Tell me a story

Sam and Mike’s Bad Idea

When Sam was 12 and her brother Mike was 10, they lived in a small town. Sam was confident, but Mike was usually careful. One Saturday, they wanted to go to a new game shop across town. Their parents said, “No. Stay near home.”

Sam had an idea. She told their parents, “We’re going to the library.” Mike didn’t like the plan, but he agreed. They left the house and walked to the bus stop. Sam felt excited, but Mike felt nervous.

They got on a bus and went to the game shop. They looked around and bought some cheap snacks. Everything was fine—until Sam saw her mum’s friend near the door. The friend looked at them and asked, “Aren’t you at the library?”

Sam froze. Mike didn’t say anything. Later that day, their parents found out. They were angry and disappointed. Sam and Mike apologised, and they didn’t go out the next weekend. Sam said, “Next time, I will tell the truth.”

1) The “7-step” story frame (on board / handout)

Use 1–2 sentences per step.

Context (who / age / place)

When I was ___, I lived in ___.
Sam was 12 and Mike was 10.

Character description (to be + feelings/personality)

Sam was ___, but Mike was ___.
Sam felt ___, but Mike felt ___.

Plan (what they wanted)

They wanted to ___.
They decided to ___.

Problem / wrongdoing (the lie)

They told their parents they were going to ____, but they went to ____.
They didn’t tell the truth.

Key actions (past verbs)

They left the house, they walked to ___, and they got on a bus.
They went to ___ and bought ___.

Caught! (turning point)

Then Sam saw ___.
Someone asked, “Aren’t you ___?”
Sam froze and Mike didn’t say anything.

Consequence + ending (lesson/promise)

Later, their parents found out.
They were ___ (angry / disappointed).
They apologised and ___.
Sam said, “Next time, I will ___.”

Mini Glossary (A2–B1 friendly)

Library vs Bookshop

Library(biblioteca): a place where you borrow books (usually free) and return them later.
- I went to the library to study.
- You can borrow a book for two weeks.
Bookshop(librería): a place where you buy books (you pay).
- I went to the bookshop to buy a novel.

Quick check:

borrow = take and return ✅ (library)
buy = pay and keep ✅ (bookshop)

agree (estar de acuerdo / aceptar)

Agree (with someone / to do something) = say “yes” because you think it’s a good idea.

Mike didn’t like the plan, but he agreed.
I agree with you.
She agreed to help.

Opposite: disagree

excited (emocionado / con muchas ganas) — false friend warning

Excited = happy + full of energy because something good is going to happen.
✅ Spanish: emocionado / ilusionado
❌ Not “excitado” in class context.

Sam felt excited about the trip.
I’m excited to travel tomorrow.

nervous (nervioso / con miedo o preocupación) — false friend warning

Nervous = worried / scared / not calm (before something important).
✅ Spanish: estar nervioso (same meaning)

Mike felt nervous on the bus.
I’m nervous before an exam.

1) ESTAR nervioso (temporary feeling) = nervous

You feel worried / anxious right now (exam, interview, getting caught).

I was nervous before the exam.
Mike felt nervous on the bus.

2) SER nervioso (personality / “high-energy”) ≠ nervous

In English, we usually don’t use nervous to mean “muy movido / inquieto / hiperactivo” as a stable personality trait.

Better English options (choose by meaning):

If you mean “muy activo / inquieto” (can’t sit still)

restless = can’t relax, keeps moving
- He’s a restless kid. He can’t sit still.
fidgety = small movements, tapping, playing with things
- She gets fidgety in long meetings.
energetic = lots of energy (positive)
- He’s very energetic.

If you mean “muy nervioso” as a character trait (often worried)

anxious = often worried (stronger than nervous)
- She’s an anxious person.
a worrier (noun) = someone who worries a lot
- He’s a worrier.

If you mean “irritable / tense”

on edge = tense, easy to react
- He’s been on edge all day.

Classroom shortcut (nice and memorable)

nervous = worried (estar nervioso)
restless/fidgety = can’t sit still (ser nervioso “movido”)

If you want, I can rewrite your story line to model both meanings cleanly, e.g.:

“Mike was usually careful, but he was restless.” (personality)
“On the bus, he felt nervous.” (feeling)

froze (se quedó paralizado / se quedó quieto del shock)

In stories, froze means you stop moving because you are shocked or scared.

