Your grandmother passed away after being sick for several years. You’re back at work now after going to her funeral, and talking to a coworker who’s come to give her condolences. You explain that your grandmother's death was not surprising:
Her health had been deteriorating for many years.
You've been living in the U.S. for 6 months as an exchange student. Now it's time for you to go back home. Your host mother is dropping you off at the airport. You feel nostalgic because this is the same airport that she picked you up in 6 months ago. You say:
It seems like it was only yesterday that we first met here.
You're at a party. You're telling a funny story about a time when you tripped on your son's toy car. You've described what you were doing before you tripped on the toy, and how you tripped on it. Now you say:
The next thing I know, I'm sprawled out on the floor.
accident, laying, past, storytelling, time 
You played a trick on your brother and really surprised him. He made a funny face. Now you're telling a friend the story of what happened. You describe his reaction:
You should have seen the look on his face. It was priceless!
modal, past, perfect aspect, reaction, storytelling 
You're talking to your friend about people who are hard workers. Your grandfather worked on a farm when he was a boy. You tell your friend about him:
My grandpa used to tell me about how he had to get up at the crack of dawn every day to start work on the farm.
You and a friend are talking about soccer. You start discussing a player who used to be really, really good but is now a little too old. You say:
He's past his prime now, but he was a great player at his peak.
ability (topic), past, sports (topic), strength You've been sending Facebook messages to an old friend who you haven't spoken with in many years. Your wife asked who he was, so you're explaining your history with this friend. You say:
We lost touch with each other after high school.
Facebook, friend, past, phrasal verb You added a new Facebook friend and the two of you have been posting a lot of messages to each other. Your wife asks who he is. He's someone who you knew in elementary school. You say:
He's an old childhood friend of mine.
Facebook, friend, past, possessive The topic of Korean politics came up at a dinner with a group of coworkers. You know more about this topic than the other people, so you're explaining some facts about South Korea to them. You tell them about South Korea's president:
Their current President is a former business executive.
You're eating dinner with some coworkers and someone mentions the topic of education. You watched a really good film about education last week. You want to talk about it, so you say:
I saw this incredible documentary the other day on the state of the public school system.
determiners, education, movie, past 