British 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
| British English | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| little did she know | she didn't know (but the listener does) | Little did she know, someone was watching. |
| out of nowhere | suddenly, without warning | Out of nowhere, a figure appeared. |
| there was something about | something felt strange about | There was something about the house that felt wrong. |
| a chill ran down my spine | I suddenly felt afraid | A chill ran down my spine. |
| the hairs on the back of my neck stood up | I felt sudden fear | The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. |
| build up suspense | make people more and more curious or afraid | Slow down to build up suspense. |
| deathly | silent and still, like death | The room went deathly quiet. |
| a twist | an unexpected change in a story | And then came a twist nobody expected. |
| to this day | even now | To this day, nobody knows who it was. |
| as if | in a way that suggested | It was as if the house was breathing. |
| they say that | people say that | They say that on stormy nights you can still hear her. |
| no sooner had | immediately after | No sooner had we sat down than the candle went out. |
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.