COOKING A NARRATIVE TEXT: HOW TO BEGIN AND FINISH AND GOOD SENTENCES FOR THE LAST PARAGRAPH

✍️ Narrative Writing – Useful Sentences

Use these expressions to improve your stories: openings, reflections, and endings.

📌 1. How to Start a Narrative

• You won’t believe what happened to me on my way home yesterday.
• I still can’t forget what happened that cold winter morning.
• Everything changed the moment I opened that door.
• It all started on a day I thought would be completely normal.
• At first, I didn’t realise that this would be the most unforgettable day of my life.
• What began as an ordinary afternoon quickly turned into a real adventure.
• I never imagined that such a small decision would cause so many problems.
• Looking back now, I wish I had listened to my instincts that day.
• The strangest experience of my life happened when I least expected it.
• That was the day everything went wrong.

📌 2. Impossible Conditionals (Third Conditional)

• If I had listened to my parents’ advice, I wouldn’t have got lost that night.
• If we had left the house five minutes earlier, we wouldn’t have missed the last train.
• If she hadn’t trusted that stranger, she wouldn’t have found herself in so much trouble.

📌 3. How to End a Narrative

• From that day on, I promised myself I would never make the same mistake again.
• It was a lesson I will remember for the rest of my life.
• Since then, I have looked at things in a completely different way.
• In the end, everything turned out better than I had expected.
• That experience taught me how important it is to stay calm in difficult situations.
• I will always be grateful for what I learned that day.
• Looking back now, I realise how lucky I was.
• After that day, nothing was ever quite the same again.
• It was an unforgettable moment that changed me forever.
• Even today, I still smile when I think about what happened.

💡 Writing Tip: A good story usually has a strong beginning, a clear problem, and a reflective ending. Try to use at least one expression from each section.

NARRATIVE TEXT. THE LOST PHONE

📖 Complete the Story – The Lost Phone (150+ words)

Instructions: Complete the story using the words from each word bank. Use each word once.

🔹 Paragraph 1

realised – suddenly – quiet – tired – walking

Last Friday afternoon, I was 1____________ home from school after a long and exhausting day. I felt extremely 2____________ and just wanted to relax when I arrived. The streets were unusually 3____________, and most of the shops were already closing. While I was checking my bag and thinking about my homework, I 4____________ that my phone was missing. My heart started beating fast because everything had happened so 5____________.

🔹 Paragraph 2

carefully – confused – searched – suggested – asked

At first, I felt completely 6____________ and didn’t know what to do. I 7____________ everywhere for my phone, looking under benches, inside my backpack, and near the bus stop. A friendly old man kindly 8____________ me if I needed help and listened patiently to my story. After a few minutes, he 9____________ that we go back together and look more 10____________ around the area.

🔹 Paragraph 3

grateful – lesson – finally – promised – relieved

After several minutes of walking and searching nervously, I 11____________ found my phone near the entrance of a small shop. I felt extremely 12____________ and couldn’t stop smiling. I thanked the man warmly and felt truly 13____________ for his support and kindness. I 14____________ myself to be more careful in the future and pay more attention to my belongings. It was an important 15____________ that I will never forget.

✔ 1 walking – 2 tired – 3 quiet – 4 realised – 5 suddenly
✔ 6 confused – 7 searched – 8 asked – 9 suggested – 10 carefully
✔ 11 finally – 12 relieved – 13 grateful – 14 promised – 15 lesson

NARRATIVE TEXTS: CONCLUSION

✅ Exercise 1: A Happy Ending

relieved – finally – safe – realised – smiling – home

1______________, I arrived 2____________ and felt incredibly 3____________. I 4____________ that everything was over, and I walked inside 5____________, feeling happy and 6____________.

✔ Finally – home – relieved – realised – smiling – safe

✅ Exercise 2: A Lesson Learned

since then – careful – mistake – learned – never – experience

1______________, I have been more 2____________ and responsible. I 3____________ from my 4____________ and promised myself that I would 5____________ repeat the same 6____________ again.

✔ Since then – careful – learned – mistake – never – experience

✅ Exercise 3: A Surprising Twist

suddenly – turned out – secret – shocked – discovered – truth

1______________, I 2____________ the 3____________, and everything 4____________ to be completely different. I was totally 5____________ by the 6____________.

✔ Suddenly – discovered – secret – turned out – shocked – truth

✅ Exercise 4: Looking to the Future

future – determined – dream – continue – believe – stronger

1______________, I felt more 2____________ than ever. I decided to 3____________ following my 4____________ and 5____________ in myself, no matter what happened in the 6____________.

✔ Stronger – determined – continue – dream – believe – future

✅ Exercise 5: A Quiet Reflection

in the end – realised – moment – silence – remembered – grateful

1______________, I sat in 2____________ and 3____________ everything that had happened. At that 4____________, I 5____________ how lucky I was and felt truly 6____________.

✔ In the end – silence – remembered – moment – realised – grateful

NARRATIVE TEXTS: BODY

✅ Exercise 1: Something Went Wrong

help – suddenly – scared – calling – realised – shouting

1______________, I heard someone 2____________ my name. I turned around and 3____________ that I was completely alone. Feeling 4____________, I started 5____________ for 6____________.

✔ Suddenly – calling – realised – scared – shouting – help

✅ Exercise 2: Getting Lost

confused – decided – map – streets – meanwhile – couldn’t find

1______________, I looked at my 2____________, but I still 3____________ the right way. The narrow 4____________ all looked the same, and I felt completely 5____________. In the end, I 6____________ to ask for directions.

✔ Meanwhile – map – couldn’t find – streets – confused – decided

✅ Exercise 3: A Sudden Accident

pain – immediately – slipped – all of a sudden – helped – floor

1______________, I 2____________ on the wet 3____________ and fell to the ground. I felt sharp 4____________ in my leg, but a kind stranger 5____________ me 6____________.

✔ All of a sudden – slipped – floor – pain – helped – immediately

✅ Exercise 4: A Secret Discovery

carefully – dusty box – while – surprised – opened – found

1______________ I was cleaning the attic, I 2____________ an old cupboard. Inside, I 3____________ a 4____________. I 5____________ opened it and was completely 6____________ by what I saw.

✔ While – opened – found – dusty box – carefully – surprised

✅ Exercise 5: An Argument

apologised – misunderstanding – angry – later – at first – shouted

1______________, we didn’t agree about what had happened, and we both 2____________ at each other. I felt really 3____________ and walked away. 4____________, I realised it was just a 5____________, so I went back and 6____________.

✔ At first – shouted – angry – Later – misunderstanding – apologised

NARRATIVE TEXTS. OPENING PARAGRAPH. PRACTICE

✅ Exercise 1: A Mysterious Beginning

strange noise – walking home – One evening – suddenly – quiet street – I noticed

1______________, while I was 2____________, I was crossing a 3____________ when 4____________ a 5____________. Everything seemed normal until something 6____________ happened.

✔ One evening – walking home – quiet street – I noticed – strange noise – suddenly

✅ Exercise 2: A Holiday Memory

unforgettable – decided – small village – my family – trip – Last summer

1______________, 2____________ and I 3____________ to go on a short 4____________ to a 5____________ by the sea. We had no idea that it would become an 6____________ experience.

✔ Last summer – my family – decided – trip – small village – unforgettable

✅ Exercise 3: An Unexpected Meeting

surprised – old friend – waiting – recognised – One afternoon – bus stop

1______________, while I was 2____________ at the 3____________, I suddenly 4____________ an 5____________. I was completely 6____________ by what happened next.

✔ One afternoon – waiting – bus stop – recognised – old friend – surprised

✅ Exercise 4: A Difficult Day

important exam – rushed – alarm clock – worried – That morning – late

1______________, my 2____________ didn’t ring, so I woke up 3____________. I quickly got dressed and 4____________ to school, feeling extremely 5____________ about my 6____________.

