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retell

B1
verb

Pronunciation

UK

  • /rɪtˈɛl/

US

  • /riˈtɛl/

Description

We all love stories, right? To retell a story is not just to repeat it. It is to bring it to life again and share it with someone else. Maybe you retell a funny thing that happened during your day to make your friend laugh, or perhaps a grandparent retells a family tale for the hundredth time. It means taking something that already happened and telling it again in words. You might retell an event from history in class, or simply retell what you watched on TV. The key is sharing the story in your own way.

Examples

  1. 1

    Travel story

    After the trip, Maya retold the whole story to her friends over dinner.

  2. 2

    Exam task

    In the exam, you may be asked to retell the passage in your own words.

    • Phrase

      in your own words

      using your own way of saying it, not copying

  3. 3

    Repeated joke

    He kept retelling the joke, but it got less funny each time.

  4. 4

    Myth adaptation

    The film retells the myth from the daughter's point of view.

    • Pattern

      from someone's point of view

      from that person's perspective

  5. 5

    Meeting recap

    I don't need every detail; just retell what happened after the meeting.

  6. 6

    Family stories

    Family stories often change a little each time they are retold.

Forms and spellings

4 forms open this card.

Main spelling

  • retellverb

Forms

  • retelling-ing formverb
  • retoldpast tensepast participleverb
  • retellsverb