Super stories
The Sea Cave
Nouns and adjectives
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Hi!

Welcome to Super Stories
Incorporated. I'm Dave Briggs,
the publishing director.
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Have you been told your role here?

You're going to be my editor. Your
job is to read through some of the
new stories we want to publish and
make them more exciting.
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Some of our stories are a little … dull.

It's your task to make the text and illustrations in them more vivid and engaging.
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Let's get started.
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Here's one of our stories. It's a horror story that should be really gripping, but some parts of the story are a bit flat.

Read it and see what you think.
The
Sea
Cave
Back
Here's one of our stories. It's a horror story that should be really gripping, but some parts of the story are a bit flat.

Read it and see what you think.
Gasping for breath, Amy broke the surface of the water and found herself in a cave.

She was completely exhausted after being swept out to sea and had been battling desperately to find her way back to the place from which she'd set out.
Back Next Back
Here's one of our stories. It's a horror story that should be really gripping, but some parts of the story are a bit flat.

Read it and see what you think.
In the light from the mouth of the cave, she could see the roof above her and the water lapping against the rocky sides. Huge spikes hung from above.

Wearily, Amy struggled over to a narrow stretch of sand on one side of the cave and pulled herself out of the icy water.
Back Next Back
Here's one of our stories. It's a horror story that should be really gripping, but some parts of the story are a bit flat.

Read it and see what you think.
Suddenly the surface of the water began to ripple. Astonished, Amy saw a thing appear stealthily from the water's depths.

Long and sinuous like a snake, but much thicker in the body, it was covered with shiny, black scales. As it threateningly lifted its head, Amy saw two green eyes glaring at her.
Back Next Back
Here's one of our stories. It's a horror story that should be really gripping, but some parts of the story are a bit flat.

Read it and see what you think.
For a moment, Amy sat mesmerised. Then, as she cautiously backed away from the water's edge, the thing rose up out of the dark and lunged towards her, its mouth open to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Horrified, Amy turned and fled frantically into the darkness of the cave.
Back Next Back
Here's one of our stories. It's a horror story that should be really gripping, but some parts of the story are a bit flat.

Read it and see what you think.
Stumbling over rocks and stones, she scrambled deeper into the cave. Suddenly she saw a tiny spot in the distance, which grew larger as she drew nearer.

Finally, Amy emerged into the sunlight and found herself standing at the foot of the cliff. Then, behind her, she heard the thing roar.
Back Done
As you can see, it's not bad. There's some good scary action, but the descriptions could be much better. Some of the nouns and adjectives need changing. That's where you come in.

Let's begin.
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The first words I'd like you to edit are the nouns.

So … what makes a good noun?
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Nouns are words that name people, places and things. Nouns tell us what the story is about, who's in it and where they are.

'Man' is a noun – so are 'house', 'door' and 'path'. We can choose nouns that tell our readers how we want them to think about something.
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Here's an example.

Look at how the choice of nouns below changes how the reader thinks about who or what is involved in this scene. One choice is much more scarier than the other.
′A fish was coming towards
the swimmers.′
′A shark was coming towards
the swimmers.′
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Select the book to begin!
The
Sea
Cave
Back
Select a noun to edit it.
Gasping for breath, Amy broke the surface of the water and found herself in a .

She was completely exhausted after being swept
out to sea and had been battling desperately to find her way back to the from which she'd set out.
Next

That's not the best choice.

Choose a noun that shows
that Miles is creeping through
the garden.

OKTry again
Select a noun to edit it.
In the from the mouth of the cave, she could see the roof above her and the water lapping against the rocky . Huge hung from above.

Wearily, Amy struggled over to a narrow stretch of sand on one side of the cave and pulled herself out of the icy water.
Next

That's not the best choice.

Choose a verb that shows
that Miles is creeping through
the garden.

OKTry again
Select a noun to edit it.
Suddenly the surface of the water began to ripple. Astonished, Amy saw a appear stealthily from the water's depths.

Long and sinuous like a but much thicker in the body, it was covered with shiny, black scales. As it threateningly lifted its head, Amy saw two green eyes glaring at her.
Next

That's not the best choice.

Choose a verb that shows
that Miles is creeping through
the garden.

