Se utilizan para expresar emociones en momentos clave de la narración.
I was / felt (terrified, delighted, etc.) → Me sentí / estaba (aterrorizado, encantado, etc.)
I was terrified when I heard the strange noise.
I felt delighted after winning the competition.
It was a terrible shock / wonderful surprise. → Fue un shock terrible / una sorpresa maravillosa.
I’ve never been / felt so … before in my whole life. → Nunca me había sentido tan … en toda mi vida.
I had never felt so nervous before in my whole life.
It was so (adjective, e.g. sad) that … → Fue tan (adjetivo, p. ej. triste) que …
It was so exciting that I couldn’t sleep all night.
Se usan para añadir énfasis, mostrar opinión o valorar lo sucedido.
Amazingly, … (Sorprendentemente…)
Incredibly, … (Increíblemente…)
Luckily, … (Por suerte…)
Fortunately, … (Afortunadamente…)
Sadly, … (Tristemente…)
Unfortunately, … (Desafortunadamente…)
Ejemplos:
Luckily, the driver saw me and stopped the car in time.
Unfortunately, we missed the last train.
Son esenciales para situar los hechos en el tiempo y organizar la narración.
Past simple / when / as I (past continuous)
→ I was walking home when I saw an accident.
→ Mientras caminaba a casa, vi un accidente.
for / since / just / ever / never / already / yet (con present perfect o past perfect)
→ I had never seen such a beautiful view before.
→ Nunca había visto una vista tan bonita antes.
Last year / Yesterday / A few days ago (con past simple)
→ A few days ago, something strange happened.
Before I (past simple), (past perfect)
→ Before I arrived, the party had already started.
→ Antes de llegar, la fiesta ya había comenzado.
After / Because / By the time / When I (past perfect, past simple)
→ By the time I got home, my parents had left.
→ Cuando llegué a casa, mis padres ya se habían ido.
Suddenly, … / Just then, … / At that moment, …
→ De repente… / Justo entonces… / En ese momento…
Suddenly, the lights went out and everyone screamed.
Ayudan a dar cohesión y a ordenar los hechos cronológicamente.
At first / First / In the beginning / First of all, … → Al principio / Primero / En un principio / Ante todo…
Next, … / Then, … / After that, … / Later, … → Después… / Entonces… / Más tarde…
Eventually, … / Finally, … / In the end, … → Finalmente… / Al final…
Ejemplo:
At first, I didn’t know anyone at the party. Then, I met two classmates. Finally, we all had fun together.
Sirven para cerrar la narración mostrando su importancia o impacto.
It was the (best, worst, most frightening, etc.) day of my life!
→ ¡Fue el (mejor, peor, más aterrador, etc.) día de mi vida!
It was a day / time I’ll never forget.
→ Fue un día / momento que nunca olvidaré.
I’ll remember this day / time forever.
→ Recordaré este día / momento para siempre.
Ejemplo:
It was the most exciting day of my life. I’ll remember it forever.
Last summer I went to the beach with my friends. We swam and played volleyball. Suddenly, it started to rain. We ran to a café and drank hot chocolate. It was fun.
(Muy simple, frases cortas en pasado simple, sin variedad de recursos)
Last summer, I went to the beach with my friends. At first, we swam in the sea and played volleyball. Then, we had a picnic. Suddenly, it started to rain heavily, so we ran to a café nearby. After that, we drank hot chocolate and talked for hours. Finally, the sun came out again, and we went home.
(Incluye conectores temporales y orden lógico)
Last summer, I went to the beach with my friends. At first, I felt excited because it was the first time we had all gone together. We swam in the sea and played volleyball. Amazingly, the water was warm and clear. Then, we had a picnic and laughed a lot.
Suddenly, it started to rain heavily. I was terrified because there was thunder and lightning. We ran quickly to a small café nearby. Fortunately, the owner was very kind, and we could sit down. We drank hot chocolate and talked for hours.
Finally, the sun came out again, and we walked home. It was such a wonderful day that I will never forget it.
(Se añaden sentimientos, reacciones personales y adverbios que comentan los hechos)
Last summer, I went to the beach with my friends. I had never felt so excited before because it was the first time we had all gone together without our parents.
At first, everything was perfect. The sun was shining and the sea was calm, so we swam happily. We played volleyball for more than an hour and, amazingly, I even scored the winning point!
Suddenly, dark clouds appeared. By the time we finished our picnic, it had already started to rain. The storm was so strong that we couldn’t stay outside. Luckily, there was a small café nearby. We ran inside, completely wet, but fortunately the owner was very friendly. We drank hot chocolate, listened to the sound of the rain and told each other funny stories.
Eventually, the storm stopped, and the sky cleared again. We walked home tired but happy. It was the best day of my summer, and I’ll remember it forever.
(Mayor riqueza gramatical: combinación de past simple y past perfect, expresiones de contraste y reflexión final)