A useful skill in English is to be able to tell a story or an anecdote. Anecdotes are short stories about something that happened to you or to someone you know.
How to start
Traditional stories often start with the phrase "Once upon a time". However, if you are going to tell your story after someone else has already spoken, you can say something like:
That reminds me!
Funny you should say that. Did I ever tell you about�
Hearing your story reminds me of when�
Something similar happened to me�.
How to tell your story
First of all, your story should be quite short. Try to keep it grammatically simple as well, so that it is easy to follow.
Make it easy for the listener to understand by using sequencing and linking words:
Sequencing words
These words show the chronological sequence of events.
First of all, I (packed my suitcase)
Secondly, I �. (made sure I had all my documents)
Previously (before that) �.. I changed some money.
Then� I (called a taxi for the airport)
Later (on)� (when we were stuck in traffic, I realised�)
But before al that� (I had double checked my reservation)
Finally� (I arrived at the wrong check-in desk at the wrong airport for a flight that didn't go until the next day)
Linking words
Use these words to link your ideas for the listener. Linking words can be used to show reason, result, contrasting information, additional information, and to summarise.
I booked a flight because�.
As a result, I was late�
Although I had a reservation, I hadn't checked the airport name.
I made sure I had an up-to-date passport and I also took along my driving licence.
In short, I had made a complete mess of the holiday.
Tenses
We can use a variety of tenses to tell stories and anecdotes. Jokes are often in the present tense:
A man walks into a bar and orders a beer.
We also use the present tense to give a dramatic narrative effect:
The year is 1066. In medieval England people are worried that the king, Harold, is not strong enough to fight off a Norman invasion.
However, we generally use past forms to talk about past events. If you tell your story in chronological order, you can use the past simple:
I double checked my reservation. I packed my suitcase, and then I called a taxi.
Use the past continuous to describe activities in progress at the time of your story, or to describe the background.
The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. We were driving along the motorway quite steadily until we suddenly saw in front of us the warning lights to slow down. We were heading towards a huge tailback.
Sometimes, you might want to avoid telling your story as one chronological event after the other. You can use the past perfect (simple and continuous) to add more interest to your story by talking about events that happened before the events in your story:
I double checked my reservation, which I had made three days previously.
I wanted to visit some friends who had been living in France for the last five years.
Vocabulary
Try to use a wide range of words to make your story more interesting. Remember that you can "exaggerate" when you tell a story, so instead of using words like "nice" or "bad", experiment with more interesting words, such as "beautiful", "fabulous", "wonderful", "horrible", "awful" or "terrible".
Finally - remember that you are telling a story - not giving a lecture. Look at the people listening, and try to "involve" them in the story or anecdote. Keep eye contact, use the right intonation and try to make your face expressive. You might also want to try practising a few anecdotes in the mirror before "going live". Have fun!

Sara Ferguson stared out the window of the caf�. She could not stop thinking about her dad. She was living at home with him, attending college full time. Last night her dad was complaining of chest pain. It really scared her. She had never thought about losing him. Sara was four when her mom died. Her dad had always been there for her. Now she could not stop worrying. He was only 49. She needed him.

Sara watched people go in and out of the shoe store across the street. It reminded her of when she was a little girl. Sara started working when she 10 yrs old. Every Saturday, she walked to work with her dad. He owned a shoe shop in Los Angeles. Sara liked hanging out with her dad. She also enjoyed helping the customers pick out shoes. Her dad paid $1.50 for every pair of shoes she sold. The most money she ever made in one day was $15.00. Sara�s dad taught her how to budget her money carefully. Each week, she wrote down how many pairs of shoes she sold. She counted all her money. Then Sara put 75% in a savings account that her dad opened for her. She kept 25% to spend.

Sara�s dad started talking to her about college when she was 3 years old. �It�s never too early to start planning for your education,� he always said. And he was right.

Sara never touched the money in her savings account. She waited until her graduation day from high school. On that day, she spent some money. She bought her dad a special present for putting up with her teenage years. She bought herself the class ring she wanted. Sara felt like she was rich, but not for long. Her dad agreed to pay for her tuition each semester. Sara, herself, had to pay for her books. T

Sara did not think that money for books was a great deal. Then she she went to the bookstore that Fall. She was surprised to find out how much it cost to go to college! But it was all working out fine. Now she was nearing the end of her first year. She was looking forward to finding a summer job.

But Sara�s outlook on life changed yesterday. She saw the pain in her father�s eyes last night. He had gripped his chest and fallen back into the chair. She knew things would be different. She skipped school today to sit in her favorite caf�. She needed to think. Her head was full of questions. Do I need to start taking care of my dad? Do I need cook healthy meals? Should I start exercising with him? What if this happens again? What if he dies? What will I do?

Sara decided to make a list of important matters to discuss with her father. She already knew what he would say: �Oh, don�t be silly. There is nothing wrong with me.� And she would give him the speech about not blowing her off. And then he would listen. She would ask questions. He would answer them. And she would wish she were 10 years old again.

Sara stayed at the caf� all day long. She wasn�t hungry. She hadn�t eaten all day, except for a muffin and coffee that morning. At about 4:30, Sara looked up from her list. Standing outside the caf� window was her father. He looked down at her. She smiled, and tears streamed down her face. Her dad came inside and sat down. He didn�t say anything at first. He just looked at the paper, trying to make out the words between her fingers. He wiped her tears away, and said, �I�m okay, but you�re right, we probably need to talk about some things.�

Sara thought, "I'm so glad I didn�t have to give him the speech."

By the way it don't belong to me, just copied from somewhere else.

that is odd
thanks for sharing this ..

first hello for every body I know ı dont know very well engılısh but ı want to share a story about me as well as ı can.that story about love...

Not long just last year, ı was studing school of freing languange to learn engilish.we were 25 student at class.there were 5 gırl.and one of that gırl ı felt in love when ı saw her.her face is very sweet.and ı always looked her every lesson.ı breaked off world.when ı went home ı mıss her very much so ı didnt want lesson to be finish.because ı loved her too much.she was very important to me.ı saw her where ı looked her face.ı only think her. offcourse she understood my love but she said that 'dont look me from now ı dont believe love' yes word for word she said that.after than ı felt very bad myself.how cant ı look her she was at my class.it was to dreadful for me.but ı cant forget her.ı want do it but ı cant.ı love her more than every thing but she didnt love me...

ı ma sorry ı am able to do that...

A farmer was walking along a path when he found an injured snake. 'Help me' cried the snake 'and I promise I will never hurt you'. 'But you are a snake' said the farmer. 'How can I trust you?'
In the end, the farmer picked up the snake, took him home and looked after him until he was better. Then the snake bit him.
'Why have you betrayed me ?' asked the farmer as he lay dying. 'I trusted you, I helped you.'
'Yes', said the snake, 'but you knew I was a snake when you picked me up'.

@irrestible
Love the penguin avatar - where did you get it?

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