✅ Formula 24: Past Event Monologue
Talk about a party you attended.
Talk about a stage in your life that you enjoyed most.
Talk about a sports event you attended.
Talk about a journey you have been on.
Talk about a story you heard as a child.
Talk about a time when you were late for something.
Talk about something you did that helped you learn a language.
For STAGE 1 of a past event monologue, you must: Say what it was and when it happened.
- Use words & phrases for events accurately.
It was a great family holiday in the German countryside.
Học từ vựng về sự kiện
You can also use the following phrases to say what the event was:
the time (that/when)+ did something
… the time when I saw an interesting story on TV …
… tin time tbat my friends and I went on a day trip …
… the time I went to the Houston Rockets …
the first time + did something
… the first time I learned to ride a bike …
… tbe first time I played chess …
… the first time I flew in a plane … - Use prepositions of time and time phrases correctly.
In 1989, …
Quite a while ago, I went to a great party.
Remind yourself of the following essential prepositions of time for specific times:
last (weeks, weekends, months, years, festivals)
… last weekend …
… last month …
in (months, seasons, years, long periods of time)
… in December …
… in 1979 …
on (days, special days)
… on the 5th of November 2005 …
… on my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary …
at (specific times, noons, midnights, festivals)
… at noon on my birthday …
… at Christmas …
during (months, seasons, long festivals, long periods of time)
… during the Tet holiday …
… during the spring …
around/about (times, months, occasions, festivals, special days)
… around Christmas …
About my 10th birthday …
once
Once I went on a school trip.
I attended a strange party once.
one day
One day I watched a football match with my cousin.
One day I took a bus into the countryside.
a few years ago
Afew years ago, I was late for work.
I was late for work a few years ago.
quite a while ago I some time ago
I started going to English corners quite a while ago.
Some time ago, a friend gave me this piece of advice.
when
When I was a child …
I went on a trip when I was at university. - Use the past continuous & past simple and past perfect & past simple for setting a scene correctly.
I had been at university for a couple of years, so I decided to have a huge party.
Past continuous & past simple
When using the past continuous and past simple, the shorter past simple action happened during the longer past continuous (was/were+ verb-ing) action.
Let’s look at the two structures of the past continuous and past simple again:
(while/when)+ was/were+ verb-ing +(when)+ past verb
While/When I was studying at university, I beard an interesting story.
I was studying at university when I beard an interesting story.
(when)+ past verb+ (while/when)+ was/were+ verb-ing
I beard an interesting story while/when I was studying at university.
When I wrote this letter, I was travelling back to my university.
Past perfect & past simple
You can also use the past perfect and past simple to set a scene of your monologue.
The past perfect (had+ past participle) action happened before the past simple action.
The two structures of the past perfect and past simple are:
had (already)+ past participle+ past verb
I had studied at university for a few months before my teacher told me …
Because I had already peiformed really well on the school sports day, the headmaster made me attend another competition.
past verb + had (already) + past participle
My teacher told me something really important after I had studied at university for a few months.
The headmaster made me attend another competition because I bad already performed really well on school sports day.
For STAGE 2 of a past event monologue, you must: Say why it happened, where it happened and who was there.
Cấu trúc: - Use the passive voice for location or cause of events accurately.
The party was held in a restaurant.
You may remember the passive voice from previous lessons, but remind yourself of its structure: be + past participle ( + by + agent)
I was given a present for my 8th birthday.
The party was held in an office.
I was told the story by my teacher.
The competition was organised by my school.
I was taken to the swimming pool by my father. - Use prepositions of location correctly.
She lived above a Chinese restaurant.
There were many trees along the river bank.
Remind yourself of these prepositions of location:
in +an enclosed or larger place
… in my house …
… in Vietnam …
at+ a specific place or location
… at the market …
… at the centre of the page …
on+ a surface or road
… on the highway …
.. . on the wall …
over /above+ a certain place or location
… above the building …
… over the bridge …
next to /beside /by+ a certain place or location
… by the lake …
… next to the post office …
… beside a Chinese restaurant …
opposite / across from+ a certain place or location
… opposite the bank …
… acrossfrom the drugstore …
Between + two places or locations
… between Saigon and Ha Noi
… between the mountains …
ln front of+ a certain place or location
… in front of my house …
.. .in front of the Rex Hotel…
outside of (a town/city)
… outside of Ho Chi Minh City …
near (to)
… near the zoo …
… near (to) London …
far from
.. far from home …
.. far from the gas station … - Use relationship, occupation and group words accurately.
My uncle, who lived in Ha Noi, was an engineer.
Học từ vựng về nghề nghiệp và mối quan hệ.
person+ relative clause
Susan, who was an accountant with HSBC, was waiting for me outside.
My grandfather, wbo was a very kind and gentle man, got so angry that he …
All of the party-goers who had been dancing all night decided to go to another club.
For STAGE 3 of a past event monologue, you must: Say what happened.
Cấu trúc:
- Use direct and indirect speech accurately.
He said he would never go to university.
She said “you are my best friend”
Direct speech
Examples are:
She aiways says: “Wear more clothes; don’t catch a cold.”
He said: “I really don’t like this party.”
I said: “I will not go home now.”
