The Ridiculous Excuse Game: Build an English Story from One Problem

I overslept. gives you one sentence. I left on time, but... gives you the beginning of a story. Inventing an obviously impossible reason why a fictional character is late is a playful way to practise sequence and cause without having to reveal anything personal.

This is explicitly imaginative storytelling, not advice for misleading a teacher, colleague or customer. Begin with This is a made-up story. Real-life lateness calls for honest communication.

Give the story four stops

Choose an object such as a pigeon, a runaway bus stop or a very determined goose.

1. The plan: I left home at eight, so I had plenty of time.
2. The problem: Then a pigeon took my bus pass.
3. The consequence: I chased it for two blocks because my phone was in the same pocket.
4. The ending: I finally got it back, but by then I'd missed three buses.

The third stop matters most. “A pigeon stole my pass, and I was late” leaves a gap. Explain why you had to chase it or why the usual solution was unavailable.

Make it coherent before making it silly

I was on my way to class when a goose decided my sandwich belonged to it. I tried to trade it for a banana, but the goose took both. That's why I'm twenty minutes late—and still hungry.

The humour comes from specific actions and the final callback, not from obscure adjectives. With first, then, because, so and finally, a beginner can already construct a satisfying scene.

Play three increasingly difficult rounds

• Round one: make it make sense. Draw a character and a problem, then speak for 30 seconds. The problem must actually explain the delay.
• Round two: survive a question. As the listener, ask Why didn't you just...? Answer with That's a fair question. and an explanation consistent with your story.
• Round three: change only the ending. Keep the first two sentences but replace “finally arrived” with “solved the problem first” or “discovered a misunderstanding.”

You can make successive excuses stranger, but introduce only one new variable at a time. Too many props and characters turn a speaking game into a memory test.

Repair one sentence, then return to the story

Say the sentence that blocked you in MirrorSay, such as “I chased it because my phone was in the same pocket.” Compare the natural version, hear it and shadow it, then retell the complete scene. Saving an isolated line is not the finish line.

For a turn-based version, try the one-sentence story game. To explore how the same explanation changes for different listeners, see one message, three audiences.

Reference

• BBC Learning English, *Better Speaking*: low-pressure speaking through invented identities, adapted here into an original cause-and-effect story game. PDF

*MirrorSay is a free AI speaking practice app. Say what you want to express, see a natural version, hear it and shadow it. No sign-up required, with on-device processing whenever possible.*