Speaking Task 2: Talking About a Personal Experience

Very pleased and happy about something that has happened.

“I was delighted when my manager told me I had passed my probation period.”

“My parents were delighted to see the photos from our first winter in Winnipeg.”

Often used: delighted to · absolutely delighted · delighted with

CELPIP tip: It is stronger than happy, so save it for a real high point in your story. Say what made you delighted so the feeling has a clear cause.

Feeling that there is too much happening or too much emotion to handle at once.

“On my first day at the warehouse, I felt overwhelmed by all the rules and scanners.”

“When the whole team sang to me, I was overwhelmed and nearly cried.”

Often used: feel overwhelmed by · completely overwhelmed

CELPIP tip: It can describe stress or strong positive emotion, so add a detail showing which one you mean.

A small accident or piece of bad luck that causes a problem but is usually not serious.

“Our camping trip had one mishap after another, starting with a broken tent pole.”

“Apart from a minor mishap with the cake, the birthday party went smoothly.”

Often used: a minor mishap · without a single mishap

CELPIP tip: Useful for stories about things going wrong without sounding dramatic. Follow it with how you dealt with the problem.

Making you feel very nervous and tense, usually because a lot depends on the result.

“Driving across the Lions Gate Bridge in heavy rain for the first time was nerve-racking.”

“My citizenship interview was nerve-racking, even though the officer was very kind.”

Often used: a nerve-racking experience · absolutely nerve-racking

CELPIP tip: Describes the situation, not the person: the interview was nerve-racking, but I was nervous. Mixing these up is a common slip.

In a very clear and detailed way, as if something happened only recently.

“I vividly remember the smell of maple syrup at the sugar shack that spring.”

“She can still vividly describe the night the river flooded her street.”

Often used: vividly remember · vividly recall

CELPIP tip: Put it right before remember to upgrade a simple sentence. Then add a sensory detail so the claim sounds true.

To finally be in a place or situation that you did not plan or expect.

“We took a wrong turn and ended up at a tiny farm stand selling fresh corn.”

“I only went to help, but I ended up organizing the whole school fundraiser.”

Often used: end up + -ing · end up in · end up with

CELPIP tip: It adds a sense of surprise to the result. Use the -ing form after it: ended up staying, not ended up to stay.

When a fact dawns on you, you slowly start to understand it for the first time.

“Halfway to the airport, it dawned on me that my passport was still in the drawer.”

“It finally dawned on us that the restaurant had closed for the season.”

Often used: it dawned on me that · it suddenly dawned on her

CELPIP tip: Notice the structure: the idea dawns on the person, often with it as the subject. It is a strong way to show a moment of realization.

The moment when a situation begins to change in an important way.

“Joining the running club was a turning point in my first lonely year in Halifax.”

“The turning point came when my manager finally let me lead a project.”

Often used: a real turning point · the turning point came when · a turning point in my life

CELPIP tip: Name the turning point clearly in the middle of your story; it gives your answer a shape the listener can follow.

Very quickly and without any warning.

“We were halfway up the trail when, all of a sudden, the sky turned black and hail started.”

“All of a sudden, the power went out in the middle of my cousin's wedding speech.”

Often used: and then, all of a sudden

CELPIP tip: Place it just before the turning point in your story. A short pause before it helps the listener feel the change.

Refers to the period when the event was happening, often to contrast it with how you feel now.

“At the time, I was working nights at a hotel in Banff.”

“It felt like a disaster at the time, but now we laugh about it.”

Often used: at the time, I was... · it seemed... at the time

CELPIP tip: Use it to set the scene early, then again at the end to contrast past and present feelings.

A frame that introduces a memory that is still very clear to you.

“I'll never forget the look on my grandmother's face when she saw the surprise party.”

“I'll never forget my first Canadian winter and how the snow squeaked under my boots.”

Often used: I'll never forget the day · I'll never forget how

CELPIP tip: A strong opening line that tells the listener at once which event you will describe. Follow it with when and where.

A phrase that shows something happened that you did not expect at all.

“To my surprise, the grumpy neighbour next door offered to shovel our driveway.”

“To my surprise, the lost wallet was handed in at the library with everything inside.”

Often used: much to my surprise · to everyone's surprise

CELPIP tip: Put it at the start of the sentence that carries your twist. You can change the owner: to our surprise, to my boss's surprise.

A time linker describing how things were at the beginning, before something changed.

“At first, I thought the smoke alarm was just a test, but then I smelled burning toast.”

“At first the new job felt overwhelming, yet within a month I loved it.”

Often used: at first, I thought · at first... but then

CELPIP tip: Do not confuse it with first of all, which lists points. At first sets up a contrast, so follow it with but or then.

A time linker that introduces the final result after a series of events or problems.

“In the end, a kind stranger helped us jump-start the car in the mall parking lot.”

“We argued about the menu for weeks, but in the end the potluck was a hit.”

Often used: but in the end · in the end, everything worked out

CELPIP tip: Use it to bring your story to its outcome. Do not mix it up with at the end, which refers to a place or point in time, as in at the end of the day.

A linker that shows one action was already finished before another event happened.

“By the time the tow truck arrived, we had waited in the cold for two hours.”

“By the time I got to the store, the last snow shovel had been sold.”

Often used: by the time I arrived · by the time we got there, it had...

CELPIP tip: Pair it with the past perfect in the main clause: had left, had finished. This shows control of tense, which many learners avoid.

A linker showing that one thing happened at exactly the same moment as another.

“Just as I locked the front door, I realized my keys were still on the kitchen table.”

“The bus pulled away just as we reached the stop on Main Street.”

Often used: just as I was about to · just as we arrived

CELPIP tip: Great for building tension. Use the past continuous with it for background action: just as I was leaving, the phone rang.

A phrase that introduces how you see a past event now, after some time has passed.

“Looking back, missing that ferry was the best thing that happened on our trip to Victoria.”

“Looking back, I should have asked my supervisor for help much earlier.”

Often used: looking back, I realize · looking back on it now

CELPIP tip: Ideal for your closing reflection. It signals the end of the story and lets you add a lesson in one clear sentence.

To understand something through a bad or painful experience instead of being told.

“I learned the hard way that you should never leave a phone on the car roof.”

“We learned the hard way to check the weather before paddling across the lake.”

Often used: learn the hard way that · had to learn the hard way

CELPIP tip: A natural way to end a story about a mistake with a lesson. Keep it in the past tense: I learned the hard way.