Last week's topic was small talk, and a natural continuation of that is storytelling.

Storytelling is the antidote to small talk and those perhaps, superficial and shallow interactions. A story can take your conversation from just that, one that goes back and forth, to something memorable. I suppose you want your listener to ask "What happens next?" or "Do you have any more stories?"

I imagine you can guess what you’re homework task will be.

These writing tasks which I set each week are an opportunity for you to engage with your passive vocabulary, at a more relaxed and slow pace. Feel free to send them to me before our lesson, and I'll review them.

Feeling confident with the narrative tenses? If so, you can try this exercise in the PDF:

If you want to brush up on your understanding of the past tenses, I would reccomend flicking through these. You'll be able to find explanations, videos and exercises on each.

Past Simple
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/past-simple.html
Past Continuous
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/past-continuous-use.html
Past Perfect
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/past-perfect-use.html
Past Perfect Continuous
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/past-perfect-continuous-use.html

Writing Homework

Write a story.

Aim for at least three to four paragraphs, but it can be as long as the story needs it to be. It can relate to work, homelife, your childhood, a time at school, something that happened to someone else, or maybe something that happened to you today.

Some thoughts to jog your memory:

A time you failed, embarrassed yourself, succeeded, learnt something...
A journey that you'll never forget (or one you wish you could).
A story that you always tell at parties... A story that somehow defines you?

• Tell me about a holiday you had.
• Tell me about a difficult journey you had.
• Tell me about a perfect day you’ve had.
• Tell me about a special event in your life.
• Tell me about a birthday you remember.
• Tell me about a time when you lost something important.
• Tell me about a time when you gave someone a surprise.

Key Elements of a Story:

Where and when? Setting: Time and Location
Who? People
Dialogue: What was said?
What could you see, hear, smell, touch, taste?
What happened? Events + Actions
Feelings + Reactions
Why did this happen? Reflection / Moral / Lesson Learnt

My story.

I have a couple for you... One will reveal how awkward and embarrassing I can be, the other will demonstrate one of two things: how cool and collected I can be under-pressure, or how unprepared and arguably unprofessional I can be.

Since I was 14, I've always loved filming and editing videos to music... I would download photos from Google Images and create photo-video edits of my favourite songs. Something about being creative, with music, whilst editing something visual, has always been highly enjoyable for me. It allows me to enter a imaginative, storytelling, emotive "zone," where hours can pass like minutes.

Towards the end of 2016, I had built up a small portfolio of videography work and shared it on Facebook. An old friend from college saw it on Facebook and reached out to ask if I filmed weddings. I thought "Nope, never even considered it", but of course I replied, "Yes, I do. When's the big day?"

A few months later, I found myself in Clitheroe, a small town on a cold January morning. I had my mid-range Nikon D7100 and a cheap tripod with me. I only told the photographer on the day that this was my first time filming a wedding. Thankfully, he wasn't one of the more "stuck up" photographers, and was supportive and helpful throughout the day. Making sure to remind me if anything important was going to happen.

I'm nervous, which of course, meant that I was needing to use the bathroom many times thoughout the day. Though, that was probably somehow my way of escaping. Nevertheless, the day was successful and I didn't miss any major moments and somehow.

Alright, here's the awkward bit and I'm not sure why I even remember this story or decide to tell anyone. I just think it's funny, and well, it's somehow langauge related. So here goes.

In the evening, the photographer called to me from across the lobby of the hotel to tell me that "They are cutting the cake in here!" I respond, "Alright thanks, I'll be there in a minute. I just need to go to the bathroom... for like... the third time today!"

I don't even know why I said anything. I think due to nerves I was being overly talktive, which is unlike me... usually when I'm nervous I go 'within myself'. Anyway, I was just talking, and it would have been fine to exaggerate... but I didn't give a high enough number!

Have you heard someone say, "I'm starving, I could eat a horse!"? Well this was like me saying "I'm starving, I could eat an apple!"

