DESCRIPTION: Sports, the city, and the simple past — with Sam, Kim, Linda, and the mystery of Mr. Lugo's missing cake. Fully voiced rewrite of Lesson 1.
TARGET_LANG_G: en
HOME_LANG_G: en
VOICE_DEFAULT: aoede | Warm, friendly narrator with a hint of dry amusement
VOICE_INTRO: aoede | Speak like a friendly teacher who enjoys the story
VOICE_PROMPT: gacrux | Questions and cues, read clearly
VOICE_RESPONSE: schedar | Model answers, warm and clear
VOICE: Sam | charon | Relaxed male student who believes tennis is the only real sport
VOICE: Kim | kore | Bright, energetic female student
VOICE: Lugo | achird | Warm older Italian-American man, quietly proud of his cooking
INTRO: This course has a story, and the story has people. First: Sam and Kim. They are students in San Antonio, Texas, and they think about sports all day. Listen and repeat each new word and sentence.
INSTRUCTION: Repeat each word and sentence.
REPEAT
VOCAB: play
VOCAB: game
VOCAB: ball
LINE: Sam and Kim play a game with a ball almost every day. {page_007_001.jpg}
VOCAB: tennis
LINE: Sam plays tennis. {page_007_004.jpg}
LINE: Sam plays tennis every day. Every single day.
VOCAB: football
LINE: Kim plays football on Saturdays. {page_007_002.jpg}
VOCAB: soccer
LINE: Their friend Carlos plays soccer after school. {page_007_005.jpg}
VOCAB: baseball
LINE: Joe plays baseball on weekends. {page_007_003.jpg}
VOCAB: basketball
LINE: Kim also plays basketball at school. {page_007_006.jpg}
VOCAB: sports
LINE: Tennis, football, soccer, baseball, and basketball are sports.
LINE: Sam says tennis is the only real sport. Kim does not agree.
# Images from LLA 1A Figure 2 option pool.
$SELECT Identify the Game
INTRO: Listen to a sentence about Sam, Kim, and their friends. Tap the correct picture.
INSTRUCTION: Tap the correct picture.
OPTION: a | ball {page_008_001.jpg}
OPTION: b | football {page_008_002.jpg}
OPTION: c | baseball {page_008_003.jpg}
OPTION: d | tennis {page_008_004.jpg}
OPTION: e | soccer {page_008_005.jpg}
OPTION: f | basketball {page_008_006.jpg}
PROMPT: Sam and Kim watch soccer games on TV.
ANSWER: e
PROMPT: Sam is playing tennis. Again.
ANSWER: d
FEEDBACK: Correct. It's always tennis with Sam.
PROMPT: Joe plays baseball on weekends.
ANSWER: c
PROMPT: The children play with a ball after school.
ANSWER: a
PROMPT: The basketball game is at eight o'clock tonight.
ANSWER: f
PROMPT: Kim plays football on Saturdays.
ANSWER: b
FEEDBACK: Right. Saturday is football day. Sam stays home. He doesn't approve.
# New text; images from ST.
$DIALOGUE What Do They Like to Do?
INTRO: People like different things. Sam likes tennis. Kim likes everything else. Listen and repeat.
INSTRUCTION: Repeat each word and sentence.
REPEAT
VOCAB: like
LINE: Kim likes sports. All of them.
VOCAB: like to
LINE: Joe likes to play baseball. {st-page_007_001.jpg}
VOCAB: watch
LINE: Mr. and Mrs. Adams like to watch games on television. {st-page_007_004.jpg}
LINE: The children like to play with a ball. {st-page_007_002.jpg}
LINE: Kim and her friends like to go to football games. {st-page_007_003.jpg}
LINE: And Sam? Sam likes to play tennis. You knew that already.
$SELECT Who Likes What?
INTRO: You will hear a short conversation. Listen, then tap the correct statement.
INSTRUCTION: Tap the correct sentence.
PROMPT: Kim, do you like football games? — Yes, I do!
OPTION: a | Kim likes football games.
OPTION: b | Kim doesn't like football games.
ANSWER: a
PROMPT: Sam, do you like soccer? — No, I don't. It isn't tennis.
OPTION: a | Sam likes soccer.
OPTION: b | Sam doesn't like soccer.
ANSWER: b
FEEDBACK: Correct. It isn't tennis. For Sam, that's the whole problem.
PROMPT: Joe, do you like baseball? — Yes, I do.
OPTION: a | Joe likes baseball.
OPTION: b | Joe doesn't like baseball.
