Tom: John Blake was trying to find out more about a certain pendant that had been stolen from a museum. With his friend, Mary Green, he went to see a collector of old things, Anthony Forset. Anthony Forset told them that a dr. Haverel had given the pendant to the museum. He had given the pendant to the museum. Dr. Haverel was now dead, but his sister, Emily Haverel was still alive. “Go and ask Emily Haverel about the pendant,” he said. He gave them her address in Orchard Street. The next day John and Mary went to see Miss Haverel. They didn’t know where Orchard Street was. They asked several people, but they didn’t know either. Finally, they asked a man who recognised John. It was the man with the scar. It was Scarface. You will remember that John first saw the man with the scar in the museum, when the pendant was stolen.
(mysterious music)
John: You!
Scarface: It’s you again, is it?
John: Mary, it’s the man with the scar!
Mary: Ah!
Scarface: Were you looking for me?
John: I was asking for Orchard Street.
Scarface: Why were you asking for Orchard Street?
Mary: Because we’re looking for a thief.
John: Come on, Mary.
Scarface: And you think I am a thief? You there!
John: Me?
Scarface: Yes, you. You said I was a thief.
John: No, I didn’t.
Scarface: You told Mr. Forset yesterday.
John: Yesterday?
Scarface: Mr. Forset is my uncle. You told him I was a thief.
John: I told him you were the man in the museum.
Scarface: But you said he was the thief. You were calling me a thief, weren’t you?
John: I said you were the man in the photograph.
Scarface: Were you calling me a thief?
John: I said you had a blue tie.
Scarface: Were you calling me a thief?
John: Your uncle said you’re his nephew.
Scarface: Answer me: am I a thief?
John: His nephew, you’re Mr. Forset’s nephew.
Scarface: A thief? Am I a thief? Look at my fist.
Tom: The man with the scar recognised John. Scarface was very angry. “You said I was a thief,” he accused John. John was afraid. “Look at my fist,” said the man.
Cathy: His fist?
Tom: Yes, fist. Boxers fight with their fists.
Man1: Fantastic. Look at Charly.
Man2: Super. Did you see that blow?
Man1: A knockout. A knockout. What a fist. There isn’t another boxer in the world with a fist like that.
Cathy: And what did John do when he saw his fist?
Tom: Nothing. He was afraid. Suddenly, Mary noticed something. “John, look at his arm,” she said. Mary remembered that John had said, “He is a man with a scar and a stiff arm.” But his arm wasn’t stiff anymore. He was bending his arm. If you have a stiff arm, you can’t bend it. But now Scarface was bending his arm. How was that possible? John said, he was carrying something. An iron bar, perhaps. An iron bar, that is, a long piece of iron. John thought he had a stiff arm, but he hadn’t. Apparently, he had been carrying an iron bar up his sleeve.
Cathy: His sleeve? What do you use a sleeve for?
Tom: Sleeves are parts of a shirt, a coat or a dress. You put your arm into them.
Man: Good afternoon, Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith: Good afternoon, sir.
Man: Is my suit ready?
Mr. Smith: Oh, yes. Try it on.
Man: Goodness. What’ve you done? The sleeves come down to my fingertips. The sleeves are so long that I can’t see my hands.
Mr. Smith: Yes, the sleeves really are a bit long. Just a minute. We’ll make them shorter. Well, here are my pins.
Man: Ouch! You’ve pinned the sleeves to my skin.
Mr. Smith: I’m so sorry, sir.
Man: Be more careful, Mr. Smith. You’ve hurt me with the pins.
Mr. Smith: I’m awfully sorry, sir.
Man: Careful, Mr. Smith, be careful.
Mr. Smith: It won’t happen again. Now the last pin.
Man: Ouch!
Tom: So, Scarface had a scar, but he hadn’t a stiff arm. In the museum he must have been carrying an iron bar up his sleeve.
Mary: John, look at his arm.
John: His arm?
Scarface: My arm?
Mary: Yes, your arm. You’re bending your arm.
Scarface: Of course I’m bending my arm.
Mary: Yesterday John said you had a stiff arm.
Scarface: He said I had a stiff arm, did he?
