Choose Your English Lesson 05

LESSON 5

Harry and Barbara's house has been robbed during the night. The mood is despair.

Conversation

BARBARA:     Oh!

HARRY:          What fools we were!

BARBARA:     To think of it! All my old silver! It meant so much to me.

HARRY :         And my new car. To think that he simply drove off with everything in my                                  car. That’s what hurts me most.

BARBARA:     What’s so terrible too, is the fools we’ve made of ourselves.

HARRY: I hardly dare call the police. They’ll just laugh at us.

BARBARA: I’ll never get over it. Oh, Harry it was all so unnecessary. That man! How could he do this to us after we’d put him up?

HARRY : And his story didn’t even hold together. I feel such an idiot.

BARBARA: And I’m sure we’ll never get all our things back. They’re so clever these criminals, What’s the point of collecting beautiful things for other people to steal?

HARRY: I only wish it were this time yesterday. Think how happy we were. Now this.

BARBARA: Things always go wrong.

HARRY: Perhaps We ought to get dressed and have breakfast. We’d feel better.

BARBARA: I don’t feel like breakfast. I don’t feel like anything. Why are we so unlucky? It’s as if there were a jinx on us.

HARRY: Perhaps I’d better ring the police.

BARBARA: Yes. Of course. But what good will it do? That man’s miles away from here by now. In our car.

HARRY: I’ve never seen such a mess.

BARBARA: All our precious possessions. I just don’t care any more.

HARRY: Yes, but we ought to do something.

BARBARA: When I think of it! That man!

HARRY: If I could lay my hands on him!

BARBARA: I’d roast him over a slow fire. I’d… !

VISITOR: Good morning. You’d what?

BARBARA: You!

VISITOR: What’s the matter?

HARRY: What are you doing here?

VISITOR: Good God! What’s happened?

HARRY : What are you doing here?

VISITOR : How do you mean ?-You’ve had a robbery.

HARRY : That’s right.

VISITOR: Oh, I see! And you thought I’d done it!

Comprehension

1. Why are Barbara and Harry unhappy now?

They are unhappy now because __________________________________________________

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2. How did the thief get away with the silver?

The thief got away with the silver by ______________________________________________

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3. Why doesn’t Harry call the police?

He doesn’t call the police because   ______________________________________________

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4. Why does Barbara wish it were yesterday?

She wishes it were yesterday because   ______________________________________________

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5. Why does she think there’s no point in telephoning the police?

She thinks there’s no point in telephoning the police because   _________________________

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6. Why doesn’t she eat any breakfast?

She doesn’t eat any breakfast because   __________________________________________

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7. Why is the room in such a mess?

It is in such a mess because ___________________________________________________

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8. Why is the stranger so surprised to see the mess?

He is surprised to see the mess because   __________________________________________

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9. Why are both Barbara and Harry surprised to see the stranger?

They are surprised to see the stranger ____________________________________________

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DRILL TEN  for Lesson 5 Exercise 4.

Here is a way of expressing purpose or intention by using for with to and the infinitive.

The replies to the following end with a preposition, like this:

You collected those things. Your wife decorates the house with them.

I collected those things for my wife to decorate the house with.

Now practise with the following

1. You didn’t buy a car. The thief drove off in it.

I didn’t buy a car for the thief to drive off in.

2. You didn’t collect all that silver. A thief made money out of it.

I didn’t collect all that silver for a thief to make money out of.

3. You brought those pictures. Barbara looked at them.

I brought those pictures for Barbara to look at.

4. You borrowed a suitcase. Edward put his clothes in it.

I borrowed a suitcase for Edward to put his clothes in.

5. You didn’t buy that silver. The children played with it.

I didn’t buy that silver for the children to play with.