Putting It All Together
From individual words to flowing stories
Ready for your first story!
This final page brings everything together. You'll learn the connecting words that string sentences together, common story expressions, and the most essential words in English.
After this page, you'll have all the tools to confidently read your first English story. Remember: context is king - you don't need to understand every word!
Connecting Words
The glue between sentences
These small words make your English flow naturally. They show relationships between ideas.
Basic connecting words
Showing sequence & time
Showing contrast
Cause and effect
Adding information
Story Expressions
Typical phrases in stories
These expressions appear constantly in English stories. They set the scene and move the narrative forward.
Starting the story
Emotions & reactions
Weather & setting
Movement & action
Story transitions
Your First Story Toolkit
The 100 most essential words
These are the most common words in English. If you know these, you can understand most simple stories!
Top 50 most frequent words
These 50 words make up about 50% of all English text:
| Rank | Words |
|---|---|
| 1-10 | the, be, to, of, and, a, in, that, have, I |
| 11-20 | it, for, not, on, with, he, as, you, do, at |
| 21-30 | this, but, his, by, from, they, we, say, her, she |
| 31-40 | or, an, will, my, one, all, would, there, their, what |
| 41-50 | so, up, out, if, about, who, get, which, go, me |
Essential story words by category
| Category | Important Words |
|---|---|
| People | man, woman, boy, girl, child, person, people, friend, family, name |
| Places | house, home, room, door, street, city, town, country, world, place |
| Time | time, day, year, week, month, hour, minute, morning, night, today |
| Actions | go, come, make, know, think, take, see, get, give, find |
| Things | thing, way, hand, eye, head, face, water, food, money, car |
| Qualities | good, new, first, last, long, great, little, old, big, high |
False friends - WATCH OUT!
These words look like Dutch but mean something different:
Quick reading tips
Practice story - Test yourself!
Try to understand this short story with everything you've learned:
The Story:
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Tom.
→ Er was eens een jongen genaamd Tom.
Tom lived in a small house near the forest.
→ Tom woonde in een klein huis bij het bos.
Every morning, he walked to school with his friends.
→ Elke ochtend liep hij naar school met zijn vrienden.
One day, while walking, he found something shiny on the ground.
→ Op een dag, tijdens het lopen, vond hij iets glimmends op de grond.
It was a golden key!
→ Het was een gouden sleutel!
Tom was very curious.
→ Tom was erg nieuwsgierig.
He picked it up and looked around.
→ Hij pakte het op en keek om zich heen.
Near an old tree, he saw a small wooden box.
→ Bij een oude boom zag hij een kleine houten kist.
The key fit perfectly!
→ De sleutel paste perfect!
Tom opened the box carefully.
→ Tom opende de kist voorzichtig.
Inside, there was a note:
→ Binnenin was er een briefje:
"This treasure belongs to whoever finds it."
→ "Deze schat is van degene die hem vindt."
"Use it wisely and share with others."
→ "Gebruik het wijs en deel met anderen."
Under the note were old coins and a beautiful compass.
→ Onder het briefje waren oude munten en een mooi kompas.
Tom smiled. He knew exactly what to do.
→ Tom glimlachte. Hij wist precies wat hij moest doen.
He took the treasure to school.
→ Hij nam de schat mee naar school.
His teacher was amazed!
→ Zijn leraar was verbaasd!
They decided to put it in the school museum.
→ Ze besloten het in het schoolmuseum te zetten.
Now everyone could enjoy the treasure.
→ Nu kon iedereen van de schat genieten.
Tom felt proud and happy.
→ Tom voelde zich trots en gelukkig.
Vocabulary Help:
🎉 Congratulations! 🎉
You've completed all 15 chapters! You're now ready to read your first English story.
Remember: English is everywhere - practice with movies, songs, and games. Have fun with it!