Tom: John Blake was trying to find out about a pendant that had been stolen from a museum. There had been a man at the museum at the time. He had a scar on his face. John thought that this man had stolen the pendant. He and Mary went to see Miss Haverel. She had once owned the pendant. She was a very strange old lady. She always said people stole things from her. John and Mary had already visited her once, when she took John’s cigarette lighter and didn’t give it back. On this second visit they were surprised to find that Miss Haverel herself had got the pendant. Miss Haverel said, “This is the pendant, isn’t it?” Mary asked, “Where did it come from?”
Woman: Oh, what a beautiful picture! I haven’t seen it before.
Man: I got it yesterday. It’s by a Dutch master.
Woman: It’s marvellous. Where did it come from?
Man: It was my father’s, it has belonged to my family for a hundred years. It came from my father.
Man: What’s your name, Miss?
Woman: My name is Brigitte Carden.
Man: Where do you come from?
Woman: I come from France. I’m French.
Fr What a funny plural. It’s not English, is it?
Man: Oh, no, the word comes from Latin.
Man1: Oh, fantastic. Hello, Fred, did you see Bobby’s new car? It must have cost thousands of pounds.
Man2: So, what? It’s nothing for a boy who comes from such a rich family.
Tom: Well, Miss Haverel told John and Mary that she had the pendant. They were very surprised to hear that.
Miss Haverel: Here it is. This is the pendant, isn’t it?
John: Yes, that’s the pendant.
Mary: Where did it come from?
Miss Haverel: I took it.
John: Where was it?
Miss Haverel: Do you know Mr. Forset’s nephew?
John: We know the man with the scar.
Miss Haverel: He is Mr. Forset’s nephew. I found the pendant in his pocket.
John: So, he is the man who stole it.
Mary: Was he the visitor who came to see you this evening?
Miss Haverel: Yes. I’m afraid I don’t like him, but I’m always polite to visitors.
Mary: You took the pendant from his pocket.
Miss Haverel: He took something from me. He stole my cigarette lighter. It was the cigarette lighter my brother gave me. It had my initials on it: J. B.
John: That was my cigarette lighter, Miss Haverel.
Miss Haverel: Forset’s nephew was interested in it. I left it on the table, and he stole it. So I am glad I put my hand in his pocket.
Tom: Miss Haverel asked, “Do you know Mr. Forset’s nephew?” John said, “We know the man with the scar.” That was Scarface. He had been in the museum and the pendant was stolen. And John and Mary had seen his photograph at Mr. Forset’s. Mr. Forset was the man who bought and sold old things. Miss Haverel said Scarface had come to see her that evening. Then she added, “He took something from me. He stole my cigarette lighter. It had my initials on it, J. B.” Of course, it was not Miss Haverel’s cigarette lighter. It was John’s and the initials were his: J. B. for John Blake. Miss Haverel had taken the lighter from him, and now Scarface had taken the lighter from her. But before he left, Miss Haverel put her hand in his pocket and took the missing pendant from him. He didn’t stay long, he soon went away.
Woman1: Oh, goodness, look at the time, I must be going.
Woman2: Don’t go yet. Stay a bit longer. It’s so nice to see you. Stay to dinner.
Woman1: Thank you, but I can’t stay any longer. Goodbye. And thank you very much for everything.
Woman: Good morning, Doctor.
Doctor: Good morning, Mrs. Black. Let me see the little patient. Good morning, Nicky. Stick your tongue out. Say ah.
Nicky: Ah.
Doctor: Now, let me listen to your heart. Take a deep breath. That’s right. There is nothing serious, Mrs. Black. But she must stay in bed. She mustn’t get up for three days, that’s all. Stay in bed and you’ll soon get better, Nicky.
Man: Hey, Francis, what are you doing in London?
Woman: Hello, Roger, I’ve come up on business.
Man: Where are you staying?
Woman: I am staying at the Royal Hotel.
Man: You shouldn’t stay at a hotel when your best friend lives in town. Why not come and stay with us?
Woman: Oh, thank you, that’s most kind of you.
Tom: Well, Forset was interested in John’s lighter and took it. But John didn’t mind about his lighter. “Did you tell him about me?” he asked. “I told him you knew Mr. Egg. He didn’t stay long,” Miss Haverel answered.
John: Did you tell him about me?
Miss Haverel: I told him you knew Mr. Egg. He didn’t stay long. He took the lighter and left. But I’m not sorry he left.
Mary: When did he leave?
Miss Haverel: I didn’t look at the clock. I was looking at the pendant. I’m glad I got it back.
John: Did he leave before 7 o’clock?
Miss Haverel: Oh, yes, long before.
John: So, he was at Egg’s bookshop before us.
