Joy English
Joy English
← Back to the lesson

Joy English · Level B1 · Storiesjoy-english.com

A story with a surprise ending

Name:Date:

Write a short story that builds up to an unexpected ending, using past tenses, linking words and descriptive language.

The note under the door

It was a cold, windy evening in November, and Kofi was reading on the sofa when he heard a quiet noise at the front door. Someone had pushed a small white envelope under it.

Inside there was a note in neat handwriting: 'I know what you did last Tuesday. Meet me at the bus stop at eight.' Kofi's heart was beating fast. What had he done last Tuesday? He had been to work, he had cooked dinner and he had gone for a walk in the park. Nothing strange at all.

At eight o'clock, he walked nervously to the bus stop. An old woman was standing there, holding a large cake. 'You're the young man who rescued my cat from a tree in the park last Tuesday,' she said with a smile. 'This cake is to say thank you.'

Past tenses and story language

Choose the best form or phrase.

  1. I ___ along the beach when I saw something shiny in the sand.
    • a) walked
    • b) was walking
    • c) had walked
  2. When we arrived at the station, the train ___.
    • a) had already left
    • b) has already left
    • c) already leaves
  3. She opened the box, ___ inside and screamed with joy.
    • a) was looking
    • b) had looked
    • c) looked
  4. While Aiko ___ dinner, someone knocked on the door.
    • a) was cooking
    • b) cooks
    • c) has cooked
  5. ___, the lights went out and the room became completely dark.
    • a) Although
    • b) Suddenly
    • c) Firstly
  6. He was sure he ___ the key in his pocket, but it wasn't there.
    • a) had put
    • b) has put
    • c) puts
  7. To ___ surprise, the shop was completely empty.
    • a) me
    • b) my
    • c) mine

Complete the story

Type the correct form of the verb in brackets: past simple, past continuous or past perfect.

  1. It ___ (snow) heavily when Lena left the house.
  2. When she got to the bus stop, the last bus ___ (already / leave).
  3. She ___ (decide) to walk home through the park.
  4. While she ___ (cross) the bridge, she heard a strange sound.
  5. A small dog ___ (sit) under a tree, shaking with cold.
  6. She ___ (pick) it up and carried it home.
  7. The next morning, she discovered that the dog ___ (run) away from a farm two days earlier.

Writing task

Write a short story for a school magazine competition. Your story must begin with this sentence: 'When Sofia opened the door, she couldn't believe her eyes.' Make sure the ending is a surprise for the reader.

120–180 words

Check your writing

  • My story begins with the given sentence.
  • I made it clear where the story happens and who is in it.
  • I used the past simple, the past continuous and the past perfect.
  • I used words like suddenly, at first or to her surprise to build suspense.
  • I kept the surprise until the end.
  • I used paragraphs to separate the stages of the story.

Answer key

Past tenses and story language

  1. b) was walkingUse the past continuous for an action in progress when something else happened.
  2. a) had already leftThe train left before we arrived, so we use the past perfect: had already left.
  3. c) lookedThese are main events one after another, so we use the past simple: opened, looked, screamed.
  4. a) was cookingWhile + past continuous shows the longer background action that was interrupted.
  5. b) SuddenlySuddenly shows that something happened quickly and unexpectedly. It builds suspense.
  6. a) had putHe put the key there before this moment in the story, so we use the past perfect: had put.
  7. b) myThe fixed phrase is to my surprise (or to her, his or our surprise).

Complete the story

  1. was snowingThe snow was already falling in the background, so we use the past continuous.
  2. had already left / 'd already left / had left alreadyThe bus left before she arrived, so we use the past perfect: had already left.
  3. decidedThis is the next main event in the story, so we use the past simple.
  4. was crossingWhile + past continuous describes an action in progress when something else happened.
  5. was sitting / satThe past continuous describes the scene she saw. The past simple sat is also possible here.
  6. pickedThis is a main event in a sequence, so we use the past simple: picked ... carried.
  7. had run / 'd runThe dog ran away before she discovered it, so we use the past perfect: had run.

Model answer

When Sofia opened the door, she couldn't believe her eyes. Her small flat, which she had left tidy that morning, was full of boxes, balloons and paper chains.

At first she thought she was in the wrong flat. She checked the number on the door twice. Then she heard a strange noise coming from the kitchen. Someone was moving around and whispering. Her heart was pounding as she walked slowly towards the sound.

Suddenly, the kitchen door flew open and her younger brother jumped out. 'Surprise!' he shouted. Sofia laughed with relief and hugged him. 'It isn't my birthday until next month!' she said.

Her brother's face went red. He had read the date on the calendar wrong, and the party guests were arriving in ten minutes.

Joy English · free English practice · https://joy-english.com/writing/story-surprise-ending