June, 29, 2020 Narrating a story	
Conversation: A traffic accident	
Jack:  Hey, buddy, what happened to you? Don’t tell me you broke your leg!
Sam:  No, it’s not that drastic. I just twisted my ankle. Still, it hurts a lot, and walking
with these crutches is a pain in the neck.
Jack:  So when did it happen?
Sam:  It was the night of the basketball championship. And the worst thing is that we
lost the game and all hopes of winning our title back.
Jack:  What a bummer! Sit down here for a minute and tell me all about it.
Sam:  Well, it all happened last Thursday. It was pouring down rain and also freezing.
I was in a hurry to get to the gym early to chill out a bit before the game. I was all
stressed out about the game when I left home, but I got in the car and started to drive
toward the gym. All of a sudden my phone rang—it was my girlfriend. She was all
excited about the game and wanted to wish me good luck. I started to get pumped up
and ready for the game. My girlfriend and I kept on talking when I suddenly realized
that the cars in front of me were stopped, and I was going a little fast. I slammed on
the brakes, but it was too late. The street was wet, and I hit the car that was stopped in
front of me. That hard braking caused me to twist my ankle. I could hardly get out of
the car to talk to the other driver because my ankle hurt so much. To tell you the
truth, I was so freaked out I didn’t know what to do. I was thinking about the game,
my girlfriend, my teammates—it never occurred to me that I wouldn’t be able to play
that night. Finally a cop came and made me sign some papers; then an ambulance
took me to the hospital. They took some X-rays to see if my ankle was broken or not.
Thank goodness it wasn’t broken, but the upshot was that I wasn’t going to play
basketball that night. And now I’m stuck with these crutches.	
Improving your conversation	
collocation 	explanation	
First/second/next/then/after that- во-первых, во-вторых, затем....	In a more formal or longer narration, chronological order can be made clearer
with the use of expressions such as first, second, next, then, and after that. The
last event in the series is preceded by finally.
First, I got into the car and started to drive toward the gym. Second, I had an accident.
Then I realized that I had twisted my ankle.
After that, they took me to the hospital.
Finally, I went to the game on crutches and watched my team lose.
Note that each of these expressions is followed by a comma (or pause, when speaking), with the
exception of then. Second can be replaced with then, next, or after that, which are interchangeable.
This is what happened at the meeting this afternoon. First, we discussed the budget; second, the chairman announced the new position in Human Services. Next we talked about the problems in Customer Service. After that, we had a short coffee break, and then we had a chance to ask questions. Finally, we adjourned.	
Finally- наконец	Finally can also indicate relief or joy that something long awaited or expected has happened.
After three long days on the road, I finally got to San Antonio. Finally you’re here! We expected you two hours ago.	
Thank goodness- хорошо, что 	Thank goodness and thank God are other ways to express relief, joy, or satisfaction.
Thank goodness you arrived safely. Now we can celebrate.
Thank goodness and thank God (but not finally) can also express appreciation.
We have enough money to live on, thank God.
All of the children are healthy, thank goodness.	
To top it all off - в довершение всего, ко всему прочему	Sometimes a series of events are meant to tell a convincing story. To top it all off is an expression that is used to introduce a final event that adds weight to the sum of the previous events. Other expressions with the same function are for the frosting on the cake and as if that weren’t enough.
First, my alarm didn’t go off, and I woke up an hour late. Then I spilled coffee all over my
suit and had to change clothes. After that, I got in the car and noticed that it was completely out of gas. Finally, I had to wait in a long line to get gas. And to top it all off, when I left the gas station, I was in the middle of a huge traffic jam.	
All of a sudden- вдруг, внезапно	Events that interrupt a narration can be preceded by all of a sudden, suddenly, before I knew it,
out of nowhere, out of the blue, and just like that—all of which mean without warning.
We were enjoying our picnic, when all of a sudden, it began to rain cats and dogs.
They were taking a test, when suddenly the fire alarm went off. I stepped on a slippery rock, and before I knew it, I was on the ground. He was driving down the street, and out of nowhere, a car approached from the left. I was watching TV the other night, when out of the blue I got a call from an old friend whom I hadn’t seen in ages.
I was feeling a little depressed, and just like that, my favorite song came on the radio and
cheered me up.	
The best thing - лучший вариант, лучшее решение 
the worst thing-худший вариант, решение	The best thing and the worst thing indicate that what follows is the most or least desirable aspect of an issue.
The best thing about this school is that it has wonderful students. They are all eager to learn.
The best thing you can do at this point is be patient.
The worst thing about this apartment is the location. It’s not convenient to anything.	
The upshot-как результат
the bottom line- крайний срок, итог
	The upshot of an issue is its result or outcome. This is often used to avoid telling a complete story or explaining an issue in detail. I’m not going to give you all the details. The upshot is that Caitlyn has left town and won’t be back. 
An expression that has a similar function is the bottom line. I just had a long conversation with the chairman of the company. The bottom line is that I’ve been promoted.	
Bummer- неприятность, досада
	A bummer is an item of bad news or bad luck.
Snow again! What a bummer! Now our flight will be canceled. For serious occasions or tragedies, a shame would be a better expression. I’m so sorry to hear about your dad’s illness. What a shame!	
Pain in the neck- как кость в горле	A pain in the neck can refer to anything or any person that is annoying.
I wish my sister would stop banging on the door. She really is a pain in the neck. I lost my Internet connection again. What a pain in the neck!	
Pouring down rain =raining cats and dogs- льёт как из ведра	To be pouring down rain means to be raining heavily. An alternative expression is raining cats and dogs. The kids can’t play outside; it’s pouring down rain. I had to pull the car off to the side of the road because it was raining cats and dogs.	
Pumped up-взволнованный, в восторге	To be pumped (up) means to be excited. An alternative expression is to be all excited.
We are both pumped up for the concert this weekend. She is all excited about her date with you. Where are you guys going?, you will pick up a few useful phrases.	
Stressed out- напряжен	To be stressed out means to be very tense, nervous, or worried about something.
She has two sick children at home and is trying to work at the same time. No wonder she is
stressed out! Another way to express this feeling is to say that something stresses you out. Having two sick children at home really stresses me out.	
Freak out- сходить с ума, психовать, паниковать	To freak out or be freaked out means to be extremely scared, angry, or excited. Also, something can freak you out. He freaked out when he saw his brother driving his new car.
She is freaked out because she has three exams tomorrow. That car speeding toward us really freaked me out.	
Creep out- пугать, пугаться	To be creeped out means to be disgusted or frightened by something. Also, something can creep you out. Those pictures of dead bodies really creeped me out. It creeps me out that he just sits there and never says a word. Another way to indicate disgust is to be grossed out. It really grosses me out when the kids have food fights.	
Stuck with- застрять с	To be stuck with means to have to cope with an uncomfortable or undesirable situation. My brother went out with his friends, and I’m stuck with looking after my little sister.	
Chill out- расслабиться, успокоиться

