The Missing Laptop

Warm-up: Tell a Story Like a Detective

3 warm-up questions

• Have you ever lost something important? What happened?
• What were you doing at nine o'clock yesterday morning?
• Do you enjoy detective stories or crime shows? Why, or why not?

Reading: Monday, 9:15 a.m.

Read a 215-word text about Monday, 9:15 a.m.

Monday, 9:15 a.m. The office of Bright Media is small and friendly. Nobody locks anything. That was fine until Monday morning, when Nadia's brand-new laptop disappeared from her desk. Nadia arrived at 8:50. She put the laptop down, took her coffee cup and walked to the kitchen. When she came back at 9:20, the desk was empty. There are only four people in the office, and all of them were doing something at 9:15. Tomas (designer): "I was printing a poster. The printer was making a terrible noise, so I didn't hear anything else." Priya (accountant): "I was talking to a client on the phone. The call started at nine and finished at half past." Marek (intern): "I wasn't in the office. I went out to buy milk. I came back at twenty past nine." Eva (office manager): "I was watering the plants near the window when I heard the fire door close. I looked up, but nobody was there." One of them is not telling the truth. Notice how each suspect describes a long background action — I was printing, I was talking — and then a short, sudden event: I heard, I looked up. The detective's job is simple: find the story that does not fit the timeline. Detective, the case is yours.

Vocabulary: Words for the Case File

7 items

Practice: The Detective's Notes

Gap-fill exercise, 7 items

• Nadia ____ her coffee when the laptop disappeared.
• While Tomas was printing, the fire door ____ .
• ____ you doing at a quarter past nine?
• Marek ____ the office before the laptop went missing.
• Eva was watering the plants when she ____ a strange noise.
• Priya ____ to a client for thirty minutes.
• The detective ____ notes while the suspects were speaking.

Practice: Match the Background to the Interruption

Matching exercise, 6 items

• Tomas was printing a poster
• Priya was speaking to a client
• Eva was watering the plants
• Marek was walking back from the shop
• Nadia was waiting for the kettle
• The detective was reading her notes

Practice: The Security Guard's Report

Error-correction exercise, 6 items

• At 9:15 I sat at the front desk when a man ran past me.
• While he was running, he was dropping a black bag.
• I was shouting, but he didn't stopped.
• When I looked at the camera, the screen was gone black.
• Eva was watering the plants while I have arrived.
• I no saw anybody with a laptop that morning.

Dialogue: You Question the Suspects

Role-play: The detective interviews the four suspects (4 lines)

• Suspect 1 (Tomas): "Good morning. You wanted to see me?": Open the interview. Ask where he was and what he was doing at 9:15, then ask one follow-up about what he heard.
• Suspect 2 (Priya): "I was on the phone. I really can't help you.": Don't accept a short answer. Ask who she was speaking to, when the call started, and what she saw while she was talking.
• Suspect 3 (Marek): "I wasn't even here. I went out for milk.": Check the timeline. Ask when he left, when he came back, and whether anybody saw him.
• Suspect 4 (Eva): "I heard the fire door, but I didn't see anybody.": Close the case. Say who you think took the laptop, and explain your reasons using 'was/were doing ... when ...'.

Discussion: Case Closed?

4 discussion questions

• Who do you think took the laptop, and what made you suspicious?
• Tell me about a time when something strange happened while you were working or studying.
• Should offices have cameras in every room? What are the good and bad sides?
• If you were the office manager, what would you change on Monday morning?