Indirect speech
The tense should go back one tense further into the past, so that present simple becomes past simple, past simple becomes past perfect, etc.
Examples:
She said: “I love you.” ….. She said that she loved him.
I said: “I have never loved you.” ….. I said that I bad never loved her.
When reporting questions, yes/ no questions should be changed using if, while questions that use question words such as how, who, why, etc. should be included in the indirect speech.
Examples:
I asked her: “Will you go?” – I asked her if she would go.
She asked him: “Why don’t you love me?” – She asked him wiry he didn’t love her. - Use the past simple with sequence markers correctly.
My cousin went next door to get the ball. Shortly afterwards he came running back …
Look at the following useful sequence markers:
to start with
at the beginning
at first
as soon as
immediately
straight away
by the time that
then
so
afterwards
following that
following on from that
after (that)
next
soon after I afterwards
shortly after I afterwards
in the end
finally
Examples:
To start with I felt very nervous, but after a few dances I relaxed and in the end had a really great time.
As soon as we entered the stadium we realised we were very early.
I watched a documentary about wild animals a few years ago. Following that, I decided not to eat meat anymore because I think it’s cruel. - Use the past continuous & past simple and past perfect& past perfect with adverbs of surprise.
While we were cycling along the road, suddenly a man jumped out of the trees.
Look at the following highly useful adverbs of surprise:
suddenly
all of a sudden
to (one’s) surprise
out of the blue
surprisingly
unexpectedly
unbelievably
incredibly
the next thing I knew
with past continuous & past simple
We were quietly walking along the road when suddenly a car crashed right in front of us.
I was sleeping in my parents’ car on the way to the airport and then the next thing I knew we were flying in an aeroplane!
We were watching the basketball match on TV when the electricity unexpectedly stopped.
When we were learning the first conditional, the activity our English teacher made us do was surprisingly enjoyable and useful.
with past perfect & past simple
I had just sat down in the restaurant when all of a sudden a woman came to my table and threw a glass of wine over me!
My girlfriend had told me that there was a problem with our flat, and asked me to come
home quickly. Incredibly, when I got home Ifound all my friends and family were there to give me a surprise birthday party!
I had prepared for the presentation for a very long time and although I was nervous, it went unbelievably well.
My classmates and I hadn’t prepared well for the exam and so were really worried. Out of the blue, our teacher told us it was cancelled -it was such a relief!
We had asked our parents for a pet dog many, many times and they always said no. Then one day, to our surprise they said yes!
For STAGE 4 of a past event monologue, you must: Say why the event was special and how you feel/felt about it.
Cấu trúc:
- Use adjectives for describing events & adjectives of feeling well.
This event was important to me because it was such a crazy time!
I feel very nostalgic whenever I drink of those times.
Let’s look at some useful native speaker adjectives offeeling:
embarrassed
irate
incredulous
moved
pleased
delighted
thrilled
over the moon
enthusiastic
reassured
satisfied
Here are some examples using both kinds of adjectives:
I felt extremely satisfied to see my paper be published in the school newspaper.
Although it was embarrassing at the time, when I think about it now I guess it’s pretty
amusing.
I was really moved to visit a place with such an awe-inspiring history. - Use the third conditional & present perfect to express the importance of an event accurately.
if I hadn’t had this experierice, I wouId never have had the confidence to learn the language.
The third conditional
We’ve already looked at the third conditional in previous lessons, but just remind yourself of its structure before looking at some examples below.
If+ had(n’t) +past participle, would(n’t) have +past participle
If l hadn’t participated in the speaking competition, I wouldn’t have bad the confidence to continue studying Italian.
would(n’t) have +past participle + if+ had(n’t) + past participle
I probably wouldn’t have chosen architecture for my major if our school hadn’t taken us to St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
The present perfect to express the importance of an event
To talk about the importance of a past event, you can use the present perfect in the following ways:
(event) was+ the superlative (type of event) I have ever+ past participle
That match was the best match I have ever played in.
This story was the most memorable tale I have ever heard.
since (event) I have (adverb offrequency) + past participle
Since I saw that TV programme, I have often thought about all the animals that become
extinct every year.
Since that party I have been much more interested in foreign cultures and customs. - Use concluding expressions correctly.
I wish I hadn’t done it; I still feel stupid whenever I think about it!
Here are our “top ten” concluding expressions:
The (event) taught me that …
Writing this letter and the effect it had on my friend taught me that making just small signs that you care about someone can have a big impact on their life.
The (event) was important to/for me because …
This trip was important to me because I learnt a lot about travelling alone and staying safe.
Through this experience, I learnt the importance of…
Through this experience, I learnt the importance of studying as well as I could, and not being lazy.
I will always remember …
I will always remember that sunny afternoon in the park with my boyfriend.
I will never forget …
I will never forget watching that crazy basketball match with my father.
Overall, it was a rewarding experience and I learnt a lot.
I’m glad I did it – it was a very (adjective) experience.
I’m glad I did it – it was a very inspiring experience.
I would love to do it again if I had the chance.
Although I enjoyed it at the time, I wouldn’t want to do it again because …
Although I enjoyed it at the time, I wouldn’t want to do it again because I don’t think it would be as much fun now that I’m older.
In the future, I will …
In the future, I will try to share the same piece of advice with others.
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