ANSWER: a
PROMPT: Kim and Joe, do you like basketball? — Yes, we do.
OPTION: a | Kim and Joe like basketball.
OPTION: b | Kim and Joe don't like basketball.
ANSWER: a
PROMPT: Sam, do you like basketball? — It's fine. It isn't tennis.
OPTION: a | Sam loves basketball very much.
OPTION: b | Sam thinks basketball is just fine.
ANSWER: b
$PRODUCE What Do They Like?
INTRO: Read the statement on the screen. Then listen to the question and answer it aloud.
INSTRUCTION: Answer aloud based on the reading.
INPUT: speak
CHECK: reveal
EXAMPLE
TEMPLATE: Kim plays football on Saturdays.
PROMPT: What does Kim like to do on Saturdays?
RESPONSE: Kim likes to play football on Saturdays.
TEMPLATE: Sam plays tennis every day.
PROMPT: What does Sam like to do every day?
RESPONSE: Sam likes to play tennis every day.
TEMPLATE: Joe plays baseball on weekends.
PROMPT: What does Joe like to do on weekends?
RESPONSE: Joe likes to play baseball on weekends.
TEMPLATE: Mr. and Mrs. Adams watch games on television.
PROMPT: What do Mr. and Mrs. Adams like to watch?
RESPONSE: They like to watch games on television.
TEMPLATE: The children play with a ball after school.
PROMPT: What do the children like to do after school?
RESPONSE: The children like to play with a ball after school.
$SELECT Sound Break: J or Y?
INTRO: A short break for your ears. If you hear the "j" sound as in jet, tap the first option. If you hear the "y" sound as in yet, tap the second option.
INSTRUCTION: Tap the sound you hear.
OPTION: a | j (as in jet)
OPTION: b | y (as in yet)
EXAMPLE
PROMPT: jam
ANSWER: a
PROMPT: year
ANSWER: b
PROMPT: joke
ANSWER: a
PROMPT: you
ANSWER: b
PROMPT: jaw
ANSWER: a
PROMPT: yes
ANSWER: b
PROMPT: juice
ANSWER: a
PROMPT: yard
ANSWER: b
$DIALOGUE Come and Play
INTRO: Kim wants to play this weekend. Sam is listening. Sort of. Listen to their conversation and repeat each line.
INSTRUCTION: Listen and repeat.
REPEAT
Kim: Sam, do you like basketball?
Sam: It's fine. Do you want to play tennis?
Kim: We play basketball on Saturdays. Do you want to play?
Sam: Is it like tennis?
Kim: No, Sam. It's basketball.
Sam: All right. One game.
Kim: One game. See you Saturday at ten.
$CHAT Your Turn: Invite Sam to Play
INTRO: Now talk to Sam yourself. Invite him to play a sport with you this weekend. Be strong. He will suggest tennis.
SCENARIO: Invite Sam to play a sport with you and agree on a day and time.
INITIAL_PROMPT: You are Sam, a friendly student who believes tennis is the only real sport. A classmate is inviting you to play a game. Whatever sport they suggest, first ask politely if they want to play tennis instead. If they insist on their sport, agree cheerfully and arrange a day and a time. Keep your English very simple, A2 level, short sentences.
In English, when something happened **yesterday** — and it's finished — the verb changes: you add **-ed**.
*Sam plays tennis every day.* → *Sam **played** tennis **yesterday**.* (Of course he did.)
That's the whole trick for regular verbs:
* {play} + ed = {played}
* {cook} + ed = {cooked}
* {study} + ed = {studied}
If the verb already ends in **-e**, just add **-d**: {close} → {closed}.
One thing to **listen** for: *-ed* doesn't always sound like "ed". There are three sounds:
* **/d/** — soft, like in {played}, {cleaned}, {lived}, {studied}
* **/t/** — sharp, like in {walked}, {cooked}, {liked}, {watched}
* **/ɪd/** — an extra syllable, like in {wanted}, {started}, {visited}, {ended}
The /ɪd/ group is easy to spot: it's the verbs that already end in a **t** or **d** sound. You'll practice all three sounds next.
$DIALOGUE Yesterday at Lugo's
INTRO: Let's use the past tense on our friends. Yesterday was a normal day in San Antonio — which means everyone ended up at Lugo's. Listen and repeat.
INSTRUCTION: Repeat each sentence.
REPEAT
LINE: Yesterday, Mr. Lugo cooked all afternoon long. {st-page_010_001.jpg}
LINE: Sam and Kim visited the restaurant after school.