OKTry again
Select a noun to edit it.
For a moment, Amy sat mesmerised. Then, as she cautiously backed away from the water's edge, the rose up out of the and lunged towards her, it's open to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Horrified, Amy turned and fled frantically into the darkness of the cave.
Next

That's not the best choice.

Choose a noun that shows
that Miles is creeping through
the garden.

OKTry again
Select a noun to edit it.
Stumbling over rocks and sharp stones, she scrambled deeper into the cave. Suddenly she saw a tiny in the distance, which grew larger as she drew nearer.

Finally Amy emerged into the sunlight and found herself standing at the foot of the cliff. Then, behind her, she heard the roar.
Next Done

That's not the best choice.

Choose a verb that shows
that Miles is creeping through
the garden.

OKTry again
Congratulations! That's all of the nouns completed. That certainly sounds a lot better!

Select Next to go to the next task.
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The next words I'd like you to edit are the adjectives.

So … what makes a good adjective?
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Adjectives are linked to nouns to
tell more about them. 'Happy' is
an adjective – so are 'red', 'large'
and 'terrifying'.

We can choose adjectives to describe what something or someone looks or sounds like. We can also show our opinions of people and things with adjectives.
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Here's an example.

Look at how the choice of adjectives below changes how the reader thinks about what's happening in this scene.
′A friendly dog ran up to
the fence.′
′A vicious dog ran up to
the fence.′
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Select the book to begin choosing adjectives.
The
Sea
Cave
Back
Select an adjective to edit it.
Gasping for breath, Amy broke the surface of the water and found herself in a cavern.

She was completely exhausted after being swept out to sea and had been battling desperately to find her way back to the beach from which she'd set out.
Next

That's not the best choice.

Choose a verb that shows
that Miles is creeping through
the garden.

OKTry again
Select an adjective to edit it.
In the glow from the mouth of the cave, she could see the roof above her and water lapping against the rocky walls. Huge stalactites hung from above.

Wearily, Amy struggled over to a narrow stretch of sand on one side of the cave and pulled herself out of the icy water.
Next

That's not the best choice.

Choose a verb that shows
that Miles is creeping through
the garden.

OKTry again
Select an adjective to edit it.
Suddenly the surface of the water began to ripple. Astonished, Amy saw a shape appear stealthily from the water's depths.

Long and sinuous like a serpent, but much thicker in the body, it was covered with shiny, black scales. As it threateningly lifted its head, Amy saw two green eyes glaring at her.
Next

That's not the best choice.

Choose a verb that shows
that Miles is creeping through
the garden.

OKTry again
Select an adjective to edit it.
For a moment, Amy sat mesmerised. Then, as she cautiously backed away from the water's edge, the creature rose up out of the murkiness and lunged towards her, its jaws open to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Horrified, Amy turned and fled frantically into the darkness of the cave.
Next

That's not the best choice.

Choose a verb that shows
that Miles is creeping through
the garden.

OKTry again
Select an adjective to edit it.
Stumbling over rocks and stones, she scrambled deeper into the cave. Suddenly she saw a tiny light in the distance, which grew larger as she drew nearer.

Finally, Amy emerged into the sunlight and found herself standing at the foot of the cliff. Then, behind her, she heard the beast roar.
Done

That's not the best choice.

Choose a verb that shows
that Miles is creeping through
the garden.

OKTry again
Congratulations! That's all of the adjectives completed. Your changes have made the story much more scary and tense.

Select Next to go to the next task.
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The last part of the story I'd like you to work on are the illustrations.

So … what makes a good illustration?
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Illustrations need to be dynamic and help tell the story.

Sometimes illustrations exactly represent the words in the story. Or they can show things the words don't say, so you get more out of a story.
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Here's an example.

Look at how the choice of illustration below changes the reader's image of what's happening in the story.
Poor illustration
Good illustration
'The terrifying shark was thrashing violently towards the unfortunate swimmers'.
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Select the book to begin!
The
Sea
Cave
Back
Select an illustration from the Gallery to try it on the page.

Select Check when you have chosen the illustration you want to use.
Gasping for breath, Amy broke the surface of the freezing water and found herself in a vast cavern.

