concert
drums
instruments
violin
audience
recorder
cheer
stage
programme
trumpetConcert words: the stage, the music and the audience
The performers are on the stage; the audience is everyone watching. Audience is one word for the whole group, so one concert has one audience: “The audience cheered.” A programme is the paper that lists the music; American English spells it program. A recorder is the small pipe many children learn at school. With instruments, English usually puts “the” before the name: “I played the trumpet.”
- Instruments: drums, violin, recorder, trumpet
- The place: concert, stage, programme
- The people: the band, the audience
- Actions: play, watch, cheer, clap, bow
Past simple with -ed: played, watched, cheered
Most verbs make the past with -ed: play – played, watch – watched, cheer – cheered. The form is the same for I, you, she, we and they. Verbs ending in e add only -d: smile – smiled. A few common verbs are irregular and are learned as new words: have – had, go – went, is – was: “We had four instruments.”
The -ed ending has three sounds. Say these groups aloud together:
- A t sound after p, k, s, ch and sh: clapped, walked, watched
- A d sound after most other sounds: played, cheered, bowed
- An extra syllable, id, only after t or d: started, ended
Why clapped and stopped have double letters
When a short verb ends in one vowel and one consonant, that consonant doubles before -ed. The double letter keeps the vowel short, so “hopped” (from hop) and “hoped” (from hope) sound different.
- Doubles: clap → clapped, stop → stopped, plan → planned
- Two vowels, no doubling: cheer → cheered
- Two consonants, no doubling: jump → jumped
- Ends in w, x or y, no doubling: bow → bowed, play → played
Questions and short answers with did
Past questions use did, and the verb stays plain: “Did you have a concert?”, not “Did you had…?” The short answer repeats did: “Yes, we did.” or “No, we didn’t.” With was, there is no did: “Was the stage bright?” “Yes, it was.” In the recording, each answer adds one detail.
Leo Did you have a concert yesterday?
Nia Yes, we did. We played outside.
Leo What did you play?
Nia I played the trumpet.
Leo Was the audience quiet?
Nia No. Everyone cheered.
Played or watched? On the stage or in the audience
“Did you have a concert?” usually asks if your child’s class performed; “Did you go to a concert?” asks if they watched one. “We played outside.” comes from a performer, “We watched a band.” from the audience. Before your child tells the story, ask: were you on the stage or in a seat? A performer says “I” and “we”; someone watching calls the band “they”.
Writing a four-part concert story
A recount tells events in order. At A2, four sentences are enough: the start, the music, the audience and the end. Read the model together, then let your child change every detail to match a show they really saw. Last, check that every verb is in the past and that clapped and stopped have double letters.
- “First, the band walked onto the stage.”
- “Then they played the guitars, the drums and the keyboard.”
- “After that, everyone clapped and cheered.”
- “When the music stopped, the band bowed.”
Common mistakes and quick fixes
These are normal at A2. Repeat the sentence correctly and carry on.
- “Yesterday we play the trumpet.”: a finished event needs the past: “Yesterday we played the trumpet.”
- “Did you played?”: after did, the verb stays plain: “Did you play?”
- “Yes, we had.”: the short answer uses did: “Yes, we did.”
- “claped”, “stoped”: one vowel and one consonant double: clapped, stopped.
A concert reporter game at home
Use any performance: a school show, a band in a video, or a living-room concert where your child plays and you are the audience. Afterwards, interview each other like reporters: “What did the band play?” “What did the audience do?” Then fold paper into four boxes, draw the four moments and write one past sentence under each. Next time, swap roles: performer one day, audience the next.
What comes next
Next, add negatives and more irregular verbs: “We didn’t hear the drums.” “We saw a huge skeleton!” Then your child can ask careful questions about a school trip and use exclamations like “It was enormous!”