LINE: They talked about sports.
LINE: Sam talked about tennis. Kim listened. She is very patient.
LINE: Joe's parents visited too. They liked the food very much.
LINE: Dinner started at six and ended very late.
LINE: A normal day at Lugo's.
$SELECT Which -ED Sound?
INTRO: Listen to the past tense verbs. Decide if the -ED ending sounds like the D in "played", the T in "worked", or the ID in "wanted".
INSTRUCTION: Tap the sound of the -ED ending.
SHOW_PROMPT
OPTION: a | /d/ sound (played)
OPTION: b | /t/ sound (worked)
OPTION: c | /ɪd/ sound (wanted)
EXAMPLE
PROMPT: opened
ANSWER: a
EXAMPLE
PROMPT: corrected
ANSWER: c
PROMPT: cooked
ANSWER: b
PROMPT: visited
ANSWER: c
PROMPT: cleaned
ANSWER: a
PROMPT: talked
ANSWER: b
PROMPT: ended
ANSWER: c
PROMPT: played
ANSWER: a
PROMPT: watched
ANSWER: b
PROMPT: studied
ANSWER: a
PROMPT: started
ANSWER: c
PROMPT: liked
ANSWER: b
$PRODUCE Write the Verb Forms
INTRO: Remember: verb plus E D makes the past. Read the sentence and type the past tense form of the verb in parentheses. Then listen to the full sentence.
INSTRUCTION: Type the correct past tense verb.
INPUT: type
CHECK: exact
TEMPLATE: Mr. Lugo ____ a big dinner for Joe's parents last night. (cook)
RESPONSE: Mr. Lugo cooked a big dinner for Joe's parents last night.
ACCEPT: cooked
TEMPLATE: Sam ____ tennis all day yesterday. (play)
RESPONSE: Sam played tennis all day yesterday.
ACCEPT: played
TEMPLATE: Kim ____ the football game on TV last night. (watch)
RESPONSE: Kim watched the football game on TV last night.
ACCEPT: watched
TEMPLATE: Joe's parents ____ him in the city last weekend. (visit)
RESPONSE: Joe's parents visited him in the city last weekend.
ACCEPT: visited
TEMPLATE: Dinner ____{started} at 6:00 and it ____{ended} at 11:00. (start) (end)
RESPONSE: Dinner started at 6:00 and it ended at 11:00.
TEMPLATE: Linda ____ her house all morning long. (clean)
RESPONSE: Linda cleaned her house all morning long.
ACCEPT: cleaned
$PRODUCE Say It in the Past
INTRO: Change each sentence to the simple past tense, like in the example. Say your answer aloud, then listen to the correct sentence.
INSTRUCTION: Change the sentence to the simple past.
INPUT: speak
CHECK: reveal
EXAMPLE
TEMPLATE: Sam plays tennis every day. (yesterday)
RESPONSE: Sam played tennis yesterday.
TEMPLATE: Kim watches football every Saturday. (last Saturday)
RESPONSE: Kim watched football last Saturday.
TEMPLATE: Mr. Lugo cooks all afternoon. (yesterday afternoon)
RESPONSE: Mr. Lugo cooked all afternoon yesterday.
TEMPLATE: Linda cleans her house every Saturday. (last Saturday)
RESPONSE: Linda cleaned her house last Saturday.
TEMPLATE: Joe's parents visit him every month. (last month)
RESPONSE: Joe's parents visited him last month.
TEMPLATE: The students study new words every day. (yesterday)
RESPONSE: The students studied new words yesterday.
$DIALOGUE Again
INTRO: When something happens one more time, we use the word "again". With our friends, things happen again a lot. Listen and repeat.
INSTRUCTION: Repeat each pair of sentences.
REPEAT
VOCAB: again
LINE: Sam played tennis yesterday. Today he is playing tennis again.
LINE: Linda cleaned her house last Saturday. This Saturday she is cleaning again. Of course she is.
LINE: Joe's parents visited last month. This month they are visiting again.
LINE: Kim watched the game last week. Yesterday she watched it again.
$PRODUCE Use "Again"
INTRO: Complete each sentence with "again", like in the example. Say your answer, then listen to the correct sentence.
INSTRUCTION: Complete the sentence using "again".
INPUT: speak
CHECK: reveal
EXAMPLE
TEMPLATE: Sam played tennis last week. — Yesterday, Sam ____.
RESPONSE: Yesterday, Sam played tennis again.
TEMPLATE: Linda cleaned her house last Saturday. — This morning, she ____.
