Writing Better English for ESL Learners

Exercise 4.4The Circle of Stones.The story line: Two women claim to be the
mother of a lost child. A judge has to decide which woman is the real mother.
By using a test he discovers which woman treats the child the most kindly and
awards her the child.

This was the strangest case the judge had ever had. A child had been

lost for and

. The poor child did not know its real

mother, because. Two

women claimed to be the real mother and demanded

. The judge needed more information first

and.

The first woman told of ,

when. The judge under-

stood but asked, “ ?” The first

woman just shook her head and.

Now the second woman gave her story, which

. She explained that

, and the judge believed her. But who is

the real mother? the judge thought. He looked at the child and asked,

“ ?” But the sobbing child

could only reply, “ .”

Story Completion 123