The Night the Lights Went Out

Last summer, there was a heat wave in my city. One evening, it was thirty-eight degrees outside. My family was watching a film on TV when suddenly everything went dark. The TV, the lights, and the air conditioner all stopped. It was a power cut.

At first, my little sister was scared. She held my hand and didn't want to move. My dad found a flashlight in the drawer, and my mom lit some candles on the table.

Without the air conditioner, the house became hotter and hotter. "We can't stay inside," my dad said. "Let's go up to the roof. It might be cooler there."

He was right. On the roof, there was a light wind, and it was much more comfortable than in the living room. We took a mat, a paper fan, and a big plate of watermelon.

The whole street was dark, so we could see more stars than usual. My dad showed us the Big Dipper and told us stories about his childhood in the countryside. Back then, his village didn't have electricity, and he did his homework by oil lamp.

My sister wasn't scared anymore. She was counting the stars and laughing.

At eleven o'clock, the power came back, and the lights turned on. We could go back to our cool rooms, but nobody wanted to go downstairs. We stayed on the roof a little longer.

I usually think a power cut is a bad thing, but that night was one of the best nights of the summer.

Grammar Structure (Phân tích Ngữ pháp)

• Past Continuous bị cắt ngang (when) (S + was/were + V-ing + when + S + V2): "My family was watching a film on TV when suddenly everything went dark."
• Comparatives (adj-er and adj-er / much more ... than) (adj-er and adj-er; much more + adj + than): "Without the air conditioner, the house became hotter and hotter."
• Modal verbs can't / might / could (S + modal + V nguyên mẫu): "It might be cooler there."