The Simple Past Tense

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Past Tense Storytelling:

Welcome to “Past Tense Storytelling: A Guide, crafted especially for low intermediate English learners. This concise guide aims to enrich your storytelling skills by focusing on the use of the past simple tense, alongside integrating previously learned tenses. Through a series of targeted questions, you’ll learn to construct engaging narratives that recount adventures, explore character dynamics, and navigate through exciting plot twists. Get ready to transform your ideas into compelling stories that not only improve your language proficiency but also captivate your audience. Let’s embark on this creative journey to master the art of storytelling in English.

Welcome to Simple Past

1. Who was the main character in your story, and where did they live?
   • This question sets the scene and encourages students to introduce their protagonist and setting.
2. What did the main character look like?
   • Encourages use of descriptive language in the past tense.
3. What was their daily routine like?
   • A question that can help students practice the past simple tense by describing habitual actions in the past.
4. What problem did the main character face one day?
   • Introduces a plot twist or challenge, requiring students to use the past simple tense to describe an event.
5. How did the character feel about the problem?
   • Encourages the use of past tense verbs and adjectives to describe emotions.
6. Who did the main character meet that changed their situation?
   • This question introduces a new character and a potential turning point in the story.
7. What advice or help did the new character offer?
   • Students can use both direct speech and reported speech to recount interactions, allowing for a mix of tenses.
8. How did the main character solve the problem?
   • Focuses on the resolution, encouraging students to describe actions in the past simple tense.
9. What did the main character learn from the experience?
   • This question encourages reflection and the use of the past simple tense to express changes in understanding or behavior.
10. How did the main character’s life change after solving the problem?
    • Encourages students to use the past simple tense to describe the aftermath and any lasting changes.