Syllabus topic 3: How to write a past story from a given sentence
100–150 words · Story. Begin your story with this exact sentence: 'When I opened the bag, I knew something was wrong.' Explain the problem, describe what happened next and give the story a clear ending.
Write 100–150 words. Begin your story with this exact sentence: 'When I opened the bag, I knew something was wrong.' Explain the problem, describe what happened next and give the story a clear ending.
Plan the ending before writing. Use past continuous for background and past simple for the events that move the story forward.
Your progress
Mark this lesson as studied when you have finished the explanation.
Use these phrases if they fit your ideas. There is no single correct response.
100 more words to reach the suggested range.
This is guided self-review, not automatic grading. The word range is a guide. Editing your text clears the checklist so you can review the new version; previous lesson completion stays in your history.
When I opened the bag, I knew something was wrong. Instead of my swimming things, I found a pair of dancing shoes and a bright yellow scarf. I was waiting outside the sports centre with my friend. We had just travelled there by bus, so I guessed that I had picked up another passenger's bag. Fortunately, there was a name and telephone number inside. The owner answered immediately. She had my bag and was only two streets away at a dance studio. We agreed to meet outside a nearby café. Ten minutes later, we exchanged bags and laughed about our mistake. She reached her class on time, and I only missed the first few minutes of swimming. Since then, I have always tied a red ribbon to my bag.
This example illustrates structure and tone and may be shorter than the suggested range. Develop your own response.
Keep learning
Continue this topic or practice every English skill at the same level.
35 min · Review
15 min · Present
10 min · Work
10 min · Monologue
10 min · Story
15 min · Mixed practice
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