Someone asks, "How was your weekend?" and something funny happened. Many learners tell it like a report: "On Saturday at ten o'clock I went to the park. Then I saw a cat. In this episode: • The shape of a spoken story • Quotatives: reporting what people said • The present tense for drama • Linking words and listener reactions • Scene: the lost cat • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: The hook — grabs attention. You'll never guess what happened. (casual) The setting — where and when. So I was at the bus stop, right, and... (casual) The problem — what went wrong. And all of a sudden, my bag strap snapped. The reaction — what people said and felt. So I was like, "Oh no!" The ending — how it finished. Anyway, long story short, I got home in the end. So I was like... — I said, or I thought or felt (casual) She goes... — she said (casual, present form for a past event) He turned round and said... — he said, often with surprise (casual) And I said... — I said (neutral) She was like, "No way!" — she reacted with surprise (casual) This woman comes over and says... — a woman came over and said... And he looks at me like I'm being silly. — he looked at me as if I was being silly. Then — next After that — next, a bit later All of a sudden — suddenly In the end — finally, after everything Anyway — let's get back to the main story, or let's finish Long story short — to finish quickly No way! — I'm surprised (casual) Then what? — what happened next? (casual) Seriously? — really? (casual) You're joking! — that's surprising (casual) Oh no! — that's bad (casual) Real British English: the complete spoken course for learners worldwide — modern British accent, everyday grammar, phrasal verbs, idioms, slang, he/she/it for things, and real conversations at home. Listen, repeat out loud, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair.