Wait for My Cue

Tara: Welcome to our puppet-show rehearsal. I’m the storyteller, and Nima is controlling a small, green dragon. In our scene, the dragon must wait behind the curtain until the silver moon appears. Nima, are you ready?

Nima: Absolutely. My dragon has been practising his most dramatic entrance. He steps forward, spreads his wings, and says, “Who has disturbed my extremely important nap?”

Tara: Great. Let’s begin. Long ago, beside a quiet forest, a silver moon began to rise over the hills.

Nima: Who has disturbed my extremely important nap?

Tara: Nima, the moon hadn’t appeared yet! Your entrance was much too early. Please wait for my cue. A cue is a word, sound, or action that tells a performer when to begin.

Nima: Understood. What exactly is my cue?

Tara: Your cue is the sentence, “The silver moon lights the cave.” Until you hear it, hold off. Hold off means wait and do not act yet. So, even if your dragon feels impatient, keep him behind the curtain.

Nima: Wait for your cue, and hold off until I hear the complete sentence. Got it. Shall we take it from the top?

Tara: Yes. Take it from the top means start again from the beginning. Before we restart, listeners, you can join the rehearsal. Complete this instruction: Enter as soon as I blank, “The silver moon lights the cave.” What word completes the sentence? I’ll give you five seconds. Five, four, three, two, one.

Nima: The answer is say. Enter as soon as I say, “The silver moon lights the cave.” We use as soon as to show that one action begins immediately after another. Notice that we say, “as soon as I say,” not “as soon as I will say.”

Tara: Excellent. Take it from the top. Long ago, beside a quiet forest, a silver moon began to rise over the hills. A sleepy dragon waited in a dark cave.

Nima: I’m holding off. The dragon is still waiting.

Tara: The silver moon lights the cave.

Nima: That’s my cue! Who has disturbed my extremely important nap? Oh, it’s only the moon. Please tell it to shine more quietly.

Tara: Perfect timing! But what if I forget the cue during the real show? We need a backup plan, which is another plan we can use if something goes wrong. I’ll keep the story card beside me in case I blank the cue. Listeners, replace blank with the correct verb. I’ll give you five seconds. Five, four, three, two, one.

Nima: The answer is forget. Keep the story card beside you in case you forget the cue. In case introduces a possible problem that we prepare for. We say, “in case you forget,” using the present simple.

Tara: One final rehearsal. Take it from the top. Nima, hold off and wait for my cue. Long ago, a silver moon rose above the forest. The silver moon lights the cave.

Nima: Who has disturbed my extremely important nap? Smooth entrance! Today we used wait for my cue, hold off, and take it from the top. We also used as soon as for timing and in case for a backup plan. Now our dragon enters at exactly the right moment.