She was completely exhausted after being swept out to sea and had been battling desperately to find her way back to the beach from which she'd set out.
Check Illustration of a distressed woman half-submerged in water. Illustration of two people playing on the beach with a beachball. Illustration of a smiling woman walking on a road by the sea. Next

That's not the best choice.

Look for an illustration that makes the mansion and garden look overgrown and creepy.

Try again
Select an illustration from the Gallery to try it on the page.

Select Check when you have chosen the illustration you want to use.
In the faint glow from the mouth of the cave, she could see the roof above her and the dark water lapping against the rocky walls. Huge dripping stalactites hung from above.

Wearily, Amy struggled over to a narrow stretch of sand on one side of the cave and pulled herself out of the icy water.
Check Next

That's not the best choice.

Look for an illustration that makes the mansion and garden look overgrown and creepy.

Try again
Select an illustration from the Gallery to try it on the page.

Select Check when you have chosen the illustration you want to use.
Suddenly the surface of the water began to ripple. Astonished, Amy saw a murky shape appear stealthily from the water's depths.

Long and sinuous like a serpent but much thicker in the body, it was covered with shiny, black scales. As it threateningly lifted its enormous head, Amy saw two sinister green eyes glaring at her.
Check Next

That's not the best choice.

Look for an illustration that makes the mansion and garden look overgrown and creepy.

Try again
Select an illustration from the Gallery to try it on the page.

Select Check when you have chosen the illustration you want to use.
For a moment, Amy sat mesmerised. Then, as she cautiously backed away from the water's edge, the extraordinary creature rose up out of the murkiness and lunged towards her, its gaping jaws open to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Horrified, Amy turned and fled frantically into the deep darkness of the cave.
Check Next

That's not the best choice.

Look for an illustration that makes the mansion and garden look overgrown and creepy.

Try again
Select an illustration from the Gallery to try it on the page.

Select Check when you have chosen the illustration you want to use.
Stumbling over rocks and sharp stones, she scrambled deeper into the terrifying cave. Suddenly she saw a tiny light in the distance, which grew larger as she drew nearer.

Finally, Amy emerged into the blinding sunlight and found herself standing at the foot of the cliff. Then, behind her, she heard the beast roar.
Check

That's not the best choice.

Look for an illustration that makes the mansion and garden look overgrown and creepy.

Try again
Done
Congratulations! You've chosen illustrations that really highlight the horror of this story.

The book is now finished!
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You've learned how to make a story tense and exciting by choosing effective nouns, adjectives and illustrations.

You can use this knowledge to improve all your stories.
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Thanks for your help. I think it'll be a bestseller!

You can read or print your finished story, or select Worksheet to print out a different story that needs some work on its nouns and adjectives.
Back Start again
The
Sea
Cave
Back Next
Gasping for breath, Amy broke the surface of the freezing water and found herself in a vast cavern.

She was completely exhausted after being swept out to sea and had been battling desperately to find her way back to the beach from which she'd set out.
Back Next Back
In the faint glow from the mouth of the cave, she could see the roof above her and the dark water lapping against the rocky walls. Huge dripping stalactites hung from above.

Wearily, Amy struggled over to a narrow stretch of sand on one side of the cave and pulled herself out of the icy water.
Back Next Back
Suddenly the surface of the water began to ripple. Astonished, Amy saw a murky shape appear stealthily from the water's depths.

Long and sinuous like a serpent, but much thicker in the body, it was covered with shiny, black scales. As it threateningly lifted its enormous head, Amy saw two sinister green eyes glaring at her.
Back Next Back
For a moment, Amy sat mesmerised. Then, as she cautiously backed away from the water's edge, the extraordinary creature rose up out of the murkiness and lunged towards her, its gaping jaws open to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Horrified, Amy turned and fled frantically into the deep darkness of the cave.
Back Next Back
Stumbling over rocks and sharp stones, she scrambled deeper into the terrifying cave. Suddenly she saw a tiny light in the distance, which grew larger as she drew nearer.

Finally, Amy emerged into the blinding sunlight and found herself standing at the foot of the cliff. Then, behind her, she heard the beast roar.
Back Next Back
The End
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