Telling Your Story in Order

Hook

A good story doesn’t just have the right tenses — it has the right order. How do you show your listener what happened first, next, and last?

Notice

“First, I woke up late. Then, I missed the bus. After that, I had to walk to work. Finally, I arrived an hour late!”

Rule

Sequencing words organize a story in time: first (the beginning), then / after that / next (what happened next), finally / in the end (the last event or result). They usually start a new sentence, followed by a comma.

Practice

  1. Put in order: “I got dressed.” / “I woke up.” / “I ate breakfast.” Answer: First I woke up, then I got dressed, after that I ate breakfast.
  2. Combine with “finally”: “We waited for the bus. It arrived 20 minutes late.” Answer: We waited for the bus. Finally, it arrived 20 minutes late.
  3. Choose the best word: “___, I want to tell you about my trip.” Answer: First
  4. Choose the best word: “We had lunch. ___, we went for a walk.” Answer: After that / Then
  5. Write two sentences about your morning using “first” and “then.” Answer: (open — check for correct sequencing words and past tense)

Connect

See how these linking words work in longer texts with our Reading Quiz.

Try our Reading Quiz →

This lesson supports: I can use a series of phrases and sentences to describe past events in simple terms.

Azizul Hakim
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