eng6-V4· UNIT 4. We all have a story· ~13 min

Story verbs

Everyday verbs for telling a story — from the Vocabulary in Context page and the tale of the boy who shouts "Wolf!".

Stories need action words. On the Vocabulary in Context page, everyday verbs like ‘remember’, ‘tell’, ‘walk’, ‘laugh’, ‘arrive’, ‘shout’, ‘rush’, ‘decide’, and ‘want’ describe what people do in their daily lives and in the stories they share on social media. The same verbs tell the classic tale of a boy who looks after sheep and decides to shout "Wolf!" as a joke, even though there is no wolf. Learn what each verb means so you can understand — and tell — a good story.

Key terms

remember — to keep something in your mind and not forget it
tell — to say something to someone, such as information or a story
walk — to move on foot at a normal, calm speed
laugh — to make a sound that shows something is funny
arrive — to reach a place at the end of a journey
shout — to speak in a very loud voice
rush — to move or do something very quickly, often because you are late
decide — to choose one thing after thinking about different options
want — to have a wish for something
tell a lie — to say something you know is not true
Story Verbs from the Vocabulary in Context Page
WordMeaning
rememberto keep something in your mind
tellto say something to someone
walkto move on foot, at a normal speed
laughto make a sound because something is funny
arriveto reach a place
shoutto speak in a very loud voice
rushto move very quickly, often because you are late
decideto choose one thing after thinking
wantto have a wish for something

These are the verbs from the Vocabulary in Context exercise — the same verbs also tell the story of the boy who shouts "Wolf!".

✎Sentences from the Vocabulary in Context Exercise
  1. 1Talking about habits: "I never remember the dates of school events, do you?" "Do you walk to school or do you take the bus?" "Do you laugh when you watch comedy films?"
  2. 2Choices and mornings: "I can’t decide what book to read next." "What do you want to watch, a drama or an adventure film?" "I often get up late on Monday mornings, and then I rush to school."
✎The Story of the Boy Who Shouts "Wolf!"
  1. 1What happens: Peter looks after his family’s sheep. He decides to shout "Wolf!" as a joke, even though there is no wolf. The villagers rush to help — but they find nothing, because Peter is telling a lie.
  2. 2What happens next: Peter shouts "Wolf!" again, and the villagers rush again, but again there is no wolf. The third time, a real wolf arrives — but nobody believes Peter anymore, because they remember his lies.
🚫Common mistake

Do not confuse ‘want’ and ‘decide’. ‘Want’ means to wish for something; ‘decide’ means to choose after thinking. You can want two things and still not decide between them.

⚠️Caution

‘Tell’ needs a person to hear it — you tell someone something. That is why the boy ‘tells a lie’ to the villagers, not just ‘tells’ on its own.

💡Note

‘Walk’, ‘rush’, and ‘arrive’ all describe movement, but they are different: ‘walk’ is calm, ‘rush’ is fast because you are late, and ‘arrive’ means you have reached the end of the journey.

Rules

  1. 1‘Remember’ means to keep something in your mind and not forget it; ‘tell’ means to say something to another person.
  2. 2‘Walk’ is a calm, normal way to move; ‘rush’ means to move very quickly, often because you are late.
  3. 3‘Arrive’ means to reach a place at the end of a journey.
  4. 4‘Shout’ means to speak in a very loud voice; ‘laugh’ means to make a sound because something is funny.
  5. 5‘Decide’ means to choose one thing after thinking about it; ‘want’ means to have a wish for something, even before you decide.
  6. 6To ‘tell a lie’ means to say something you know is not true — like Peter shouting "Wolf!" when there is no wolf.

Practice

10 easy · 10 medium · 10 hard

Up to 10 random questions per test

EasyMediumHardMixed