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Joy English · Level A2 · Storiesjoy-english.com

A short story about a busy day

Name:Date:

Tell the story of a busy day in the past, with a clear beginning, middle and end and words like first, then and finally.

The longest Monday

Last Monday was the busiest day of my life. My alarm didn't ring, so I woke up at eight instead of seven.

First, I ran to the bus stop, but I missed the bus. Then I took a taxi to the office. When I arrived, my manager asked me to give a presentation at ten because my colleague was ill. After that, I had three meetings and no time for lunch.

Finally, at seven o'clock, I got home and ate a huge bowl of pasta. I was tired but happy, because the presentation went well.

Linking words in stories

Choose the best word or phrase.

  1. It started to rain, ___ I took a taxi.
    • a) because
    • b) so
    • c) but
  2. I was late ___ my train was cancelled.
    • a) because
    • b) so
    • c) then
  3. ___, I made breakfast. Then I got dressed.
    • a) Finally
    • b) After
    • c) First
  4. We waited for two hours. ___, the doctor called my name.
    • a) Because
    • b) At last
    • c) First
  5. ___ I was cooking dinner, the phone rang.
    • a) While
    • b) Then
    • c) So
  6. I wanted to buy a present, ___ the shop was closed.
    • a) so
    • b) because
    • c) but
  7. Which sentence is the best beginning for a story?
    • a) In the end, we went home.
    • b) One morning last winter, I woke up very early.
    • c) After that, we had lunch.

What happened?

Type the past simple form of the verb in brackets.

  1. My phone ___ (ring) at six in the morning.
  2. I ___ (forget) my keys at home.
  3. We ___ (catch) the last train.
  4. My sister ___ (help) me carry the boxes.
  5. I ___ (feel) very tired in the evening.
  6. The meeting ___ (begin) at nine.
  7. I ___ (not / have) time for breakfast.

Writing task

Write a short story with the title 'A very busy day'. Say when it happened and what happened first. Describe a problem and what you did. Say how the day ended and how you felt.

80–120 words

Check your writing

  • My story has a beginning, a middle and an end.
  • I said when the story happened.
  • I used the past simple correctly.
  • I used at least three time words (first, then, after that, finally ...).
  • I used so or because at least once.
  • I said how I felt at the end.

Answer key

Linking words in stories

  1. b) soSo introduces a result: it started to rain, and the result was a taxi.
  2. a) becauseBecause introduces a reason. Why were you late? Because the train was cancelled.
  3. c) FirstFirst introduces the first event. Then introduces the next one.
  4. b) At lastAt last shows that something happened after a long wait.
  5. a) WhileWhile introduces a longer action that was happening when something else happened.
  6. c) butBut shows a contrast between what you wanted and what happened.
  7. b) One morning last winter, I woke up very early.A good beginning tells the reader when the story happened. In the end and After that are for later in a story.

What happened?

  1. rangRing is irregular: ring, rang.
  2. forgotForget is irregular: forget, forgot.
  3. caughtCatch is irregular: catch, caught.
  4. helpedHelp is regular, so we add -ed.
  5. feltFeel is irregular: feel, felt.
  6. beganBegin is irregular: begin, began.
  7. didn't have / did not haveUse didn't + the base verb for the past negative: didn't have.

Model answer

One Saturday last spring, my family moved to a new flat. We had only one day and a small van.

First, my brother and I carried thirty boxes down four floors because the lift was broken. Then my father drove the van across the city, but he got lost twice. While we were unloading the boxes, it started to rain, so we ran inside with everything.

In the end, at midnight, we sat on the floor of our new kitchen and ate sandwiches. I was exhausted, but I felt proud of my family.

Joy English · free English practice · https://joy-english.com/writing/story-busy-day