Time Transitions ESL

​Time Transitions

By Katharine Rehder

Examples: Order/Sequence

• After that, we walked to the bus stop.

• Then we waited for the bus.

• Before long, it started to rain.

• Subsequently, everyone opened their umbrellas.

Examples: Time of Day

• That day, the school closed early.

• That night, I finished my homework.

• That morning, I ate breakfast with my family.

• That afternoon, we played soccer outside.

• That evening, we watched a movie together.

Examples: At the same time

• At that same moment, the phone rang loudly.

• At that very moment, the lights went out.

• At the same time, my brother started laughing.

• Meanwhile, my mom cooked dinner.

Multiple Choice

We ate lunch. ______, we went back to class.

• Suddenly

• Then

• That Night

• First

Multiple Choice

We saw fireworks ______

• over

• that morning

• that night

• under

Multiple Choice

The class lined up. ___________, walked to the gym.

• All of a sudden

• That night

• Later

Examples: Surprise

• Suddenly, the dog started barking.

• All of a sudden, the fire alarm beeped.

• Out of nowhere, a cat ran across the street.

• Without warning, the wind blew the papers away.

Examples: Short time passed

• Soon after, the sun came out again.

• A short time later, the bus finally arrived.

• Shortly after that, we found our seats.

• Moments later, the bus drove away.

Examples: Long time passed

• Later, I called my friend.

• Eventually, we arrived home safely.

• After a while, the rain stopped.

• A while later, we ate dinner.

Multiple Choice

______, a loud noise came from the hallway. It was scary

• All of a sudden

• Meanwhile

• That evening

Multiple Choice

She finished her test during 3rd period. _____, she turned it in.

• Suddenly

• Moments later

• That evening

Multiple Choice

They waited at the airport. _______, the plane arrived.

• All of a sudden

• Soon after

• Later

Match

What type of transition is each sentence?

• Order/Sequence

• Time of day

• At the same time

• Surprise

First, Second, Third

Morning, Afternoon, Evening

Simultaneously

Unexpectedly

• First, Second, Third

• Morning, Afternoon, Evening

• Simultaneously

• Unexpectedly

Categorize

Options (8)

Soon after,

A short time later

Shotly after that,

Moments later,

Later,

Eventually,

After a while,

A while later,

Determine if the phrase is a short time passed or longer time passed

Short Time Passed

Longer Time Passed

Multiple Choice

What type of transition is this phrase:

" All of a sudden"

• Order

• Time of day

• Surprise

• Short time passed

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blank with an appropriate transitional phrase.

that day I went home.