Diary 日記
BasicCapital letters and full stops.
- Diary format: date + day + weather, then start with Dear Diary.
- Use the past tense for today's events: rained, forgot, played.
- Follow the time order: morning → school → after school → home.
文體小知識：Write a diary entry.
§Text Passage
1Friday, 20 June - Rainy. The sky was grey and the streets were wet. Dear Diary, it rained heavily this morning. I forgot my umbrella, so my friend Ken shared his with me. We walked to school together under one umbrella and jumped over the puddles.
2In the classroom, we watched a video about typhoons in our General Studies lesson. I learned that typhoons can be very strong, and we should stay inside during a storm. After school, the rain stopped and a rainbow appeared in the sky. Everyone ran outside to see it.
3At home, Mum made hot chocolate for me and my brother. I finished my maths homework before dinner, and then I wrote this diary entry. My teacher says a good diary has a capital letter and a full stop in every sentence. I checked my spelling twice tonight. Today I learned that a good friend is like an umbrella in the rain. I will share my umbrella with others too. Good night, dear diary.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
Friday, 20 June - Rainy.
六月二十日（星期五）——下雨天。
The sky was grey and the streets were wet.
天空灰濛濛，街上濕透了。
Dear Diary, it rained heavily this morning.
親愛的日記：今天早上下了好大的雨。
I forgot my umbrella, so my friend Ken shared his with me.
我忘記帶傘，幸好我的好朋友 Ken 同我分享了他那把。
We walked to school together under one umbrella and jumped over the puddles.
我們一起撐着同一把傘走路上學，還跳過一個個水坑。
In the classroom, we watched a video about typhoons in our General Studies lesson.
在課室裡，我們常識課看了一段關於颱風的影片。
I learned that typhoons can be very strong, and we should stay inside during a storm.
我學到颱風可以很厲害，刮颱風的時候應該留在室內。
After school, the rain stopped and a rainbow appeared in the sky.
放學之後，雨停了，天空出現了一道彩虹。
Everyone ran outside to see it.
個個都跑出去看。
At home, Mum made hot chocolate for me and my brother.
回到家，媽媽沖了熱巧克力給我和弟弟。
I finished my maths homework before dinner, and then I wrote this diary entry.
晚飯前我做完數學功課，然後寫了這篇日記。
My teacher says a good diary has a capital letter and a full stop in every sentence.
老師說好的日記，每句都要有大楷字母同句號。
I checked my spelling twice tonight.
今晚我檢查了兩次串字。
Today I learned that a good friend is like an umbrella in the rain.
今日我明白到，好朋友就好像下雨時候的一把傘。
I will share my umbrella with others too.
我也會把我的傘分享給其他人。
Good night, dear diary.
晚安，親愛的日記。
1Summary 重點摘要
Capital letters and full stops.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Write.
Sentence.
Paragraph.
Capital.
Full stop.
Spelling.
Grammar.
Check.
3Step by step Steps
- Start with the date and weatherFriday, 20 June - Rainy. One line for the day, the date and the weather. Day and month names take a capital letter, the date is a number, and the weather word is Rainy, Sunny or Cloudy. Writing down the weather lets you picture the day when you reread the diary years later — a tradition English and Chinese diaries share.
- Greet your diaryDear Diary, — a diary is a letter to yourself, so you greet your own diary. The comma after Diary matters: it marks the end of the greeting and the start of the body. The next line begins the entry, in the same format as a letter, except that the reader is always you.
- Use the past tense for todayIt rained heavily this morning. I forgot my umbrella. A diary records what has already happened, so the body uses the past tense: rained and forgot, never It rains or I forget. The slip is drifting back to the present halfway through the entry. Before each sentence, ask: has it happened? If yes, past tense.
- Order events by timethis morning — at school; after school — the playground; at home — homework. Write one event at a time in time order and the day stays tidy. Time phrases may go first or last in the sentence, but give each event one, so the reader knows when it happened. Before writing, replay the day in your head in order.
- Write your feeling and what you learnedToday I learned that a good friend is like an umbrella in the rain. A diary is not a list of events; the heart of it is your feeling and what you learned. One or two sentences near the end are enough, and a metaphor makes them shine — a good friend as an umbrella. Years later, these lines are the treasure.
- End with a good-night lineGood night, dear diary. Close the entry with a good-night line, like saying good night to an old friend before bed. Start a new line for it after your feelings. Then run the final check: date and weather, Dear Diary, past tense, time order, feelings, good night — six parts, and the entry is complete.
5Worked example Example
Question: How do we write a simple five-sentence diary entry with the right format?
- Step 1: Write the date and weather: Saturday, 21 June - Sunny — one line for the day and the sky.
- Step 2: Greet Dear Diary, then open with Today was a busy day.
- Step 3: Add details in the past tense: I had six lessons and played basketball after school. — both already happened.
- Step 4: Move on to the evening: I did my homework at night. — time keeps moving forward.
- Step 5: Close with a feeling: I am tired but happy. — how you feel right now, so am is correct.
- Answer: Sample answer: Today was a busy day. I had six lessons. I played basketball after school. I did my homework at night. I am tired but happy. — five past-tense events, and the last line stays present because the feeling is now.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Need?
Q2Paragraph?
Q3After?
Q4What do you write first in a diary entry?
Q5Which tense do diaries mostly use?
8Recap Recap
- Diary format: date + day + weather, then start with Dear Diary.
- Use the past tense for today's events: rained, forgot, played.
- Follow the time order: morning → school → after school → home.
- End with a feeling or something you learned — that is the heart of a diary.
- Check your spelling twice before you close the book.