I think to myself... "Wait... no, that's not a big enough number! If you're going to exaggerate, the number needs to at least higher than average!"

What do I do? I correct myself... "I mean the fifth time today!"

And then the same realisation occurs. Five, also, was not a high enough number.

The photographer meanwhile, is impatiently looking at me, waiting for me to stop telling him how many times I think I've visited the bathroom. I think I stopped listening numbers when I got to ten.

It's at this point, when I can't help myself but include some videos relevant to the lesson topic. When it comes storytelling in film, these two examples come to mind.

Jaws (though it's quite difficult to understand what he's saying)
Pulp Fiction

Whilst diving into a rabbit hole of storytelling... I came across this video, which is quite touching considering what happened in the news this week. The longer version is here.

Lesson Exercises

All 12 English Tenses - Explained Through Forrest Gump

1. Present Simple

Definition: general facts, habits, or truths
Example: Forrest runs every day.
Best used for: routines, habits, storytelling summaries, general truths

2. Present Continuous

Definition: something happening right now or around now
Example: Forrest is sitting on a bench, telling his story.
Best used for: real-time description, temporary actions, background in storytelling

3. Present Perfect

Definition: past action with a present result
Example: Forrest has told his story to many strangers today.
Best used for: experiences, recent news, changes or achievements

4. Present Perfect Continuous

Definition: action that started in the past and is still happening or has recently stopped
Example: Forrest has been running for three years.
Best used for: ongoing actions, emphasis on duration, background to a recent result

5. Past Simple

Definition: completed action in the past
Example: Forrest met Jenny when they were children.
Best used for: storytelling, narration, historical events

6. Past Continuous

Definition: ongoing past action, often interrupted or giving background
Example: He was eating chocolates when he started talking to the woman.
Best used for: setting the scene, describing what was happening at a moment in the past

7. Past Perfect

Definition: action completed before another action in the past
Example: Forrest had already joined the army before Jenny wrote to him.
Best used for: storytelling with backstory, cause-effect relationships in the past

8. Past Perfect Continuous

Definition: ongoing action in the past that continued until another point in the past
Example: He had been waiting at the bus stop for hours before someone talked to him.
Best used for: showing long actions before something changed or ended

9. Future Simple (will)

Definition: decision made at the moment, prediction, promise
Example: I think Forrest will keep running.
Best used for: spontaneous decisions, future facts, predictions

10. Future (going to)

Definition: planned future action or intention
Example: Forrest is going to visit Jenny.
Best used for: intentions, scheduled events, things you already decided

11. Future Continuous

Definition: action in progress at a specific time in the future
Example: At this time tomorrow, Forrest will be running through Alabama.
Best used for: describing future scenes, politeness, background for a future event

12. Future Perfect

Definition: action that will be completed before a point in the future
Example: By the end of the week, Forrest will have run across the country.
Best used for: deadlines, progress updates, reflection from the future

Task 1: Read these questions about a story then use your own answers to invent the story.

1. How long had it been raining?
2. What was Paul doing when he first saw the old man?
3. Was he surprised to see a man with wings?
4. What did Paul's wife say when he told her about the old man with wings?
5. What did the people of their village do when they saw the old man with wings?
6. Why didn't the priest believe that he was an angel?
7. Where did Paul and his wife keep the old man?
8. How much money did they charge people to look at him?
9. How long did the old man stay with them?
10.What was Paul doing when he saw the old man fly away?

These are based on the short story: 'A very Old Man with Enormous Wings' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

To try the same exercise with more familiar stories... Click to expand

Task 2: Match the concepts (a-c) to the example sentences (1-3)

Task 3: Complete these sentences in any way that you like, using the past tenses above.

1. Amelia was coming home from work when..........
2. Somchai had been studying all night, so.....................
3. Rashid arrived at work two hours late yesterday. His boss.............
4. I was so hungry when I got home because...............
5. ..................................................... when the police knocked at the front door.
6. Pari missed her plane so ................................

