Useful phrases to speak about a short story

- The short story is about a decisive event in the life of ….
- The story deals with the theme of….
- It illustrates a typical example of human….
- It is a psychological study of…
- It narrates the conflict between two characters…
- The story concentrates on…
- It presents aspects of characters at a crucial moment of conflict in their lives…
- It is set in…
- It covers only a short period of time.
- There is a build-up of suspense towards the end of the story.
- It may have an abrupt opening; an open ending; a surprise ending
- The atmosphere in the story is shown in…; is revealed by…