John: It was a stiff arm yesterday.
Mary: It’s not a stiff arm today.
Scarface: Ridiculous. You’re ridiculous. Both of you.
Mary: He’s gone, thank goodness.
John: I thought he had a stiff arm.
Mary: Why was it a stiff arm yesterday, but not today?
John: I know. He was carrying something. An iron bar perhaps. Perhaps he was carrying an iron bar up his sleeve. Oh, why didn’t I notice it?
Mary: An iron bar?
John: The thief broke the glass case, didn’t he? He broke the glass, then he stole the pendant. He broke the glass with an iron bar, and he carried the bar up his sleeve.
Mary: So, he was the thief.
John: I said he was the thief. Let’s follow him.
Mary: He’s gone.
John: Gone? He’s gone round that corner.
Mary: No, he hasn’t. There he is. Outside that shop. That greengrocer’s shop.
John: Yes, I can see him now. Come on.
Mary: Be careful, John.
Cathy: How exciting! Could they catch the man?
Tom: Well, you’ll hear about it soon. But now, exercise…
Cathy: Excuse me for interrupting you, but first I’d like to ask a question. At the very beginning of this lesson I noticed an interesting expression. Scarface used it. When he saw John, he said, “It’s you again, isn’t it?” Why did he say, “It’s you”? Why didn’t he say, “Are you here?” or something like that?
Tom: Well, this is a special use of “it”.
(knocking)
Woman: Who’s that?
Man: It’s me.
Woman: Who’s that in the photo?
Man: Can’t you see? It’s him.
Tom: Now, finally, something else, very important. If I say, “The dog steals meat from the kitchen,” I’m telling you a simple fact. But if I say, “It’s the dog that steals meat from the kitchen,” I am expressing that the dog steals meat, and not the cat or the cook. The dog and only the dog. “Henry always helps me.” “It’s Henry who always helps me.” “The children broke the window.” “It was the children who broke the window.”
Cathy: “It was the children”? But the noun “children” is plural, and the expression “it was” is singular, isn’t it?
Tom: That’s quite correct.
That’s a very important point. Only “it is” and “it was” are used in this case,
and the noun, whichever one you want to stress is followed by who or that.
Listen.
“Henry always helps me.”
“It’s Henry who always helps me.”
“The dog stole the meat.”
“It was the dog that stole the meat.”
“The dog stole the meat.”
“It was the meat that the dog stole.”
“John met Mary in London.”
“It was in London that John met Mary.”
Cathy: I see. I understand now. Let me say the new form of the sentence.
Tom: All right. “The children always help me.”
Cathy: “It’s the children who always help me.”
Tom: “The cat drank the milk.”
Cathy: “It was the cat that drank the milk.”
Tom: “The cat drank the milk.”
Cathy: “It was the milk that the cat drank.”
Tom: “John met Mary at 6 o’clock.”
Cathy: “It was at 6 o’clock that John met Mary.”
Tom: Very good. Now it’s time we began to work together.
EXERCISE YOUR ENGLISH.
Exercise 1
Listen to the example:
A: Are you looking for something?
B: I thought you were looking for something.
Listen, speak, listen.
A: Are you looking for something?
[Your response]
B: I thought you were looking for something.
A: Are you looking at my arm?
[Your response]
B: I thought you were looking at my arm.
A: Are you asking for Orchard Street?
[Your response]
B: I thought you were asking for Orchard Street.
A: Are you calling me a thief?
[Your response]
B: I thought you were calling me a thief.
A: Are you telephoning?
[Your response]
B: I thought you were telephoning.
A: Are you following her?
[Your response]
B: I thought you were following her.
A: Are you waiting for me?
[Your response]
B: I thought you were waiting for me.
A: Are you talking about Scarface?
[Your response]
B: I thought you were talking about Scarface.
A: Are you leaving us?
[Your response]
B: I thought you were leaving us.
Exercise 2
Listen to the example:
A: You are a thief.
B: I beg your pardon?
A: I said you were a thief.
Listen, speak, listen.
A: You are a thief.
B: I beg your pardon?
[Your response]
A: I said you were a thief.
