Difference between 'story' and 'yarn'

[karen]

English Grammar Tests, Elementary Level

ESL/EFL Test #103 "Agatha Christie test questions", question 4

Agatha Christie was a very successful writer of detective ..........

(a) yarns
(b) fairy-tales
(c) stories

English Grammar Tests, Elementary Level

ESL/EFL Test #103 "Agatha Christie test questions", answer 4

Agatha Christie was a very successful writer of detective stories.

Correct answer: (c) stories
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what is the french word for "yarns"

[Pamela]

It denotes "narrative""anecdote""invented story""to chat","thread"

[Alan]

Hi,

The difference between story and yarn is that whereas story is the conventional word for a fictional account, yarn often has the idea of a story told by a colourful character and it has a lot to do with the storyteller's personality. When you hear the word yarn, you imagine a group of people gathering round to hear a story from someone who has had interesting experiences over a long time.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story A funny thing happened...