American English · C1 · Unit 20
Telling it well
Telling it well
By the end you can
- Tell a story with suspense
- Vary your language for effect
- Understand how a story is built
Words and phrases
| American English | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| little did they know | they didn't know (what would happen) | Little did they know, someone was watching. |
| out of nowhere | suddenly, without warning | Out of nowhere, the fire went out. |
| dead silence | complete quiet | Then there was dead silence. |
| to this day | even now | To this day, nobody knows who it was. |
| legend has it | according to an old story | Legend has it that a miner still walks these woods. |
| build suspense | make people anxious to know what happens | Slow down to build suspense. |
| shivers down my spine | a feeling of fear | The sound sent shivers down my spine. |
| as if | in a way that suggested | The trees moved as if someone was walking through them. |
| creaked | made a slow, high sound (a door, a floor) | The door creaked open. |
| the twist | an unexpected turn in a story | The twist is that the park ranger was the ghost. |
| a cliffhanger | an ending that leaves you wanting to know more | Every chapter ends on a cliffhanger. |
| it was a dark and stormy night | a classic, overused story opening | It was a dark and stormy night, and the cabin was silent. |
Then talk it through
Telling a ghost story around a campfire. In the app you have this conversation out loud or typed, with the unit's goals to tick off and corrections at the end.