Someone asks, "How was your day?" Something funny happened, but your story comes out flat: "Yesterday I went to kitchen. I cooked. The pan burned. In this episode: • The shape of a short story • Openers and the story present • Time links and suspense • Quoting, evaluating, ending • Two invented stories • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: Hook — grab attention: So get this... Setting — when and where: So yesterday morning I'm in the kitchen... What went wrong — the problem: and the toaster starts smoking. How it ended — In the end, we just had cereal. Why it mattered — a short comment: Worst breakfast ever. So get this... — I have a surprising story (casual) You won't believe what happened — something surprising (casual) Did I tell you about...? — a story you may not know (neutral) So the other day... — a recent story (casual) Funny story — something amusing (casual) He looks at me and grabs the sandwich — he looked, he grabbed So then — next (casual) Next thing I know — suddenly, without warning (casual) All of a sudden — suddenly (neutral) Right when — at exactly the moment — Right when I sit down, the phone rings. In the end — finally (neutral) And then... the bag RIPS — pause before "rips", then stress it She said, "Let's order pizza." — neutral And I was like, "Seriously?" — casual; often shows a reaction or feeling And he goes, "Not my fault!" — very casual; goes means says It was hilarious — very funny I was so embarrassed — I felt silly in front of people Worst day ever — a bad day, said with humor (casual) Season 2 · Real American English: the complete spoken course for learners worldwide — accent, everyday grammar, prepositions, articles, phrasal verbs, idioms, slang 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.