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