Writing/ B1 Writing lessons and / How to write a past story from a given sentence
B1 English Narrative Writing Guide
It all started when I accidentally picked up the wrong suitcase at the airport. I had been on a long flight from the USA, and I was very tired. If I hadn’t been so tired, I would have noticed the different logo on the suitcase. But when I got to my hotel room and opened it, I saw lots of small bags instead of my spare clothes. Curious, I looked inside one. It was full of diamonds! I was intrigued but also frustrated. I needed pyjamas and toothpaste! I decided that I would return the suitcase to the airport in the morning. Hopefully, I’d find my own suitcase there. But that’s not what happened.
In the middle of the night, I was woken up by a noise. Someone was creeping around in my room! Alarmed, I shouted out and turned on the lamp. I saw that someone was running out of the door. Immediately, I phoned reception and told them what had happened. The receptionist called the police, but when they arrived, the mysterious person had gone. In fact, I don’t think the police believed my story, because, when I opened the black suitcase in my room, my clothes were inside it.
Main events in order:
Actions in progress:
Action before another past event:
To talk about plans from a past perspective:
Join two complete ideas with and, but, because, so:
Use when, while, after, before, if to link dependent + independent clauses:
“The receptionist called the police, but when they arrived, the person had gone.”
Use past simple for the main story, past continuous for background actions, and past perfect for earlier events. Add variety with conditionals, passive voice, adjective starters, and complex sentences!
✨ Great stories come from great grammar—keep practicing! ✨