knack for storytelling
- noun
:
talento para contar historias
- The Lincoln they portray is a man of quiet determination with a knack for storytelling and putting people at ease, and Day-Lewis is once again mesmerizing in his role.
Examples
-
He has a natural knack for storytelling that makes even the most mundane events sound exciting.
-
Her knack for storytelling captivated the children as she read from the book.
-
With his knack for storytelling, he always brings characters to life in a way that engages listeners.
Synonyms
1
3.4
To tell stories in a way that keeps people interested
How Skilled
1
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
knack + for + storytelling
The meaning is directly compositional: 'knack' (a skill) combined with the prepositional complement 'for storytelling' specifies the domain of that skill, so a learner who knows the constituents can infer 'a (natural) skill for telling stories'. The 'knack for X' construction is a regular, cross-linguistically common pattern (similar to 'talent for X'), which makes the expression transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
Knack for storytelling comes from knack, a word that once meant a small trick or quick clever move, and storytelling, which means telling stories. So the phrase gives the picture of someone who has a natural little trick for telling stories, which is why it means a natural 'skill' for making stories interesting.