story: is the most general term, applicable to legendary lore: the ~ of Arthur; or to an oral or written, factual or fictitious, prose or verse account, typically designed to inform or entertain and characteristically dealing with a series of related incidents or events: repeat the ~ of the opera.  （lore口头传说，如民间传说folklore，如the jinns of Arabian lore阿拉伯传说中的精灵）  （legend传奇typically applies to a story, incident, or notion attached to a particular person or place that purports to be historical though in fact unverifiable or incredible关于某人某地的故事，标榜为史实，但难以置信无法验证，如the legend of Paul Bunyan保罗班杨的传奇，如legends tell of a legendary warrior who travels...传说有位传奇的武士，是功夫熊猫的起始句)  (prose散文refers to writing that is not poetry，如the author's clear elegant prose作者清雅的散文；verse诗、韵文refers to writing arranged in lines which have rhythm，如a slim volume of verse一本薄薄的诗集；如most of the play is written in verse, but some of it is in prose这剧本大部分是用韵文写的，不过有一些是用散文)  (account报道记述a report or description of an event or experience，如a detailed account of what has been done对所做事情的详细描述，如the two accounts of the accident do not agree有关这次事件两则报道不一致)


narrative: is more likely to imply factual than imaginative content: his journal is the only surviving ~ of the expedition.   journal报纸杂志日志日记


tale: may suggest a leisurely and loosely organized recital often of legendary or imaginative happenings: ~s of the Greek heroes.  


anecdote: applies to a brief story featuring a small, discrete, and often humorous incident that may illustrate some truth or principle or illuminate some matter: a biography replete with charming ~s.    （中文中"轶事"同"逸事"是一个词语，指世人不知道的史事，多指未经史书记载的事迹，奇闻。英文意思几乎完全相同，an表示not, ekdotos表示publish即未经发表的事，又如amusing anecdotes about his brief career as an actor关于他短暂演员生涯的趣闻逸事，如he told one or two amusing anecdotes about his years as a policeman他讲述了一两桩他当警察时的趣事）


yarn: is likely to suggest a rambling and rather dubious tale of exciting adventure, often marvelous or fanciful and without clear-cut outcome: ~s spun around the campfire.   营火篝火


story故事: 最通用，既可指传奇传说，也可指以口头书面纪实虚构散文韵文的形式叙述事情事件，目的是传授知识或供人娱乐，narrative叙述记叙: 表示内容真实而非想象，tale故事传说: 表示结构松散随意的传说想象，anecdote逸事轶事趣闻: 指简短单一有趣的故事，阐明某个事实或事理，yarn漫谈信口开河: 表示漫无边际内容可疑的夸张或编造

记忆方法: 1）首字母NSTAY想成Never STAY永不停留<==故事

         2）故事的意思是对事情的叙说，没有小说详细mean a recital of happenings that is less elaborate than a novel.   （recital叙述诉说列举implies an enumeration or listing of connected names or facts or elements，如a recital of their misfortunes诉说不幸，如she gave us a boring recital of all her troubles她乏味地叙述了她的麻烦）