Seven Sections of Storytelling Tips

1) Why Storytelling Works

Stories help people feel the language, not just study it. They connect ideas to emotion, and they make new words stick because everything sits in context.

In lessons, storytelling builds confidence, fluency and a natural rhythm. It also gives you a simple way to teach tenses, connectors and real conversational patterns.

This is a story about how we learn by remembering moments. When I look back now, I can often point to a single scene that changed how I thought about something. That is the power of a story.

2) The Shape of a Good Story

Keep a clear frame. Beginning, middle, end. A person wants something. Something gets in the way. Something changes.

Use the narrative tenses to guide the listener through time.

• Past simple for completed actions: I opened the door.
• Past continuous for background: I was walking to work when…
• Past perfect for earlier events: I had left my keys at home.

Useful openers that set time and focus:

• Suddenly,
• This is a story about…
• I was living in the city at the time…
• At that time, I was…
• Back then…
• Back then, the internet wasn’t a thing…

Finish with why the moment mattered.

3) Delivery: Voice, Face, Body

How you tell it is as important as what you tell.

Remember to:

• vary the volume, pitch and tempo of your voice
• enunciate clearly and exaggerate expression when needed
• use your face, body and gestures
• make your body and face respond to the tale
• have a clear focus and maintain concentration
• maintain engaging eye contact with the audience or an individual listener
• create a presence that feels trustworthy and confident
• use different, exaggerated character voices when helpful
• use your space and be dynamic
• pace yourself
• return to your neutral narrator style after dialogue
• use silence and pauses for effect

Take a breath before you start. Know your final line.

4) Language That Carries a Story

Keep the action moving. Use precise verbs, clear adjectives and adverbs, and let cause and effect do the heavy lifting.

Sequencing words:

• first of all, then, after that, later on, finally, in the end

Cause and contrast:

• because, so, although, however

Reflection:

• When I look back now, I feel…
• When I look back now, I think…

Give a short introduction, then the background. Say when and where it took place and what you were doing at that time. Then move through the actions step by step until you reach the end. Finish by saying why you remember it.

5) Teaching with Stories

Use stories to model grammar, vocabulary and natural speech.

Before speaking or writing:

• Take time to think about the question and the story before you start.
• Pre‑teach key vocabulary if needed.
• Set one focus, for example past continuous for background.

During:

• Ask guiding questions that push sequence and cause: What happened next? Why did that change things?

After:

• Highlight the narrative tenses that were used.
• Ask students to add one more detail or tighten one sentence.

Look at your listeners. Keep them with you.

6) Practical Activities

Story starters
Give one line and build from it:

• This is a story about…
• Back then…
• At that time, I was…

Story sequencing
Provide mixed sentences or images. Students order them, then retell.

Story retelling
Students hear or read a short story, then retell in pairs. Switch roles. Reduce notes each round.

Story creation
Prompts such as: a missed train, a lost phone, a letter with no return address. Students plan, then speak for one minute, then two.

Voice and character
Read a short dialogue with two voices. Return to neutral narrator in between.

Tense focus
Tell the same event twice: first with past simple only, then with full narrative tenses. Compare impact.

7) Checklist and Finishing Strong

Before you start

• Do I know my first sentence?
• Do I know my last sentence?

While speaking

• Are my tenses clear?
• Are my connectors doing the work?
• Am I using pauses and eye contact?

Ending

• One line that states the meaning or lesson.
• Tie back to the opening.

Example closing lines:

• And that is why I still keep a spare key.
• In the end, it taught me to ask for help sooner.
• That is the moment I started to trust my instincts.

Later on, you can expand each section with a short classroom task and a homework prompt. If you want, I can convert this into Ghost‑ready markdown with sub‑headings and pull‑quotes so you can paste it straight into your pages.

Screenwriting Document