6.2 Narrative Language and Connectors

6.2 Narrative Language and Connectors

Quick Answer: Tell most Part 7 stories in the past simple, use past continuous for background or interrupted actions when useful, and join stages with sequence words (First, Then, Next, After that, Suddenly, Finally) plus simple time phrases. Short dialogue is optional.

Section 6.1 explained the Part 7 job: three pictures, one ordered story, 35+ words. This section gives you the language engine for that job. At CEFR A2 you do not need literary style. You need controlled narrative tools that examiners see every day in successful scripts: regular and irregular past forms, a few continuous frames, clear connectors, and everyday story vocabulary.

Past simple: the core of the picture story

Most Part 7 pictures show finished events. Past simple is the default:

• Mia waited at the bus stop.
• The bag broke and the apples fell.
• They played football and Sam scored.

Regular past forms (add -ed)

Spelling reminders at A2: stop → stopped, plan → planned (double consonant after a short vowel in common verbs); try → tried, carry → carried (y → i before -ed after a consonant).

High-value irregular past forms for stories

Memorise these as a Part 7 “emergency pack.” They appear constantly in picture narratives:

Consistency beats decoration

A story that stays in accurate past simple scores better than a story that jumps randomly between tenses:

• Consistent: She missed the bus. Then it rained. Finally Tom arrived.
• Inconsistent: She missed the bus. Then it rains. Finally Tom is arriving.

If you start in past simple, finish in past simple unless you deliberately use past continuous for a background frame.

Past continuous: when it helps

Past continuous (was/were + -ing) is useful in two common Part 7 situations:

1. Background weather or scene: It was raining hard. / The sun was shining.
2. Interrupted longer action: She was waiting for the bus when it left without her.

Simple patterns

Do not force past continuous into every sentence. Many high-scoring A2 stories use mostly past simple and only one continuous line for atmosphere.

Common continuous errors to avoid

• She was go to the shop. → She was going / She went
• It was rain. → It was raining / It rained
• They was playing. → They were playing

Sequence words: the Organisation toolkit

Sequence words tell the examiner you can organise a narrative. They also protect you from writing three disconnected captions.

Core set for A2 Key Part 7

Light variety without complexity

You do not need advanced linkers (nevertheless, whereas). A2-friendly extras that still help:

• Later — Later, her friend arrived.
• At last — At last, the rain stopped.
• So — It rained, so she got wet. (result)
• Because — She was sad because the bus left. (reason)
• But — She waited, but the bus did not stop. (contrast)
• And — join two short related actions carefully; do not chain five ideas with only and

Model paragraph using connectors

Yesterday morning, Anna went to the bus stop. First, she saw the bus coming. Then it left without her. Suddenly, it started to rain. After that, her brother arrived in a car. Finally, Anna got home and had a hot drink.

Notice: connectors mark stages; verbs stay mostly past simple; the reader never wonders which event came first.

Time phrases: set the scene fast

Time phrases replace long introductions and help Organisation:

Open with one time phrase, not three. Yesterday last weekend in the morning is confusing.

Story verbs by common picture themes

Build small theme banks so you are never searching for a basic verb under time pressure.

Travel and transport

waited, arrived, left, missed, caught, stopped, drove, walked, ran, got on, got off

Weather and problems

started to rain, got wet, dropped, broke, fell, lost, forgot, looked for, found

Helping and feelings

helped, thanked, smiled, laughed, cried, was happy/sad/surprised/tired/angry, felt better

Free time and sport

played, kicked, scored, won, lost, watched, listened, danced, cooked, bought

Home and shopping

went into, put, paid, carried, opened, closed, cleaned, cooked, ate, drank

Use concrete verbs from the pictures rather than vague lines like They did a thing or Something happened.

Optional dialogue tags

A short line of speech can make Picture 3 feel finished—if it stays simple:

• “Thank you!” Mia said.
• “Are you OK?” the woman asked.
• “We won!” they shouted.

Rules for safe A2 dialogue

1. Keep speech to one short sentence.
2. Use common tags: said, asked, answered, shouted, replied.
3. Put the tag in a simple place: “Hello,” she said. or She said, “Hello.”
4. Do not write a full conversation of six turns—you will lose time and accuracy.
5. If punctuation stress you, skip dialogue and use She thanked him instead.

Dialogue is optional. Many strong scripts have none.

Building a sentence that carries a picture

Aim for subject + past verb + detail structures:

1. Leo bought some apples at the supermarket.
2. The bag broke and the apples fell on the ground.
3. A kind woman helped him pick them up.

Upgrade with one connector or time phrase:

1. Last Saturday, Leo bought some apples at the supermarket.
2. Then the bag broke and the apples fell on the ground.
3. Finally, a kind woman helped him pick them up.

That is already a complete Part 7 story shape.

Original language-focused model: The lost phone

Picture sequence: (1) A girl sits in a café and puts her phone on the table. (2) She leaves; the phone stays on the table. (3) A waiter runs after her with the phone; she looks relieved.

Model (55 words):

Yesterday afternoon, Sara sat in a café and put her phone on the table. After a few minutes, she paid and left, but she forgot her phone. Suddenly, the waiter ran after her and said, “Excuse me! Your phone!” Sara was very happy and thanked him. Then she put the phone carefully in her bag.

Language features to copy:

• Time phrase opening
• Past simple chain: sat, put, paid, left, forgot, ran, said, thanked, put
• Suddenly for the surprise stage
• One short dialogue line
• Clear final feeling and action

From weak language to stronger language

Practice drills (10 minutes each)

1. Irregular sprint: Write 10 past forms from the emergency pack, then use five of them in one tiny story.
2. Connector rewrite: Take any three-sentence story and insert First / Then / Finally.
3. Continuous add-on: Add one background line (It was raining… / The sun was shining…) to a past-simple story.
4. Dialogue optional pass: Write a story twice—once with a one-line quote, once with She thanked him—and keep the cleaner version.

What Language marks reward at A2

The Language criterion (detailed fully in Section 6.3) looks for range and control of simple grammar and vocabulary. For Part 7 that usually means:

• Past forms mostly correct
• Basic word order sound
• Everyday story vocabulary that matches the pictures
• Errors that do not stop the reader understanding the event

You are not marked on rare idioms. A clear Then the bag broke beats a confused attempt at advanced phrasing.

Putting it together: 60-second language plan

Before you write:

1. Choose names and a time phrase.
2. List three past verbs, one per picture.
3. Choose two connectors (for example First and Finally, plus Then in the middle).
4. Decide whether one continuous weather line helps.
5. Write; then check endings on regular verbs and the irregulars you used.

Narrative language is a small, learnable set. Master past simple, a handful of irregulars, sequence words, and time phrases, and Part 7 becomes a routine task instead of a creative panic. The final section of this chapter explains exactly how examiners turn that writing into Content, Organisation, and Language scores from 0 to 5.