Famous Opening Lines

1. I recognise the lines:

“Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much” (from Harry Potter)

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” (from Pride and Prejudice)

“It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs Shears’ house. Its eyes were closed.” (from the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time)

“All children, except one, grow up.” (from Peter Pan)

2. a) “It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs Shears’ house. Its eyes were closed.” This gives readers a feeling of suspense, and makes the readers want to keep reading and find out what is going to happen and why the dog is there.

b) “Amergo Bonasera sat in New York Criminal Court Number 3 and waited for justice; vengeance on the men who had so cruelly hurt his daughter, who had tried to dishonour her.” This makes readers want to know if vengeance will be taken out on those men.

c) “All children, except one, grow up.” This short, sharp sentence makes readers want to know who and what this child is.

d) “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliabo Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.” This detailed line makes readers want to know what happened at that distant afternoon, and what will become of the colonel.

 e) “’To be born again’, said Gibreel Farishta tumbling from the heavens, ‘first you have to die.’” This makes readers want to know if he was really knew how to be reborn.

3. a) I think this is about the dog being dead and trying to find out who killed it.

b) I think this is about Amergo Bonasera, his daughter and how she got killed.

c) I think this is about a child who doesn’t want to grow up and never does.

d) I think this is about that distant afternoon the colonel spent with his father and a lesson he learned while discovering ice.

e) I think this is about discovering how to be reborn.

4. I would like to read 5 because it sounds as if it will be an intriguing search to find out what really happened.

5. a) Mystery

b) Crime

c) Fantasy

d) Real-life

e) Fantasy