarrel over their share and soon started fighting. After a while, they decided to divide the cake equally, but did not know how to do it fairly.
Just then, a monkey passed by. Seeing the cats quarrelling, the clever monkey thought of taking advantage of the situation. The cats asked him to divide the cake equally between them. The monkey agreed at once. He broke the cake into two parts, but one piece was larger. So, he took a big bite from the larger one to make it smaller. Now, the other piece became bigger, so he took another bite from that too. He continued doing this until both pieces were gone.
The two cats stood sadly watching as the greedy monkey finished eating the entire cake. They realized their mistake, but it was too late. From that day, they learned that quarrelling and greed always lead to loss.
8. Write a story on the basis of the following outline. Give a suitable title.
Outline: Seema came back from the office - saw the front door of her house was open - flowerpots in the verandah were lying scattered - her dog was barking from inside the house. HSLC-2025
The Brave Dog
It was a quiet evening in summer. Seema returned home after finishing her work at the office. As she entered the lane, she noticed something unusual about her house. The front door was half open, and the flowerpots in the verandah were lying broken and scattered all around. Her heart filled with fear. She wondered if someone had entered her house. At that very moment, she heard her dog Bruno barking loudly from inside.
Gathering courage, Seema stepped forward and slowly pushed the door open. To her shock, she saw a man searching through her cupboard. The thief did not notice her, but Bruno had already seen him. With one loud bark, Bruno jumped on the man and caught his hand with his sharp teeth. The thief tried to run, knocking down a chair, but the brave dog pulled him back and continued barking. Hearing the noise, Seema’s neighbours rushed in. They helped her tie the thief with a rope and called the police immediately.
When the police arrived, they took the man away. Seema hugged Bruno tightly and thanked him for saving her home. The next morning, she bought him his favourite food as a reward. From that day, everyone in the neighbourhood praised Bruno’s bravery and loyalty.