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English Course · Level 5 (B2) · Week 1 of 12

Personality and Psychology

Grammar: Advanced narrative · past perfect continuous · the future in the past (was going to / was about to / would) · narrative time linkers

This week's plan

DayLearnListen / WatchPractise
Day 1Words: Personality traits · Sentences 1–2BBC 6 Minute English: “Glass half full” (podcast)Exercise 1
Day 2Words: Feelings and moods · Sentences 3–4TED: Guy Winch, “Why we all need to practice emotional first aid” (video)Exercise 2
Day 3Words: The mind · Sentences 5–6British Council B2: “Talking about rumours” (listening)Exercise 3
Day 4Words: Emotions in action · Sentences 7–8BBC 6 Minute English: “How culture affects sadness” (podcast)
+ BBC The English We Speak: “Keep yourself to yourself” (podcast)		Exercise 4
Day 5Words: Telling a story (narrative linkers) · Sentences 9–10TED-Ed: “What makes a hero?” (Matthew Winkler, animation) (video)Write & Speak
Day 6Review all 30 words + 10 sentencesBritish Council B2: “A short story extract” (reading)Redo mistakes
Day 7Free day ☺BBC The English We Speak: “Sell yourself short” (podcast)Tick your tracker

30 minutes a day: review, learn, listen, practise, speak. Day 7 is a free day. Tap a resource to find it.

30 words to learn

Set 1 · Personality traits

  • assertiveحازم / واثق في التعبير عن رأيه
  • conscientiousمجتهد ودقيق / ذو ضمير حي
  • impulsiveمتهوّر / مندفع
  • an introvertشخص انطوائي
  • an extrovertشخص اجتماعي منفتح
  • self-centredمتمركز حول ذاته / أناني

Set 2 · Feelings and moods

  • apprehensiveقلِق / متوجّس
  • overwhelmedمُثقَل / مضغوط جدًا
  • resentfulممتعض / شايل في قلبه
  • contentراضٍ / مبسوط
  • frustratedمحبَط
  • elatedمبتهج جدًا / طاير من الفرحة

Set 3 · The mind

  • the subconsciousاللاوعي / العقل الباطن
  • behaviourسلوك
  • instinctغريزة
  • perceptionإدراك / تصوّر
  • self-esteemتقدير الذات
  • willpowerقوة الإرادة

Set 4 · Emotions in action

  • bottle up (your feelings)يكبت مشاعره
  • lash out (at someone)ينفجر غضبًا في شخص
  • open up (to someone)يفتح قلبه لشخص / يفضفض
  • come across asيبدو / يعطي انطباعًا بأنه
  • get on someone's nervesيضايق / يحرق أعصاب شخص
  • pull yourself togetherيتمالك نفسه

Set 5 · Telling a story

  • all of a suddenفجأة
  • meanwhileفي هذه الأثناء
  • by the timeبحلول الوقت الذي
  • it turned out thatاتضح أن / طلع إن
  • to my surpriseلدهشتي
  • in the endفي النهاية

10 sentences to memorise

  1. 1I was going to call you, but by the time I got home, it was too late.كنت أنوي أن أتصل بك، لكن بحلول الوقت الذي وصلت فيه إلى البيت كان الوقت قد تأخّر.
  2. 2Mona had been working on the project for months before anyone noticed her talent.كانت منى تعمل على المشروع منذ شهور قبل أن يلاحظ أحد موهبتها.
  3. 3He comes across as shy, but he's actually very assertive.يبدو خجولًا، لكنه في الحقيقة حازم جدًا.
  4. 4I was just about to leave the Corniche when I bumped into an old friend.كنت على وشك مغادرة الكورنيش عندما صادفت فجأةً صديقًا قديمًا.
  5. 5She had been bottling up her feelings for years, so in the end she lashed out.كانت تكبت مشاعرها لسنوات، فانفجرت غضبًا في النهاية.
  6. 6Omar's eyes were red because he had been crying.كانت عينا عمر حمراوين لأنه كان يبكي.
  7. 7Back then, nobody knew that the quiet student would one day become a famous writer.في ذلك الوقت، لم يكن أحد يعرف أن الطالب الهادئ سيصبح يومًا ما كاتبًا مشهورًا.
  8. 8Introverts usually recharge their batteries by spending time alone.عادةً ما يستعيد الانطوائيون طاقتهم بقضاء الوقت وحدهم.
  9. 9To my surprise, Nour opened up to me about her fears.لدهشتي، فتحت لي نور قلبها وحدّثتني عن مخاوفها.
  10. 10Low self-esteem can affect every part of a person's life.يمكن أن يؤثّر ضعف تقدير الذات في كل جوانب حياة الإنسان.

Grammar: Advanced narrative · past perfect continuous · the future in the past (was going to / was about to / would) · narrative time linkers

You already know the three basic narrative tenses from Level 3 (past simple, past continuous, past perfect). At B2, good storytellers add three tools. Past perfect continuous (had been + V-ing) = a long activity that continued up to a moment in the past, often explaining a result (Her eyes were red because she had been crying). The future in the past = what someone planned, expected or nearly did, seen from a moment in the past: was / were going to (a plan, often one that did not happen), was / were about to (something on the point of happening), would (a prediction or promise seen from the past: I knew she would win). Narrative time linkers = words that order and pace the story: by the time, the moment, as soon as, meanwhile, all of a sudden, eventually, in the end.

«كنت أنوي / كنت سأفعل» = was going to: I was going to call you, but I forgot (كنت ناوي أتصل بيك بس نسيت). «كان على وشك» = was about to + المصدر بدون ing: ✗ I was about to leaving ✓ I was about to leave. وبعد فعل ماضٍ مثل said / knew / promised نستخدم would وليس will: ✗ She promised she will help ✓ She promised she would help. ومع الحدث الطويل المستمر حتى لحظة في الماضي نستخدم had been + ing: I had been waiting for an hour when he finally called. وانتبه: in the end = في النهاية (بعد كل ما حدث)، أما at the end of = في آخر الشيء (at the end of the film).

