Are you a great storyteller?
What number of totally different grammar tenses does a storyteller use in a single story?
Hear in to at the moment’s episode for recommendations on telling partaking tales.
You’ll hear Aubrey and Lindsay’s tales and learn to higher inform your personal!
Telling Tales
Aubrey asks Lindsay what verb tense she makes use of when telling a narrative.
Lindsay says she typically makes use of the previous tense.
She provides that she strikes between the current tense, the previous tense, and the current excellent tense.
It actually is dependent upon what occurred when within the story.
Current tense comes up so much since you’re attempting to drag somebody into the story, make them really feel like they have been there with you.
The secret is to seamlessly transfer between totally different tenses.
In at the moment’s episode, Lindsay and Aubrey are diving into the primary verb tenses we use when telling a narrative.
The purpose is to have the ability to inform attention-grabbing, partaking tales.
Construction of storytelling
When telling a narrative, it’s essential know what these totally different verb tenses are for therefore you understand which to make use of.
Lindsay and Aubrey share a really transient overview of a number of tenses that you’ll use most frequently when telling a narrative.
They’ll undergo the grammar for every after which Aubrey will use all of them in a narrative about touring in Nicaragua.
#1: Current excellent
That is typically how we introduce a narrative.
It’s used to set the stage and provides the background of the story.
You’ll be able to consider motion pictures which have narration.
These are sometimes within the current excellent tense.
Instance:
“I’ve at all times cherished discovering new eating places and final night time…”
#2: Previous easy
That is used to discuss with completed actions up to now.
Usually we begin with the current excellent tense after which proceed the story up to now easy tense.
We transfer to this tense to say one thing particular that occurred up to now at a selected time.
Instance:
Current excellent: “I’ve at all times cherished discovering new eating places and final night time…”
Previous easy: “I ate at one of the best Thai restaurant.”
#3: Current
With a purpose to pull folks into the story, we frequently transfer to the current tense.
This helps the listener really feel like they’re with you because the story unfolds.
Examples:
“We’re in a parking zone and this girl arrives out of nowhere!”
“It’s 5:55 A.M., my alarm goes off…”
#4: Subjunctive
Subjunctive temper is used for hypotheticals.
It’s typically attention-grabbing so as to add what may’ve been totally different if circumstances modified.
Instance:
“Oh, if I hadn’t been there, this may by no means have occurred.”
“For those who have been to learn only one e book this yr, it ought to be this one!”
#5: Conditionals
We use the conditional verb tense when expressing that one factor is contingent on one other.
It’s a good way to share what would possibly occur or what might need occurred.
We frequently begin a sentence with the conditional and finish with subjunctive temper.
Instance:
“I might not have parked subsequent to her if I’d have recognized that may occur!”
“We might’ve made a distinct selection if we’d recognized how it might all end up.”
Be observant
You could concentrate and be observant when studying or listening to English.
While you hear another person inform a narrative, discover the entire totally different verb tenses, so to make your tales extra attention-grabbing.
We wish you to have the ability to inform attention-grabbing tales.
It’s such a enjoyable connection talent.
Story telling pattern
Lindsay tells a narrative for instance.
She makes use of the totally different tenses talked about on this episode.
It will present you the right way to inform a dynamic and attention-grabbing story.
Lindsay: So, Aubrey, I’ve at all times been an adventurous particular person, however I by no means imagined that I might do what I did on today. So, I used to be in Nicaragua. I feel I used to be in Managua or someplace near there. And after backpacking round for a few days, I noticed, or we realized that the factor to do in Nicaragua, is volcano boarding. And never simply volcano boarding, however lively volcano boarding. So Nicaragua is a rustic with loads of volcanoes, proper? A number of seismic exercise. And so, we booked a tour to go volcano boarding. Have you ever ever heard of this earlier than?
Aubrey: No.
Lindsay: Okay.
Aubrey: I’ve by no means heard of volcano boarding. I can’t imagine that. I can not wait to listen to about this.
Lindsay: That is one thing that may be proper up your alley. So, I noticed movies of this, of what they really do. What they do is that they take the backs of fridges. As a result of the fridges are slick, proper? They’re slippery. They take the again, that coating off the fridge, they usually make it right into a board.
And so what you do is you e book a tour, you stand up within the morning, tremendous early, it’s nonetheless darkish out. You hop on a bus, you drive for 3 hours. So we’re driving, and the terrain is getting extra bumpy and extra bumpy. We get there, we put these fridges. Not a full fridge, nevertheless it’s the, you understand, our boards. We put them on our again. So we begin mountaineering up this lively volcano. And I’m at all times a little bit nervous about lively volcanoes, proper? Like, okay, let’s simply hope that at the moment’s not the day, you understand, that this volcano explodes, proper? As a result of that simply wouldn’t be so handy.
So we hike up this volcano, we get to the highest. And I watch the information, he does the instance. He goes down and I’m terrified, Aubrey. I don’t assume I’ve been that scared earlier than in my life. I’m visibly shaking. I’m feeling my adrenaline is popping up, going all through my physique. And I’m pondering, “How on earth am I going to regulate my board?” As a result of it is a steep volcano, proper? This isn’t a straightforward slope. And it doesn’t seem like you may have a lot management. All you do is you simply slap it down, put your butt on it, and also you go.
So I watch folks go they usually appear to be they’re flying off and somebody is getting their pace with a pace gun. After which it’s my flip. I’m one of many final ones to step up. And I’m pondering, “I don’t wish to die on a volcano board,” This isn’t whereI wish to go. And so I put it down and I sit down and I’’m supposed to make use of my toes as brakes. That was the way it labored. And I noticed, I had extra management than I believed I did.
And so, I did go, however I ended up going actually sluggish. Round 15 miles an hour down the volcano. After which on the finish they’d an inventory of speeds. And I feel the quickest man was 45 or 47 miles an hour. I used to be like 12. And it felt…
Aubrey: 45 miles an hour? That’s insane!
Lindsay: Yeah. Wild. Wild. So, I used to be a little bit embarrassed…
Aubrey: Wow.
Lindsay: … about how sluggish I went however I used to be so completely happy to see that I may certainly management my pace and I wasn’t going to…
Aubrey: Yeah.
Lindsay: … die that day on that volcano, so.
Aubrey: That is loopy. I’ve by no means heard of anybody doing that earlier than. I feel it might be a tough cross on that.
Lindsay: Actually?
Aubrey: And I really feel like I’m an adventurous particular person. However, no, I don’t know.
Lindsay: However, Aubrey, you cliff jumped earlier than. You’ve achieved means crazier issues.
Aubrey: Effectively, that sounds so scary.
Lindsay: No? Yeah.
Aubrey: Perhaps. If I have been in that scenario, I in all probability can be like, “I’ve received to attempt it.”
Which tenses have been used?
Aubrey factors out how Lindsay started with current excellent tense.
This set the scene.
She then moved to easy previous.
To attract the listener in, she switches to current tense.
Aubrey factors out that she additionally used steady tense.
Takeaway
Native English audio system don’t stick to at least one verb tense.
They transfer out and in relying on what they’re attempting to convey.
Telling an attention-grabbing, partaking story is a crucial connection talent.
Don’t fear about being excellent!
You’ll be able to inform unbelievable, partaking tales whereas making some grammar errors.
Keep in mind, Connection NOT Perfection™
You can too try episode AEE 2401: Methods to Be a Extra Attention-grabbing Storyteller.
This episode gives you extra recommendations on being a great storyteller.
What’s an attention-grabbing story you possibly can share with us?
We’d love to listen to from you within the feedback beneath.
