Intermediate to Advanced

Continue the story in a natural and engaging way.

Continue the Story

You are a journalist who has just filed a story. Your editor calls you in. The subject of the story, a very famous peacock named Stellan, is sitting in the office. He has read it. He has notes. He has brought his publicist. She also has notes. Stellan is wearing a tiny velvet collar and sitting very straight in the visitor’s chair, as if he has done this many times before. Every few seconds, he slowly opens his tail just enough to make a point, then folds it again. His publicist, Marla Finch, is holding a yellow legal pad covered in arrows, underlines, and question marks. Your editor is standing by the window with the expression of someone who agreed to a meeting without asking enough questions. Marla clears her throat and says that the story is “mostly accurate,” but that several details are “emotionally misleading.” Stellan taps one claw on the armrest and adds that he never once “strutted aggressively” in public. He prefers the phrase “confidently displayed himself.” Your editor looks at you and says that this is your chance to clear things up before the article goes to print.