	To chill out means to relax or calm down. Come on over! We’re just chillin’ out on the back patio.	
Realize-осознавать

	To realize means to be aware of, to already know. I’m sorry I yelled at you. I realize that I was wrong.	
Wish- сожалеть, желать

	To wish means to be sorry that something isn’t true. It is followed by a clause with a subjunctive verb. wish означает сожалеть о том, что не произошло. За этим выражением обычно следует предложение с глаголом в условном наклонении (бы)
[You are not here.] I wish you were here.
[I can’t go with you.] I wish I could go with you.
Wish is also used in formal greetings.
We wish you a happy New Year.
I wish you the best of luck.	
To tell you the truth- по правде говоря
	To tell you the truth precedes information that may surprise the listener. Did you enjoy your trip? To tell you the truth, it wasn’t that great.	
Exercise 1. Fill in each blank with the word or expression (e.g., first, next, then, finally, etc.) that best emphasizes the chronological order of the following sentences.

1. a.___________________, I walked into the classroom. b. ____________________I sat down. c.__________________, I opened my book and started to study. d._________________, the teacher came in and gave us the test.

2. It was a wonderful day. a.________________, I had breakfast in bed. b._________________. I took a long shower and got dressed. c.___________________, my boyfriend came over and took me downtown. We went to two museums and d. _________________did some shopping. e._______________, he brought me back home. f.________________, when I walked in the door, all my friends and family were there to give me a surprise birthday party!	
Exercise 2. Circle the word or expression that most appropriately completes each sentence.
1. After five years of studying, he got his degree.
a. just like that c. finally
b. suddenly d. after that
2. It’s been dry all summer long, and now, it’s pouring down rain.
a. thank goodness c. the bottom line is
b. before you know it d. to top it all off
3. She was going to help us, but she .
a. was pumped up c. copped out
b. chilled out d. realized
4. I wanted to go with them, but I was .
a. all excited c. a bummer
b. a pain in the neck d. too late
5. The insects in that horror movie really .
a. creeped me out c. gave me a pain in the neck
b. chilled me out d. rained cats and dogs	
Exercise 3. Match the words and expressions in the first column with those in the second column that have a similar meaning. Note: There may be more than one match for each expression.

1. after that 
2. first 
3. suddenly 
4. upshot 
5. paper 
6. bummer 
7. pain in the neck 
8. cop 
9. in front of 
10. to top it all off 
	
a. across from 
b. ahead of 
c. all of a sudden 
d. annoying 
e. as if that weren’t enough 
f. bad luck 
g. bad news 
h. before anything else happened 
i. before I knew it 
j. bottom line 
k. document
l. essay
m. facing
n. for the frosting on the cake
o. in sight of
p. just like that
q. material to write on
r. newspaper
s. next
t. out of nowhere
u. out of the blue	

	
Все материалы из  книги "English Conversation" by J. Yates.