Detective Series 1

Episode 1:

The Father
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Warm-Up
A. Detective’s Log

I am going to question all of the residents of

Hummingbird Manor to see if any of them had a
reason to steal this ring. I’m not sure why Cynthia
wants to film the whole investigation, but she insists.
My first suspect is Ralph Hummingbird, Emma’s father.
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B. Vocabulary Preview

Match the words on the left to the correct definitions on the right.

1. rerun a)  one’s true love

2. get down to business b)  to really want something

3. born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth c)  rich at birth, never had to worry about money
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4. mean nothing d)  a parent’s home (or feeling)
after grown children have moved out
5. the love of one’s life
e)  to be an important part of someone’s life
6. Bingo!
f)  to be unimportant
7. on the contrary
g)  to focus on an important matter
8. empty nest h)  a way of saying you guessed or answered correctly
9. have one’s heart set on something i)  a past television episode (also called a repeat)
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10. mean the world to someone j)  introduces an opposite example or idea

Did You Know?

The word question can be a noun and a verb. The detective will question (verb) the
residents. He will ask them questions (noun) to find out if they have a good alibi.

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 The Father
Episode 1 of 10 | Detective Series 1

Listening
Fill in the blanks as you listen. Then read the dialogue with your partner
a few times. Take turns being each character. Practice your intonation and
pronunciation. Underline or highlight any new words or phrases that you
Sa
don’t understand. Det. Bossley Ralph

Sorry to interrupt your show, Ralph.

Could you tell me where you were the night the ruby ring disappeared?

I was watching                     of your

murder mystery with my mother. She can't get enough of reality TV.

I’m glad you enjoyed the series. Let’s                     , shall we?
Tell me about your relationship with your mother.

My mother                     . I miss my father, though.

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I hear Mr. Hummingbird was a fine businessman.
You were                              , weren’t you?

Yes, but money                     to me. I care more about love.

Do you love your wife?

Of course. Lila is                     . I just wish she felt the same way about me.

Let me guess. Things changed when you had the twins?

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Bingo! Lila used to look at me like Paul gawks at Emma.
You know the look. My mother looks at you that way. You and Paul.

Is that jealousy I sense? Your daughter’s fiancé is a handsome man.

Jealousy? Don’t be ridiculous. I’m happy for Emma. She doesn’t realize how lucky she is.

Really? Does it bother you that your mother adores Paul?

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                    . If my mother didn’t approve of Paul,
Emma wouldn’t be marrying him. She’d lose her inheritance and the guesthouse.

Is that right? And Emma                               , I assume.

Actually, Emma doesn’t care as much about money as her mother does.
She’d be happy living in the jungle. It’s me that wants Emma to move into the guesthouse.
The sooner Lila and I can have an                     , the better!

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 The Father
Episode 1 of 10 | Detective Series 1

Comprehension
Answer and discuss these questions in pairs or as a class.
Then write your answers below or in your notebook.
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1. How does Ralph describe his relationship with Cynthia?

2. Which of the following does Ralph NOT care about? Money? His mother? His daughter? Finding the ring?

3. According to Ralph, how does Cynthia feel about Paul?

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4. True or False? Detective Bossley wonders if Ralph is jealous of Paul’s good looks.

5. What does Emma’s father say about the guesthouse?

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6. According to Ralph, how does Emma feel about her inheritance?

7. Why does Ralph want his daughter to get married?

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 The Father
Episode 1 of 10 | Detective Series 1

Vocabulary Review
A. Matching
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Match each word or phrase on the left to the
example on the right that has the same meaning.

1. empty nest a)  Enrique’s parents were

movie stars before he was born.
2. have one’s heart set on something
b)  Mia really wanted to go to Disney World.
3. born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth
c)  The only thing that matters to Katie is her cat.
4. rerun d)  I’ve seen this episode three times.

5. mean the world to someone e)  Both of Lindsay’s kids have left for college.
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B. Complete the Sentences

Complete the sentences using vocabulary from the list on page 1.

You may need to change the word forms.

1. Say “                   “ when I guess correctly.

2. A: I hear the presenters were disorganized.

B:                   ! They were well prepared.

3. If we don’t                   , we’ll never finish this meeting.

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4. My husband is the                   . He means the world to me.

5. You can have that photo if you want. It means                   to me.
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 The Father
Episode 1 of 10 | Detective Series 1

Vocabulary Review cont.

C. Recognizing Word Forms
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Read each sentence and look at the word “question.” Is it a noun or a verb?

# Sentence Form of “Question”

1 Ralph was watching reruns before the detective questioned him.

2 Detective Bossley had some difficult questions for Ralph.

3 During the questioning, the hidden camera was rolling.

4 The detective will question Lila next.

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Making Predictions
Discuss the questions with the class or a partner.
You could also write responses in a journal entry for homework.

1. Do you think Ralph is the thief? Why or why not?

Stay Tuned!
2. Do you think Ralph is jealous of Paul? Explain your answer.
EPISODE 2
3. Do you trust that Ralph is telling the detective
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The next suspect is Lila
the truth about everything? Why or why not?
Hummingbird. Review the
4. How do you envision the living room at Hummingbird Manor? introduction to this series to
find out her relationship to
Describe how it might look.
the widow.
5. What questions do you think the detective will ask Ralph’s wife?
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 The Father
Episode 1 of 10 | Detective Series 1

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Int – Adv

In Episode 1, Detective Bossley interviews Ralph, the father of the TIME: 1–2 hours
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bride-to-be. Idioms include “Bingo!,” “reruns,” and “empty nest.”
TAGS:   idioms, detective series, the father, episode 1, Ralph
Students practice identifying word forms.

