Expression 'the story goes'

English as a Second Language English Teacher Explanations (ESL Tests)
1

Test No. [color=blue]incompl/inter-55 “Hear my Story”, question 5

The story … that he’s just married for the fourth time but I don’t really believe it.

(a) says
(b) works
(c) sends
(d) goes

Test No. [color=blue]incompl/inter-55 “Hear my Story”, answer 5

The story goes that he’s just married for the fourth time but I don’t really believe it.

Correct answer: (d) goes

Hello Alan and Torsten! Help me, please. I don’t understand the expression ‘the story goes’, please explain.
Many thanks

Terminator :evil:

2

Hi Terminator,

As you know there are so many idioms with the verb ‘to go’. One of them is ‘as the story goes’. You can use this phrase when you describe a fact that people talk about but there usually is no written record. Oftentimes somebody claims to know something and tells this news to someone else. This person might even add something out of their fantasy and so the story develops.
The good thing with Alan’s tests is that in most cases you can guess the meaning of an idiom. Please, look at the second part of the sentence you will see what I mean:

‘The story goes that he’s just married for the fourth time but I don’t really believe it.’[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC listening, photographs: Visiting the ruins[YSaerTTEW443543]

3

you can also say a stroy tells…

4

Except it’s not one of the choices in the question under discussion.

5

Hello Torsten,

‘The story goes that’…could mean:’ the people are saying that’…or: ‘so it is said’
Regards:
Kati Svaby