Step 34: Linking Ideas

📖 Read — Julia's Long Day

Julia tells us about her Saturday. “First, I woke up early, and I made a big breakfast. Then I went to the park with Tom, but it started to rain! We ran home because we had no umbrella.”

“We were wet and cold, so we drank hot chocolate. After that, we watched a movie together. Finally, the sun came out again. In the end, it was a great day — we laughed a lot!”

🔊 Listen to the text

🧩 Grammar — Linking Words — And, But, Because, So + First, Then, Finally

And adds, but contrasts, because gives the reason, so gives the result: It rained, so we stayed home. We stayed home because it rained. To tell a story in order, use First… Then… After that… Finally…

• I was tired, so I went to bed.
• I went to bed because I was tired.
• First, we cooked. Then, we ate.
• Finally, we cleaned the kitchen.

🏗️ Key structures

• I was ___, so I ___ — I was hungry, so I made a sandwich.
• I ___ because ___ — I stayed home because it rained.
• First…, then…, finally… — First, we shopped. Then, we cooked. Finally, we ate together.

⭐ Idiom & natural phrases

🔤 New words

🎧 Say it with me

First, we went to the park, but it started to rain, so we ran home. Finally, the sun came out!

🔊 Listen & repeat

🎤 Your turn to speak

Tell a mini-story about yesterday in 4 sentences. Start with First, use because once, so once, and finish with Finally.

Say it out loud three times. Even better: record it on your phone and listen — your ear is your best teacher.

✍️ Your turn to write

Write a short story of 4–5 sentences. Use First, Then, because, so, and Finally.

Self-check: capital letters? Full stops? Did you use the grammar of this step?

📝 Quick check