“Lesson 13: Past Experiences,” EnglishConnect 2 for Learners (2022)

“Lesson 13,” EnglishConnect 2 for Learners

Lesson 13

Past Experiences

Objective: I will learn to narrate about past experiences.

Personal Study

Prepare for your conversation group by completing activities A through E.

Study the Principle of Learning: Love and Teach One Another

I can learn from the Spirit as I love, teach, and learn with others.

God has great things He wants to teach us. He can increase our capacity to learn truth through His Spirit. We invite the Spirit when we love and listen to each other. God teaches us what it feels like when we are learning by the Spirit:

“He that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth[.] Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together” (Doctrine and Covenants 50:21–22).

We can know God is teaching us when we feel the Spirit and feel edified. The Spirit brings feelings of love, joy, and peace. Each of us can help create an environment where the Spirit can teach. As we seek to learn by the Spirit, God can help us understand one another and feel joy together. As you learn with your EnglishConnect group, notice when you are learning by the Spirit. Seek to have the Spirit more often.

Ponder

When have you felt edified by your experiences in EnglishConnect?
What can you do to create an environment of learning by the Spirit?

Memorize Vocabulary

Learn the meaning and pronunciation of each word before your conversation group. Try using the words. Have a conversation with someone who knows English or send a message to a friend from your EnglishConnect group using the new words.

husband
wife
spouse

When did you … ?
What happened?

Verbs Present/Verbs Past

become/became parents
begin/began a job
finish/finished high school
get/got a new job
get/got married
go/went to school
graduate/graduated
have/had a baby
have/had a challenging experience
lose/lost a job
meet/met a friend
move/moved
quit/quit my job
save/saved money
start/started a business
travel/traveled to New York
turn 18/turned 18*

*Note: Use turn or turned to talk about age.

See lesson 11 and lesson 12 for more past-tense verbs.

Practice Pattern 1

Practice using the patterns until you can confidently ask and answer questions. You can replace the underlined words with words in the “Memorize Vocabulary” section.

Q: When did you (verb present)?A: We (verb past) when we (verb past).

pattern 1 question when did you verb present

pattern 1 answer we verb past when we verb past

Examples

Q: When did you get married?A: We got married after we finished university.

Q: When did she meet her husband?A: She met her husband when she was in high school.

Q: When did he finish school?A: He finished school before he turned 18.

Practice Pattern 2

Practice using the patterns until you can confidently ask and answer questions. Try doing conversation group activities 1 and 2 before your group meets.

Q: What happened when you (verb past)?A: When we (verb past), we (verb past).

pattern 2 question what happened when you verb past

pattern 2 answer when we verb past we verb past

Examples

Q: What happened when you got married?A: When we got married, we started a new job.

Q: What happened after he graduated?A: After he graduated, he got a new job.

Q: What happened after they moved?A: After they moved, they became parents.

Use the Patterns

Write four questions you can ask someone. Write an answer to each question. Read them aloud.

Additional Activities

Complete the lesson activities and assessments online at englishconnect.org/learner/resources or in the EnglishConnect 2 Workbook.

Act in Faith to Practice English Daily

Continue to practice English daily. Use your “Personal Study Tracker.” Review your study goal and evaluate your efforts.

Conversation Group

Activity 1: Practice the Patterns

(10–15 minutes)

Review the vocabulary list with a partner.

Practice pattern 1 with a partner:

Practice asking questions.
Practice answering questions.
Practice a conversation using the patterns.

Repeat for pattern 2.

Activity 2: Create Your Own Sentences

(10–15 minutes)

Look at the pictures. Ask and answer questions about each person’s experiences. Be creative! Take turns.

New Vocabulary

buy/bought a car
go/went to the beach
university

Example: Sara

A: When did Sara buy a new car?
B: She bought a new car after she graduated from university.

Carlos

Lee

Ji Ah

Li Family

Activity 3: Create Your Own Conversations

(15–20 minutes)

Ask and answer questions about important events in your life. You can talk about the important events on the list or think of other events. Say as much as you can. Take turns.

New Vocabulary

rent/rented an apartment
What did you do then?

Example 1

A: When did you finish school?
B: I finished school when I was 19.
A: When did you get your first job?
B: I got my first job after I finished school.
A: What happened when you started your job?
B: When I started my job, I met an important friend.
A: What did you do then?
B: We got married!

Example 2

A: When I turned 20, I had a challenging experience.
B: What happened?
A: After I got married, we rented a new apartment. Then after we rented a new apartment, I lost my job.
B: Oh wow. That is challenging. What happened after you lost your job?
A: After I lost my job, I started a business.
B: What did you do then?
A: After I started a business, we saved money and then we bought a house.

Important Events List

Started school
Finished school
Began a job
Met an important person
Got married
Had a child
Moved to a new city
Went on a trip
Had a challenging experience

Act in Faith to Practice English Daily

“My experience has been that the Spirit most often communicates as a feeling. You feel it in words that are familiar to you, that make sense to you, that prompt you” (Ronald A. Rasband, “Let the Holy Spirit Guide,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 94).