A: You have a nice tie.
B: I beg your pardon?
[Your response]
A: I said you had a nice tie.
A: You are ridiculous, both of you.
B: I beg your pardon?
[Your response]
A: I said you were ridiculous, both of you.
A: You’re late.
B: I beg your pardon?
[Your response]
A: I said you were late.
A: You have plenty of time.
B: I beg your pardon?
[Your response]
A: I said you had plenty of time.
A: You are a good boxer.
B: I beg your pardon?
[Your response]
A: I said you were a good boxer.
A: You have wonderful children.
B: I beg your pardon?
[Your response]
A: I said you had wonderful children.
A: You are my best friend.
B: I beg your pardon?
[Your response]
A: I said you were my best friend.
Exercise 3
Listen to the example:
A: You said to Forset I was a thief.
B: You told him I was a thief.
Listen, speak, listen.
A: He said to Scarface that he had an interesting tie.
[Your response]
B: He told him that he had an interesting tie.
A: I said to my friend she was ridiculous.
[Your response]
B: I told her she was ridiculous.
A: She said to John what he thought of his plans.
[Your response]
B: She told him what he thought of his plans.
A: He said to his friends that he had no time.
[Your response]
B: He told them that he had no time.
A: He said to me that I was his best friend.
[Your response]
B: He told me that I was his best friend.
A: I said to Mary that she was late.
[Your response]
B: I told her that she was late.
Tom: And now let’s jump back a little bit and listen to our story once again. John and Mary are looking for Orchard Street, when they meet Scarface, the man from the museum, the man in the photograph.
(mysterious music)
John: You!
Scarface: It’s you again, is it?
John: Mary, it’s the man with the scar!
Mary: Ah!
Scarface: Were you looking for me?
John: I was asking for Orchard Street.
Scarface: Why were you asking for Orchard Street?
Mary: Because we’re looking for a thief.
John: Come on, Mary.
Scarface: And you think I am a thief? You there!
John: Me?
Scarface: Yes, you. You said I was a thief.
John: No, I didn’t.
Scarface: You told Mr. Forset yesterday.
John: Yesterday?
Scarface: Mr. Forset is my uncle. You told him I was a thief.
John: I told him you were the man in the museum.
Scarface: But you said he was the thief. You were calling me a thief, weren’t you?
John: I said you were the man in the photograph.
Scarface: Were you calling me a thief?
John: I said you had a blue tie.
Scarface: Were you calling me a thief?
John: Your uncle said you’re his nephew.
Scarface: Answer me: am I a thief?
John: His nephew, you’re Mr. Forset’s nephew.
Scarface: A thief? Am I a thief? Look at my fist.
Mary: John, look at his arm.
John: His arm?
Scarface: My arm?
Mary: Yes, your arm. You’re bending your arm.
Scarface: Of course I’m bending my arm.
Mary: Yesterday John said you had a stiff arm.
Scarface: He said I had a stiff arm, did he?
John: It was a stiff arm yesterday.
Mary: It’s not a stiff arm today.
Scarface: Ridiculous. You’re ridiculous. Both of you.
Mary: He’s gone, thank goodness.
John: I thought he had a stiff arm.
Mary: Why was it a stiff arm yesterday, but not today?
John: I know. He was carrying something. An iron bar perhaps. Perhaps he was carrying an iron bar up his sleeve. Oh, why didn’t I notice it?
Mary: An iron bar?
John: The thief broke the glass case, didn’t he? He broke the glass, then he stole the pendant. He broke the glass with an iron bar, and he carried the bar up his sleeve.
Mary: So, he was the thief.
John: I said he was the thief. Let’s follow him.
Mary: He’s gone.
John: Gone? He’s gone round that corner.
Mary: No, he hasn’t. There he is. Outside that shop. That greengrocer’s shop.
John: Yes, I can see him now. Come on.
Mary: Be careful, John.
John: Hah, I’ve caught you.
Man: What!
John: Ouch! Let me go!
Man: What are you doing?
John: I’ve caught you.
Man: You’ve caught me, have you?
Mary: John, it isn’t him.
John: What?
Mary: It isn’t the thief.
(theme music)