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A2At a Wedding

Arriving at a Wedding: Using 'Show Up' in Past Simple

Phrasal Verb: show up |Grammar: Past Simple

Objective

Students will learn to use the phrasal verb 'show up' in the past simple tense to talk about arriving at events like weddings.

Article

Last Saturday, I went to my friend’s wedding. Many guests showed up at the venue early. Some guests showed up late because of traffic. The bride and groom showed up on time and looked very happy. Everyone showed up with gifts and smiles. The photographer said that everyone who showed up made the day special. After the ceremony, some guests showed up at the party to dance and eat delicious food. It was a wonderful day, and I was glad to show up and celebrate with my friends.

Grammar Explanation

Meaning

The phrasal verb 'show up' means to arrive at a place, especially for an event or appointment.

Grammar Note

We use the past simple tense to talk about actions that happened and finished in the past. For regular verbs, we add -ed, but 'show' is irregular and becomes 'showed' or sometimes 'showed up' is used as a phrasal verb with 'showed' as past.

Usage Tips

  • Use 'showed up' to say someone arrived at a place.
  • In questions and negatives, use did/didn't + show up (e.g., Did she show up?).
  • Remember to match the past simple with time expressions like yesterday, last week, or specific past times.

Examples

My friends showed up early at the wedding venue.

Talking about arrival time

She didn’t show up because she was sick.

Explaining a missed arrival

Did the guests show up on time?

Asking about arrival

The groom showed up with a big smile.

Describing how someone arrived

Many people showed up to celebrate the happy day.

Talking about attendance

Dialogue

Context: Two friends talk about who arrived at the wedding.

A:
Did Sarah show up at the wedding?
B:
Yes, she showed up right on time.
A:
What about Tom? I heard he was late.
B:
He showed up after the ceremony started.
A:
I’m glad everyone showed up to celebrate.
B:
Me too! It was a wonderful day.

Vocabulary

Guest
A person invited to an event
Example: Many guests showed up at the wedding.
Synonym: Visitor
Venue
The place where a special event happens
Example: The wedding venue was beautiful.
Synonym: Location
Bride
A woman on her wedding day
Example: The bride showed up wearing a white dress.
Synonym: Wife-to-be
Groom
A man on his wedding day
Example: The groom showed up with a big smile.
Synonym: Husband-to-be
Celebrate
To enjoy an event because something good happened
Example: Everyone showed up to celebrate the marriage.
Synonym: Commemorate
Arrive
To reach a place
Example: They arrived at the venue early.
Synonym: Show up
Late
After the expected or usual time
Example: Some guests showed up late.
Synonym: Tardy
Early
Before the expected time
Example: She showed up early to help.
Synonym: Ahead of time
Traffic
Many vehicles on the road that slow down travel
Example: He was late because of traffic.
Synonym: Congestion
Photographer
A person who takes photos
Example: The photographer took pictures of everyone who showed up.
Synonym: Camera person

Tips

  • Use 'showed up' to talk simply about arriving in the past.
  • Remember 'did' for questions and negatives with 'show up'.
  • Don’t confuse 'show up' with 'show' alone; 'show up' means 'arrive'.

Summary

In this lesson, you learned how to use the phrasal verb 'show up' in the past simple tense to talk about arriving at a wedding. You practiced with examples, dialogue, and exercises to feel confident using 'showed up' in real conversations.

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