Warm-Up Vocabulary Review

A. DETECTIVE’S LOG A. MATCHING

Read the detective’s notes together and go over the word alibi. 1. e 2. b 3. a 4. d 5. c
Explain that a good alibi can prove a suspect’s innocence in
relation to a crime. B. COMPLETE THE SENTENCES
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1. Bingo! 4. love of my life
B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW
2. On the contrary 5. nothing

1. i 3. c 5. a 7. j 9. b 3. get down to business

2. g 4. f 6. h 8. d 10. e
C. RECOGNIZING WORD FORMS

Listening 1. verb 2. noun 3. noun 4. verb

Have students fill in the blanks as they listen to the passage.

(continued on the next page...)
After correction, have them practice reading it aloud in pairs.
The full transcript is on page 8 (optional handout).
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Comprehension

1. Ralph says his mother means the

world to him. He loves her a lot.
2. Ralph does not care about money.
3. Ralph says that his mother adores Paul.
4. True.
5. He says that Emma would not be able to live in the guesthouse
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if she got married to someone her grandmother didn’t like.
6. According to Ralph, Emma doesn’t care much about money.
7. Ralph wants his kids to move out so
that he can have his wife to himself again.

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 The Father
Episode 1 of 10 | Detective Series 1

Answer Key cont.

Making Predictions
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Answers will vary. Have a class discussion about the questions
or have students write their responses in a journal entry.

Dialogue Building

This optional task is on page 9. Students should

cut up the strips and rearrange them into the correct order.

1. k 5. e 9. b 13. p
2. c 6. i 10. o 14. g
3. h 7. d 11. j 15. m
4. f 8. n 12. l 16. a
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SPELLING NOTE:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the word Practice.

Most other English-speaking countries spell this word this way:
Practise (when used as a verb; Practice when used as a noun).
Make it a challenge for your students to find this word in the
lesson and see if they know the alternate spelling.
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 The Father
Episode 1 of 10 | Detective Series 1

Dialogue Transcript
Read the dialogue with your partner a few times. Take turns being
each character. Practice your intonation and pronunciation. Underline
or highlight any new words or phrases that you don’t understand. Det. Bossley Ralph
Sa
Sorry to interrupt your show, Ralph.
Could you tell me where you were the night the ruby ring disappeared?

I was watching reruns of your murder mystery with my mother. She can't get enough of reality TV.

I’m glad you enjoyed the series. Let’s get down to business, shall we?
Tell me about your relationship with your mother.

My mother means the world to me. I miss my father, though.

I hear Mr. Hummingbird was a fine businessman.

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You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, weren’t you?

Yes, but money means nothing to me. I care more about love.

Do you love your wife?

Of course. Lila is the love of my life. I just wish she felt the same way about me.

Let me guess. Things changed when you had the twins?

pl
Bingo! Lila used to look at me like Paul gawks at Emma.
You know the look. My mother looks at you that way. You and Paul.

Is that jealousy I sense? Your daughter’s fiancé is a handsome man.

Jealousy? Don’t be ridiculous. I’m happy for Emma. She doesn’t realize how lucky she is.

Really? Does it bother you that your mother adores Paul?

On the contrary. If my mother didn’t approve of Paul, Emma wouldn’t

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be marrying him. She’d lose her inheritance and the guesthouse.

Is that right? And Emma has her heart set on those things, I assume.

Actually, Emma doesn’t care as much about money as her mother does.
She’d be happy living in the jungle. It’s me that wants Emma to move into the guesthouse.
The sooner Lila and I can have an empty nest, the better!

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 The Father
Episode 1 of 10 | Detective Series 1

Dialogue Building
The dialogue below is not in the right order. Cut up the
strips and then work alone or with a partner to rearrange
them into the correct order. Then read the dialogue out loud.
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Actually, Emma doesn’t care as much Yes, but money means nothing to me.
i
about money as her mother does. I care more about love.
She’d be happy living in the jungle. It’s
a
me that wants Emma to move into the Is that jealousy I sense? Your
guesthouse. The sooner Lila and I can j
daughter’s fiancé is a handsome man.
have an empty nest, the better!
Sorry to interrupt your show, Ralph.
Let me guess. Things changed k Could you tell me where you were the
b
when you had the twins? night the ruby ring disappeared?
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I was watching reruns of your murder Jealousy? Don’t be ridiculous.
c mystery with my mother. She can’t l I’m happy for Emma. She doesn’t
get enough of reality TV. realize how lucky she is.

d Do you love your wife? Is that right? And Emma has her
m
heart set on those things, I assume.

I hear Mr. Hummingbird was a Of course. Lila is the love of my life.

fine businessman. You were born n I just wish she felt the same way
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with a silver spoon in your mouth, about me.
weren’t you?
Bingo! Lila used to look at me like
My mother means the world to me. Paul gawks at Emma. You know the
f o
I miss my father, though. look. My mother looks at you that
way. You and Paul.
On the contrary. If my mother didn’t
approve of Paul, Emma wouldn’t Really? Does it bother you that
g p
be marrying him. She’d lose her your mother adores Paul?
e
inheritance and the guesthouse.

I’m glad you enjoyed the series.

Let’s get down to business, shall we?
h
Tell me about your relationship with
your mother.

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