Lesson 5: Storytelling

Tell stories about the past with Past Simple, Past Continuous and phrasal verbs

Read a model story

Last winter, I set off for the airport at six in the morning. It was snowing heavily, and the roads were empty. While I was driving, I noticed a strange noise. Suddenly, the car broke down. I was standing in the snow and calling a taxi when an old man stopped to help. In the end, I missed my flight, but I found out that he lived next to my office!

Past Continuous = the scene and what was in progress · Past Simple = finished events in order · phrasal verbs

Which form fits?

Your stories

How to build a story

Set the scene (Past Continuous): Where were you? What were you doing? What was happening around you?
The event (Past Simple): What happened suddenly?
Your reaction: What did you do? How did you feel?
The ending: How did it end?

Past time phrases

Past Simple: finished events, one after another.
Past Continuous: was / were + -ing, the scene or an action in progress.

I was walking home when I saw him.
While I was waiting, it started to rain.

Prepositions of time

clock time, a point: at 8:30, at night, at that moment

days and dates: on Monday, on 5 May, on my birthday

months, years, seasons, parts of the day: in June, in 2019, in winter, in the morning

no word

with last, this, yesterday, one: last week, yesterday, one day

ago

back from now: two years ago

for

how long: for two hours

during

+ noun: during the meeting

while

+ clause: while I was waiting

Linking a story

Start

one day · last summer · a few years ago · the other day

Scene

while · as · at that moment · all day

Events

suddenly · just then · then · after that

End

in the end · finally · at last