RESPONSE: This morning, she cleaned her house again.
TEMPLATE: Mr. Lugo cooked fish last Monday. — Yesterday, he ____.
RESPONSE: Yesterday, he cooked fish again.
TEMPLATE: Joe's parents visited the restaurant last month. — Last night, they ____.
RESPONSE: Last night, they visited the restaurant again.
TEMPLATE: Kim watched the show last week. — Last night, she ____.
RESPONSE: Last night, she watched the show again.
TEMPLATE: We studied the new words yesterday. — Right now, we ____.
RESPONSE: Right now, we are studying the new words again.
How do you say that something did NOT happen? Use **did not** — or its short form, **didn't** — and then the verb in its **base form**:
*Sam played tennis yesterday.* → *Sam {didn't play} football.* (Naturally.)
Notice what happened to the verb: it went back to **play**, not *played*. The word **did** already carries the past — so the main verb doesn't need -ed anymore.
The most common mistake: ~~He didn't played soccer~~. One past marker is enough: *He {didn't play} soccer.*
In writing, {did not} and {didn't} mean the same thing — *didn't* is just more relaxed and much more common in speech.
You're going to need this grammar. Something happened at Lugo's, and somebody isn't telling the truth.
$DIALOGUE Something Happened at Lugo's
INTRO: Detective, we have a case. Listen carefully to the facts and repeat each line. Every detail matters.
INSTRUCTION: Listen and repeat. Remember the details.
REPEAT
Narrator: Last Saturday, Mr. Lugo baked a chocolate cake. {st-page_010_001.jpg}
LINE: It was a beautiful cake. Everybody wanted a piece.
LINE: At nine o'clock, Mr. Lugo walked to the kitchen.
LINE: The last piece of cake was not there. It disappeared.
LINE: Four friends visited the restaurant that night: Sam, Kim, Joe, and Linda.
LINE: Somebody enjoyed that last piece of cake.
LINE: Your job, detective: find out who.
$PRODUCE It Didn't Happen
INTRO: Every suspect has an alibi. Remember: didn't plus the base verb. Read the facts, then say what the person didn't do. Listen to the correct answer.
INSTRUCTION: Make a negative statement using the cue.
INPUT: speak
CHECK: reveal
EXAMPLE
TEMPLATE: Sam played tennis until eight. (eat cake at eight)
RESPONSE: He didn't eat cake at eight.
TEMPLATE: Kim watched the football game all evening. (visit the kitchen)
RESPONSE: She didn't visit the kitchen.
TEMPLATE: Joe talked with his parents at the big table. (walk to the kitchen)
RESPONSE: He didn't walk to the kitchen.
TEMPLATE: Linda cleaned her own kitchen at home until nine. (visit the restaurant before nine)
RESPONSE: She didn't visit the restaurant before nine.
TEMPLATE: The cake disappeared at nine. (disappear at eight)
RESPONSE: It didn't disappear at eight.
TEMPLATE: Mr. Lugo cooked all evening. (watch the cake all evening)
RESPONSE: He didn't watch the cake all evening.
$GRAMMAR Asking About the Past: Did you...?
To ask a yes/no question about the past, start with **Did**, then the subject, then the verb in its **base form**:
*Kim {visited} the kitchen.* → *{Did} Kim {visit} the kitchen?*
Same rule as with *didn't*: the word **did** carries the past, so the main verb loses its -ed. ~~Did Kim visited the kitchen?~~ is the classic mistake — it's *Did Kim **visit** the kitchen?*
To answer, English speakers usually keep it short:
* {Yes, she did.}
* {No, she didn't.}
A detective asks short questions and listens to short answers. Time to interrogate.
$PRODUCE The Interrogation
INTRO: Ask each suspect your question, using the cue words. Then listen to the question a good detective asks.
INSTRUCTION: Ask a question using the cue words.
INPUT: speak
CHECK: reveal
EXAMPLE
TEMPLATE: Sam/play/tennis/on Saturday night
RESPONSE: Did Sam play tennis on Saturday night?
TEMPLATE: Kim/watch/the game/at the restaurant
RESPONSE: Did Kim watch the game at the restaurant?
TEMPLATE: Joe/talk/with his parents/all evening
RESPONSE: Did Joe talk with his parents all evening?
TEMPLATE: Linda/clean/her kitchen/until nine
RESPONSE: Did Linda clean her kitchen until nine?
TEMPLATE: the cake/disappear/at nine o'clock
RESPONSE: Did the cake disappear at nine o'clock?