StructureFormUseExample
Past perfect continuoushad been + V-inga long activity up to a past moment; it often explains a past resultI had been driving for six hours, so I was exhausted.
was / were going towas / were going to + V1a past plan or intention (often it did not happen)We were going to fly, but the airport was closed.
was / were about towas / were (just) about to + V1something on the point of happeningI was about to leave when the phone rang.
wouldwould + V1the future seen from a moment in the pastI never imagined that I would live abroad.
LinkerMeaningExample
by the timenot later than (the earlier action is in the past perfect)By the time the police arrived, the thief had escaped.
the moment / as soon asimmediately afterThe moment she saw the letter, she knew something was wrong.
meanwhileat the same time, somewhere elseMeanwhile, his sister was waiting at the station.
all of a suddensuddenly, without warningAll of a sudden, the lights went out.
eventually / in the endafter a long time or after many problemsEventually, we found the right road.

was going to = the plan existed, but often it changed: I was going to study medicine, but I changed my mind.

was about to + base verb (not -ing); add just to make it even closer: I was just about to call you!

After a past reporting or thinking verb (said, knew, thought, promised), will becomes would: He said he would be late.

Past perfect simple focuses on the result (I had read three chapters); past perfect continuous focuses on the activity and its duration (I had been reading all afternoon). State verbs (know, believe, belong) are not used in continuous forms: I had known him for years (not had been knowing).

in the end = finally, after everything (In the end, we stayed at home.) · at the end of = at the last part of something (at the end of the film).

Exercises

Exercise 1 · Choose the correct form.

  1. 1) I (was going to / would) phone you last night, but I fell asleep.
  2. 2) We (were about leaving / were about to leave) the house when it started to pour.
  3. 3) His hands were covered in paint because he (had painted / had been painting) the fence all morning.
  4. 4) Nobody knew at the time that the shy boy (will / would) become a famous actor.
  5. 5) (Meanwhile / By the time) we reached the hotel, the restaurant had closed.
  6. 6) She waited for hours, and (in the end / at the end) she went home.
Show the answers
1) was going to 2) were about to leave 3) had been painting 4) would 5) By the time 6) in the end

Exercise 2 · Complete with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

  1. 1) Karim ___ (work) at the company for ten years when he finally got a promotion.
  2. 2) I ___ (be about to / leave) the office when my manager called me back.
  3. 3) They ___ (be going to / get) married in June, but they postponed the wedding.
  4. 4) I was sure that my team ___ (win) the match, but we lost 3–0.
  5. 5) The moment the teacher ___ (walk) in, everyone stopped talking.
  6. 6) Her voice was hoarse because she ___ (shout) at the match all evening.
Show the answers
1) had been working / had worked 2) was (just) about to leave 3) were going to get 4) would win 5) walked 6) had been shouting

Exercise 3 · Correct the mistake.

  1. 1) I was about to calling you when you knocked on the door.
  2. 2) She promised she will help me with the project.
  3. 3) We had been knowing each other for years before we became business partners.
  4. 4) At the end, the hero forgave his brother.
  5. 5) I am going to visit my grandmother yesterday, but my car broke down.
Show the answers
1) I was about to call you when you knocked on the door. 2) She promised she would help me with the project. 3) We had known each other for years before we became business partners. 4) In the end, the hero forgave his brother. 5) I was going to visit my grandmother yesterday, but my car broke down.

Exercise 4 · Translate into English.

  1. 1) كنت على وشك أن أستسلم عندما خطرت لي الإجابة فجأةً.
  2. 2) كنا ننوي السفر إلى أسوان، لكن الرحلة أُلغيت.
  3. 3) اتضح أنها كانت تكبت مشاعرها لسنوات.
  4. 4) كنت أعرف منذ البداية أنه سيعتذر في النهاية.
Show the answers
1) I was (just) about to give up when, all of a sudden, the answer came to me / I suddenly thought of the answer. 2) We were going to travel to Aswan, but the trip / flight was cancelled. 3) It turned out that she had been bottling up her feelings for years. 4) I knew from the start / beginning (that) he would apologise in the end / eventually.

Do each exercise in pencil first, then open the answers to check.

Write & Speak

Write & Speak — Write a short story (200–250 words) that begins: “By the time Karim realised what had happened, it was too late.” Use the past perfect continuous, was going to, was about to and would (at least once each) and at least four time linkers from Set 5 and the grammar table. Then tell the story aloud without reading it.

Example: By the time Karim realised what had happened, it was too late. He had been working on his presentation for three weeks, and that morning he had finally saved the last slide. He felt confident, almost elated, as he walked into the meeting room. He was sure it would be the best day of his career. Meanwhile, his colleague Dina was sitting at her desk, looking pale. She had been trying to call him for half an hour, but his phone was on silent. She was about to give up when she saw him through the glass door, and she rushed in. “Karim, you sent the wrong file to the manager,” she whispered. To Karim's horror, she was right. Instead of the final version, he had attached an old draft full of mistakes, and the manager was reading it with a frown. Karim's first instinct was to panic, and for a second he was going to blame the computer. However, he took a deep breath and pulled himself together. He explained calmly that there had been a mix-up and asked for five minutes to send the correct version. The manager, who had been expecting excuses, was impressed by his honesty. In the end, the presentation went brilliantly. It turned out that the manager valued the way Karim had handled the pressure more than the slides themselves. Since that day, Karim has always checked his attachments twice.