Joy English · Level B2 · Short storiesjoy-english.com
An unexpected letter
Name:Date:
Understand a reflective story with the past perfect.
Listen to each sentence and write what you hear.
Audio and answer checking: https://joy-english.com/listening-lessons/an-unexpected-letter
Words to know
- envelope
- A paper cover for a letter.
- abroad
- In or to another country.
- forward
- To send a letter on to a new address.
Answer key
- The envelope had been forwarded twice before it finally reached him.“Had been forwarded” is a passive past perfect. In “reached him” the h of “him” is weak.
- He knew the careful handwriting at once.“Knew” sounds like “new”; the k is silent. “At once” means immediately.
- It was from the teacher who had encouraged him to study languages.In “who had encouraged him”, “had” is weak and “him” loses its h.
- She wrote that she had kept a copy of his first essay.“Had kept” is the past perfect. The t of “wrote” is hardly heard before “that”.
- He read the letter three times before he felt ready to reply.Write three as a word or a digit. Here “read” is the past tense and sounds like “red”.