Sam froze when she saw her mum’s friend.

freeze – froze – frozen (irregular verb)

Base: freeze
Past: froze
Past participle: frozen

Examples:

I freeze when I hear a strange noise. (present)
I froze when I saw her. (past)
I have frozen before on stage. (present perfect)
The lake is frozen. (adjective)

The Story Frame (say 1–2 sentences for each line)

When I was… / Last… I …
At first, …
Then, …
Suddenly, …
So, …
In the end, …
I felt… …
Now, I always… / I never… again.

Micro example (10 seconds)

Last year, I went to a concert.
At first, it was great.
Then, I lost my ticket.
Suddenly, a guard stopped me.
So, I called my friend.
In the end, I got in.
I felt relieved.
Now, I never lose my ticket again.

FILMS

Last night I watched a film about a theme park with huge dinosaurs. At first it was exciting, then the animals escaped—suddenly everyone ran, so they tried to survive, and in the end they got out; I felt scared but amazed.

A few years ago I watched a film about a huge “unsinkable” ship on its first trip. At first it was romantic and beautiful, then it hit ice—suddenly everything changed, so people fought to survive, and in the end it was heartbreaking; I felt shocked and sad.

STORY BUILDER

This EnglishBot will make you create stories, just follow the instructions!

If you don’t know a word just say it in Spanish, if you have problems, express it anyway and the Bot will correct and help you. In the end, you will have your story.

Martha’s Week

Last week, Martha was very busy. She is a single mum in her mid-forties, she has a cat, and she works as a shop assistant in a big mall. She also loves going to salsa class, but she doesn’t always have time.

On Tuesday morning, Martha had a problem with her car. It didn’t start, so she called a tow truck. The truck arrived late, and Martha got to work late too. Her boss wasn’t happy, and Martha felt stressed all day.

That evening, Martha’s daughter, Sandrah, came home with bad news: she failed her Maths exam. Martha was tired and angry, and she spoke too strongly. Sandrah started to cry, and Martha immediately felt guilty. Later, she apologised and they talked calmly. Martha said, “We can fix this. We’ll make a plan.”

At the weekend, they went to a party with friends. Martha danced salsa, Sandrah laughed again, and everything was fine in the end.

Glossary (A2–B1, classroom-friendly)

busy
= having a lot to do; no free time.

I’m busy this week.
Opposite: free / not busy

single (for adults)
= not married / not in a relationship (or living without a partner).

She’s single.
For parenting: single mum / single dad = raising a child alone.
She’s a single mum.

mid-forties (and other ages)
= around 44–46 years old (middle of the 40s).
Useful pattern:

early thirties (31–33)
mid thirties (34–36)
late thirties (37–39)
in my twenties / thirties / forties (general)

mall
= a very big shopping centre with many shops (often inside one large building).

She works in a mall.

tow truck
= a special truck that takes a broken car to a garage.
Verb: tow = pull/transport a car.

She called a tow truck.
The truck towed the car.

speak strongly (natural alternatives)
Meaning: speak in an angry/strict way.
More natural phrases at this level:

speak too strongly = speak too angrily/strictly
raise my voice = speak louder because I’m angry
speak sharply = speak suddenly and rudely
Examples:
She spoke too strongly to her daughter.
I raised my voice and then I apologised.

cry
= have tears because you are sad, upset, or happy.

She cried. / The girl started to cry.
Noun: tears
She had tears in her eyes.

guilty
= feeling bad because you did something wrong (or you think you did).

I felt guilty after I shouted.
Common pair: guilty + about
I felt guilty about my words.

fix
= repair (a thing) OR solve (a problem).

They fixed the car. (repair)
We can fix this. (solve the situation)
Useful phrase: make a plan
We’ll make a plan and fix the problem.

“Last week / Last day” speaking frame (simple + repeatable)

Last week / On (Monday)… I was… (busy / tired / happy)
I had to… (work / study / look after…)
On (Tuesday)… something happened: …
Because of that, I… (went / called / waited / arrived…)
Then, I… (another action)
I felt… (stressed / angry / guilty / relieved)
After that, I… (apologised / fixed it / talked / rested)
At the weekend / In the end, … (good ending)
Now, I… / Next week, I will… (small plan)

Optional (only if they can):

The best part was… / The worst part was…

Tell your story!

You can now create your stories, EnglishBot will help you in everything. You can type FINISH anytime and the story finishes. You can continue as long as you want.
Be creative, invent stories, use it for real life events and remember, this is only a game!