Sequencing a Story — First, Then, By the Time

How do you keep a long story easy to follow?

Notice

  • First, I woke up late. After that, I missed the bus.
  • By the time I got to work, everyone else had arrived.
  • In the end, my boss just laughed about it.

Rule

Sequencing words organise a story in time: first, then, after that, next, later, by the time, in the end, finally. Combine them with Past Simple for the main events and Past Perfect for anything that happened even earlier.

Practice

  1. ___ , I got dressed. ___ , I had breakfast. (order words)
    Answer: First / Then
  2. ___ the film started, we had already found our seats.
    Answer: By the time
  3. I checked my phone. ___ , I remembered the meeting.
    Answer: Then / After that
  4. ___ , everything worked out fine. (concluding word)
    Answer: In the end / Finally
  5. ___ we finished eating, we went for a walk.
    Answer: After

Connect

Build well-sequenced sentences with our Sentence Builder.

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CEFR: Spoken Production — connect phrases in order to describe a sequence of past events.

Azizul Hakim
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