Firstly, read the following:

The Storyteller went to the seaside. He dipped his toe in the sea. It was cold. He went to buy an icecream and it dripped all over his coat.

A boy came up to the Storyteller and asked him for a story. The Storyteller said:

"There was a giant. He didn't like rabbits. The rabbits would tease the giant. The giant ate the rabbits. End of story."

The boy looked at the Storyteller and said:

"Not much of a Storyteller are you?"

"I have lost my adjectives," replied the Storyteller. "Can you help me find them please?"


What did you think of that? Not very interesting was it?

Now read this:

The Storyteller. dressed in his long red coat and bright yellow hat, went to the sunny and golden seaside. He dipped his sore and painful big toe in the deep blue sea. It was bitterly cold. He went to buy a very expensive icecream and it dripped all over his long red coat.

A small and scruffy boy came up to the, by now, cold and drippy Storyteller and asked him for an exciting story. The Storyteller said:

"There was a huge, horrible, huffing giant. He didn't like little grey and brown rabbits. The little grey and brown rabbits would tease the huge, horrible, huffing giant until his huge horrible huffing head hurt! The huge, horrible, huffing giant giant ate the little grey and brown rabbits one day as they played happily in front of his clammy cave. The huge, horrible, huffing giant lived happily ever after!"

The boy looked at the Storyteller and said:

"That's better! Still not brilliant, but better"

"Thank you for helping me find my adjectives," replied the Storyteller. "Perhaps you could help me find some more interesting nouns and verbs next?"

"One day...one day.." muttered the boy as he left.


Do you agree with the boy? Was it better? Notice that the "lost and found" adjectives paint a clearer picture of the Storyteller and the little boy. Also, by repeating some of the adjectives the tale becomes more interesting (it's called "repetition" and lots of writers use it).

Now, I am changing the story a little for you to fill in with your own adjectives, which you can pick from the list.. When you have finished you can highlight it, copy it into Word and print it out or go to the printable sheet, fill in the gaps online and print it out.



The Storyteller. dressed in his [?] [?] coat and [?] [?] hat, went to the [?] and [?] seaside. He dipped his [?] and [?] big toe in the [?] [?] sea. It was [?]. He went to buy one of those very [?] icecreams and it dripped all over his, by now, rather [?] and [?] coat.

A [?] and [?] boy came up to the, by now, [?] and [?] Storyteller and asked him for an [?] story. The Storyteller said:

"There was a [?], [?], [?] giant. He didn't like small [?] rabbits. The little beige rabbits would tease the grumpy, grizzly, grunting giant until his grumpy, grizzly, grunting head hurt! The grumpy, grizzly, grunting giant ate the little beige rabbits one day as they played happily in front of his [?] home. The grumpy, grizzly, grunting giant lived happily ever after!"

The boy looked at the Storyteller and said:

"That's better! Still not brilliant, but better"

"Thank you for helping me find my adjectives," replied the Storyteller. "Perhaps you could help me find some more interesting nouns and verbs next?"

"One day...one day.." muttered the boy as he left.

Now you have seen how adding adjectives can make a difference and how changing them can make the story more interesting.

Click at the top to go to the crossword!