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Section 1 / 4
Warm-up
Speaking Boost A2 · Unit 23
Audiobooks and Stories
Reading by listening, telling a story and talking about the past
A2 · Unit 23GrammarWords to learn💬 Speaking-heavy
1.1
Today’s grammar
Focus: past simple for stories · time clauses with when / while / after / before.
1.2
Talk first
- Do you like listening to stories?
- What was the last book you read or heard?
- Who told you stories when you were a child?
1.3
After this lesson you will be able to...
- Tell a short story in the past simple.
- Join ideas with when, while, after and before.
- Talk about books, audiobooks and favourite authors.
- Say what happened first, next and last.
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Section 2 / 4
Vocabulary
2.1
Words to learn
| a story | історія, оповідання My grandmother told me a story. |
| an author | автор Who is your favourite author? |
| a character | персонаж The main character is brave. |
| a plot | сюжет The plot is very exciting. |
| an audiobook | аудіокнига I listen to an audiobook every night. |
| a chapter | розділ I read one chapter a day. |
| a fairy tale | казка I love old fairy tales. |
| the ending | кінцівка The ending was a surprise. |
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Section 3 / 4
Grammar
3.1
Past simple for stories
We use the past simple to tell a story. Regular verbs end in -ed: walk – walked, listen – listened. Irregular verbs change: go – went, see – saw, say – said, take – took.
Negative: didn’t + base verb: She didn’t know the answer. Question: Did you like the story? What happened next?
| The boy walked into the forest. |
| She heard a strange sound and stopped. |
| They didn’t find the key. |
| Did you like the ending of the book? |
🇺🇦 Коротко українською: Past Simple: -ed (walked) або неправильні дієслова (went). Заперечення: didn’t + інфінітив. Питання: Did you…?
3.2
When, while, after, before
We use time words to join two events. WHEN: When I opened the door, the dog barked. AFTER: After she finished the book, she went to bed. BEFORE: Before I fell asleep, I listened to music.
WHILE is for two actions at the same time (often with the past continuous): While I was cooking, I listened to an audiobook.
| When the story ended, everyone clapped. |
| After I finished dinner, I read a chapter. |
| Before I fall asleep, I listen to a story. |
| While I was cooking, I listened to a podcast. |
🇺🇦 Коротко українською: when — коли, after — після того як, before — перед тим як, while — поки (одночасно).
3.3
Telling a story
Good stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. Start: Once upon a time… One day… Then use: Suddenly… After that… In the end…
Describe the feeling and the sounds: It was a dark night. The wind was loud. She felt afraid.
| One day, a girl found an old key. |
| Suddenly, she heard a strange noise. |
| After that, she opened the door. |
| In the end, they were all very happy. |
🇺🇦 Коротко українською: One day — одного дня, Suddenly — раптом, After that — після цього, In the end — врешті.
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Section 4 / 4
Speaking
4.1
Easy — warm up your speaking
- Do you like stories?
- What is your favourite book?
- Do you listen to audiobooks?
- Who read to you when you were small?
- Do you like fairy tales?
- What was your favourite fairy tale?
- Do you read before bed?
- How many books do you read a year?
- Do you like long or short books?
- Who is your favourite author?
- What time of day do you read?
- Do you share books with friends?
4.2
Medium — say more
- Tell me the story of a book or a film you liked.
- What was the last story you heard?
- Describe your favourite character.
- How did the story end?
- What did you do after you finished the book?
- Tell me about a story from your childhood.
- Do you prefer reading or listening to a story? Why?
- What happened in your day yesterday? Tell it as a story.
- What did you do before you went to bed last night?
- What do you do while you listen to an audiobook?
- Tell me a fairy tale in three sentences.
- Who told you your favourite story?
4.3
Deeper — explain and give reasons
- Why do people tell stories?
- Are books better than films? Why or why not?
- Can stories change our lives? Give an example.
- Why are fairy tales important for children?
- How do audiobooks help people learn?
- What can we learn from old stories?
- Do you think stories are different in different countries? Give an example.
- If you could write a book, what would it be about?
4.4
More questions
- What happened in the story?
- Who was the main character?
- When did you read your last book?
- What did you do after you finished it?
- Did you cry or laugh?
- Did the story have a happy ending?
- What did you do before you read it?
- What was the title of the book?
- Who wrote it?
- Did you listen to it on your phone?
- How many chapters did it have?
- Did you want to read it again?
4.5
Opinions and what-ifs
- Do you think reading is more important than TV?
- Would you rather listen to or read a story?
- What if you could meet a character from a book?
- Which is better: a happy ending or a sad one?
- Would you like to be an author? Why?
- Is a long story better than a short one?
- Do you think everyone should read every day?
- What advice would you give to someone who doesn’t like reading?
4.6