TWO ACTIONS IN THE SAME TIME PERIOD

As Zoe left the building she saw two men racing down the street.

I worked in a bar during my student days.

While Joe was living in France he learnt all about wine.

When Jane told me the news, I was standing in the kitchen.

At that very moment, I knew my life was complete.
 

SEQUENCE OF ACTIONS

When Phil opened the door, he was shocked to see the mess.

Kate rang me as soon as she got the results.

After she’d told the police everything, Chris was left alone.

After leaving school, my brother started work as a newspaper reporter and then later, he moved to television.

By the time I realised what was happening, the man had gone – with my money.

We started walking at dawn and before long we were in the countryside.

We waited for three hours before he turned up.

It wasn’t until Simon read the letter that he realised how much he missed her.

The bell had barely started to ring when the children rushed out of the classroom. 
 

INTERRUPTED ACTIONS

Sarah was just about to start frying the onions when there was a power cut.

I was in the middle of telling a dreadful joke when Mr Taylor walked in.

Mike was having his breakfast when he remembered what Sue had said.

CHANGE OR INTRODUCTION TO CHANGE

Suddenly / All of a sudden, I knew someone was behind me.

Then, unexpectedly, as often happens, the sound of the hunt suddenly approached.

At first, Marilyn was unhappy but later / then / after a while she began to feel more at home.

At the beginning, Wally didn’t understand anything but slowly / gradually he began to get the hang of it all.

All the decorating took a long time but eventually the house began to look much better.

Finally, in despair, she jumped out of the window.

To his surprise / To everyone’s astonishment / Amazingly enough, the dog was still alive.