✔ That morning – alarm clock – late – rushed – worried – important exam

✅ Exercise 5: A New Beginning

teacher – excited – nervous – classmates – First day – new school

1______________ at my 2____________, I felt both 3____________ and 4____________. My new 5____________ and my 6____________ were waiting for me.

✔ First day – new school – nervous – excited – classmates – teacher

PAU REVISION:MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST

 Choose the most appropriate answer for each item (A, B, C, or D). 

Mark    

0 mistakes: 10   1 mistake: 9   2 mistakes: 8    3mistakes: 7    4 mistakes: 6    5 mistakes: 5

Over 5 mistakes: INSUFICIENTE 

 

Principio del formulario

1 I'm very happy _____ in India. I really miss being there.

A.to live    B.to have lived     C.to be lived      D.to be living

 

2 They didn't reach an agreement ______ to their differences.

A. on account of       B. due    C. because       D. owing

 

3 I wish I _____ those words. But now it's too late.

A. not having said   B. have never said   C. never said    D. had never said

 

4 ___________ my mum ________  my dad will come to pick you up after school. You just wait at the entrance. Our car is a red Renault.   

A. Neither ……nor     B. Either…..nor     C. Either…….or    D. Neither……or

 

5 She was working on her computer with her baby next to _____.

A. herself         B. her          C. her           D. hers

 

6 _____ to offend anyone, she said both cakes were equally good.

A. Not wishing    B. As not wishing     C. She didn't wish    D. Because not wishing

 

7 _____ in trying to solve this problem. It's clearly unsolvable.

A. There's no point   B. It's no point   C. There isn't point    D. It's no need

 

8 Last year, when I last met her, she told me she _____ a letter every day for the last two months.

A. was writing    B. has written    C. had been writing      D. wrote

 

9 He _____ robbed as he was walking out of the bank.

A. had           B. did      C. got      D. were

 

10 Avocado crops need ___________ 600 litres of water per kilo—usually more than that.

A. at least      B. by far       C. fewer than      D. less than

 

11 It _____ the best idea to pay for those tickets by credit card. It was too risky.

A. may not have been     B. may not be    C. might not be      D. must not have been

 

12 She ___ a story that convinced her to invest in the business.

A.    A. told       B. has told     C. was told     D. would tell

 

13 We'll never know what might have happened _____ the email earlier.

A. if he sent     B. if he had sent      C.if he has sent      D. he had sent

 

14 If his new film _____, it will confirm his status as a leading filmmaker.

A. successfuls       B. successes       C. succeeds        D. would succeed

 

15 Students  _____  a pencil to complete the exam.

A. are not allowed to use    B. are not allowed using     C. are not allowed to using  

D. don't allow to use

 

16 I felt terrible for my mistake. I did not really know ____ to say to apologise.

A. which      B. that       C. what       D. ( )

 

17 The teacher ___ you spoke to at the entrance was my favourite teacher last year.

A. which      B. whose       C. what        D. ( )

 

18 Trump’s policy on Venezuela ______ to have caused tension in the region.

A. had said        B. was said      C. said       D. did say

 

19 I’m sorry I’m a bit late. How long ___?

A. have you waited    B. have you being waited    C. did you wait   D. have you been waiting

 

20 He might need glasses. He should get his eyes ____

A. checking         B. checked         C. check     D. check up      

Final del formulario

 

21. I don’t remember _______ the lights on before I left the house.

A. to turn       B. turning       C. turned       D. have turned

 

22. She speaks French very well, _______ she? 

A. doesn’t    B. isn’t    C. doesn’t she      D. isn’t she

23. The new library, _______ was built last year, is already too small.

A. that      B. which      C. where         D. ()

24. By this time next year, we _______ our exams. 

A. will finish          B. will have finished      C. have finished        D. had finished

25. If I _______ you, I wouldn’t make that decision.

A. am       B. were       C. will be      D. would be