First, Then, After That, In the End: Signpost Words for Telling Things in Order
Read this out loud:
I woke up late. I made pancakes. I called my sister. I went to the market.
Every sentence is correct. But it sounds like a list from a machine. Now add four small words:
I woke up late, around nine. Then I made pancakes for my nephews. After that, I called my sister. In the end, I went to the market with two bags and no money.
(I woke up late, around nine. Then I made pancakes for my nephews. comes from a real episode. The rest is our extension.)
Those small words are signposts. They tell your listener where you are on the road. This page is a toolkit: pick the signpost, copy the pattern, move on.
What this page covers (and what it does not)
| If you want to… | Go to |
|---|---|
| join two short ideas into one sentence with and, then, but | How to Build Simple English Sentences and Add Details |
| finish a short day update with Overall, … | How to Give a Short Day Update in English |
| tell a story or a list of steps across several sentences | this page |
The difference is size. Join two sentences works inside one sentence. A signpost works across sentences: it sits at the start of the next one and points back.
Signposts for a story
| Job | Signpost | Real example |
|---|---|---|
| Start | at first | At first just noise, and then a clear voice. |
| Next step (same breath) | , and then | When I missed the gym, I ate cake, and then I stopped the app. |
| Next step (new sentence) | Then, | I woke up late, around nine. Then I made pancakes for my nephews. |
| Next step, a bit later | After that, | Probably three or four. After that I’ll go back to music practice. |
| Skip ahead | Later, | Emily didn’t catch on at first. Later, she understood the question. |
| Result of the whole story | In the end, | In the end, I pointed at a cake and smiled. |
Two things to notice:
- At first and later are a pair. If you say at first, your listener waits for the change.
- Then and after that are the workhorses. Use then for quick steps and after that when the next step feels like a new part.
Signposts for tips and advice
When you give several pieces of advice, count them. Counting tells the listener how long you will talk.
| Position | Signpost | Real example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | First, | First, never trust a blue sky in October. |
| 2 | Second, | Second, always take a jacket, even when it looks sunny. |
| 3 | Third, | Third, listen to one English podcast. |
| Small sequence of actions | First…, then… | First, understand. Then decide whether there is a problem. |
| Before something else | Before that, | Before that, let’s make the language sound a little more natural through small upgrades. |
The same words work for how to do something: Small sticks first, then the big log.
Signposts for an ending
| Job | Signpost | Real example |
|---|---|---|
| Result after everything | In the end, | So did you buy the cake in the end? |
| One-sentence summary | Overall, | Overall, it was a good day. |
In the end tells what finally happened. Overall gives your opinion of the whole thing. The first answers “what was the result?” and the second answers “how was it, in general?”. You can use both in one story.
Editorial note (not from the podcast): don’t confuse in the end with at the end of (at the end of the day, at the end of the film). The second one needs “of” and a time or an event.
Two traps
1. Finally is not the same as “last”.
In the episodes, finally always carries a feeling of waiting:
- And then the bill finally comes.
- I finally have a quiet evening tonight.
If you only mean the last step, use then or in the end. Use finally when the wait was long or the event was hoped for.
2. After that + a noun phrase is a different thing.
- After that, I’ll go home. (after that = next step)
- After that camping trip, I prefer my bed to a tent. (that camping trip is one thing, so after only works as a preposition)
If the word after that is a noun (trip, meeting, class), it is not a signpost.
Build a ten-second story
Use three signposts: one start, one middle, one end. Here is a model made from the tools above:
At first, I was nervous about the class. Then I listened to one short story every night. In the end, I could follow the whole lesson.
Model written for this page, not from the podcast.
Your turn. Finish these three:
- At first, I …
- Then I …
- In the end, I …
Say it twice. The second time, try to say it without looking.
Examples come from
Real sentences above are from the Paul and Emily episodes (except Overall, it was a good day, which is from our short day update lesson): Build 1000+ English Sentences with One Simple Formula, Train Your Ears to Understand Fast English, Small Goals, Big Progress, How to Talk About October in Natural English, Ask for the Bill and Check a Charge in English, Talk About Daily Life in English, and Why Do We Give Up So Easily.