TEMPLATE: Mr. Lugo/bake/the cake/on Saturday
RESPONSE: Did Mr. Lugo bake the cake on Saturday?
$PRODUCE Short Answers
INTRO: Now listen to the suspects' answers. Give the short answer using the yes or no cue on the screen, then listen to the correct answer.
INSTRUCTION: Answer with a short sentence.
EXAMPLE
TEMPLATE: Yes, ____.
PROMPT: Did Sam play tennis on Saturday night?
RESPONSE: Yes, he did.
TEMPLATE: No, ____.
PROMPT: Did Kim visit the kitchen?
RESPONSE: No, she didn't.
TEMPLATE: Yes, ____.
PROMPT: Did Joe talk with his parents all evening?
RESPONSE: Yes, he did.
TEMPLATE: No, ____.
PROMPT: Did Linda visit the restaurant before nine?
RESPONSE: No, she didn't.
TEMPLATE: Yes, ____.
PROMPT: Did Mr. Lugo bake the cake on Saturday?
RESPONSE: Yes, he did.
TEMPLATE: No, ____.
PROMPT: Did the cake disappear at eight o'clock?
RESPONSE: No, it didn't.
$SELECT Case Closed
INTRO: Detective, review the facts and answer the final questions. Take your time. Justice is patient.
INSTRUCTION: Tap the correct answer.
TEMPLATE: Sam played tennis until eight. At nine he was at the big table with everyone. Did Sam enjoy the cake?
OPTION: a | Yes, he did.
OPTION: b | No, he didn't.
ANSWER: b
TEMPLATE: Kim watched the game all evening, far from the kitchen. Did Kim enjoy the cake?
OPTION: a | Yes, she did.
OPTION: b | No, she didn't.
ANSWER: b
TEMPLATE: Linda cleaned her kitchen at home until nine. Did Linda enjoy the cake?
OPTION: a | Yes, she did.
OPTION: b | No, she didn't.
ANSWER: b
FEEDBACK: Correct. Linda has an alibi. Linda always has an alibi. Her kitchen is very clean.
TEMPLATE: One person was in the kitchen at nine o'clock. Who enjoyed the last piece of cake?
OPTION: a | Sam
OPTION: b | Kim
OPTION: c | Joe
OPTION: d | Mr. Lugo
ANSWER: d
FEEDBACK: Of course. Mr. Lugo baked it. Mr. Lugo cooked all evening next to it. At nine o'clock, Mr. Lugo enjoyed it. He cooks very good food — and he knows it. Case closed.
$SELECT Sound Break: AH or UH?
INTRO: A detective must listen carefully. These words sound similar. Decide if the word has the AH sound like in "cop", or the UH sound like in "cup".
RESPONSE: Did Beth study all morning? Yes, she did.
TEMPLATE: John and Sara/visit/a restaurant {st-page_025_006.jpg}
RESPONSE: Did John and Sara visit a restaurant? Yes, they did.
$PRODUCE Dictation
INTRO: Last exercise, detective. Listen to each sentence and type exactly what you hear.
INSTRUCTION: Type the sentence you hear.
INPUT: type
CHECK: exact
PROMPT: Linda cleaned her house all morning long.
RESPONSE: Linda cleaned her house all morning long.
PROMPT: Sam played tennis again yesterday.
RESPONSE: Sam played tennis again yesterday.
PROMPT: Joe's parents visited the city last weekend.
RESPONSE: Joe's parents visited the city last weekend.
PROMPT: Mr. Lugo baked a beautiful chocolate cake.
RESPONSE: Mr. Lugo baked a beautiful chocolate cake.
PROMPT: The last piece of cake disappeared at nine o'clock.
RESPONSE: The last piece of cake disappeared at nine o'clock.
PROMPT: Dinner at Lugo's starts at six and ends very late.
RESPONSE: Dinner at Lugo's starts at six and ends very late.
$CHAT Dinner at Lugo's
INTRO: The case is closed, and you know the best restaurant in San Antonio. Invite Kim to dinner at Lugo's. Agree on a day and a time. Maybe don't mention the cake.
SCENARIO: Invite Kim to dinner at Lugo's Italian Restaurant and agree on a day and time.
INITIAL_PROMPT: You are Kim, a friendly and energetic student in San Antonio. A classmate is inviting you to dinner at Lugo's Italian Restaurant. You love the idea — Mr. Lugo cooks very good food. Ask what day and what time, agree happily, and maybe joke once about the famous missing cake. Keep your English very simple, A2 level, short sentences.