Mary: Yes.
John: He is the man who murdered Mr. Egg and stole the book. He is the man who set fire to the shop.
Miss Haverel: He set fire to the shop, did he? That’s dangerous.
Mary: He is dangerous. He tried to kill us.
John: He murdered Mr. Egg because Mr. Egg had the book, because the book and the pendant go together. Now he has got the book, but he hasn’t got the pendant.
Miss Haverel: It’s a pretty pendant, isn’t it? It’s very old. Once it was very valuable.
John: You have the pendant. If he misses it, he’ll know where it is.
Mary: Miss Haverel, you’re in danger.
Tom: Miss Haverel took the pendant out of Scarface’s pocket. John and Mary knew how dangerous Scarface was. They knew he would soon realise that the pendant was missing. If he misses it, he’ll know where it is. Mary was frightened. “Miss Haverel, you’re in danger,” she said.
Mary: Miss Haverel, you’re in danger.
Miss Haverel: Am I? I’ll tell the servants.
John: There are no servants.
Miss Haverel: Of course, there are servants. They… they are out. But they’ll come back.
John: They’ll be too late. You must phone the police.
Miss Haverel: I’m afraid I don’t like the police. They said I stole things.
Mary: They’ll help you now.
Miss Haverel: My servants will help me.
Mary: You haven’t got any ser—
Miss Haverel: Haven’t got any?
Mary: I mean, your servants are all out. You must phone the police.
Miss Haverel: The police will take my pendant away again. They’ll say I stole it.
John: It belongs in a museum.
Miss Haverel: It’s my pendant. My brother gave it to me.
John: The man with the scar wants it. He’ll take it away. Please, phone the police.
Miss Haverel: I can’t. I haven’t got a phone. Somebody stole it.
Mary: Somebody stole your telephone?
Miss Haverel: They came in a green van and took it away.
Tom: John told Miss Haverel to phone the police, but Miss Haverel hadn’t got a phone. “Somebody stole it,” she said. “They came in a green van and took it away.” What had really happened was that she hadn’t had enough money to pay for the telephone, so some men from the Post Office came in a green van – a small green lorry – and took it away. Well, Miss Haverel couldn’t phone the police. “Then we’ll phone the police,” Mary said. “When is Forset’s nephew coming back?” Miss Haverel asked.
Cathy: Wait a minute. That sentence, “When is he coming back?” has a future meaning, but the tense is present. Is it like “going to”?
Tom: Well, yes. Both are Present
Continuous with a future meaning. Do you remember that “going to” expresses
intention, probability or certainty? Well, the Present Continuous Tense of any
verb can express a future meaning, if the future time is mentioned in the same
sentence or is clear from the meaning.
For instance, “Mr. Forset’s nephew is coming back later.”
“We’are meeting him tonight.”
“He’s taking the pendant back soon.”
“We’re seeing him this evening.”
Cathy: But there is another future form, of course, the “shall/will” form. Are you going to mention it?
Tom: Well, I wasn’t going to, actually, but perhaps, as a reminder, I’ll go through it. We use “shall” in the first persons. “I shall visit you on Sunday.” “We shall visit you on Sunday.” And we use “will” in the second and third persons. “You will visit me on Sunday.” “He will visit me on Sunday.” “Both of you will visit me on Sunday.” “They will visit me on Sunday.” “Everybody will visit me on Sunday.”
Cathy: Are John and Mary sure that Forset’s nephew’s coming back?
Tom: Yes, they are.
Cathy: And what do they want to do?
Tom: They want to phone the detective, as you know, but Miss Haverel has something else in mind. “We must drive him away,” she says.
Man1: Get out of the field, you great beasts. Get out of it.
Man2: What’s up, Jim?
Man1: I’m driving these bloody cows away. They walk into my field and eat all my vegetables. If I don’t drive them away, I’ll have no vegetables left.
Cathy: And how does Miss Haverel want to drive Mr. Forset’s nephew away?
Tom: Well, listen, and you’ll see.
Miss Haverel: I can’t. I haven’t got a phone. Somebody stole it.
Mary: Somebody stole your telephone?
Miss Haverel: They came in a green van and took it away.
Mary: Then we’ll phone the police.
John: But Mary! The detective told us to go straight home.
Mary: Oh, he won’t complain. If he comes now, he’ll catch the thief and get the pendant back.
Miss Haverel: When is Forset’s nephew coming back?
John: When he misses the pendant.
Miss Haverel: We must drive him away.
Mary: How can we drive him away?
Miss Haverel: There’s a thick stick in the corner, there’s a long knife in the kitchen, and there’s a bottle by the window. If I see him, I’ll throw the bottle.
Tom: John told Miss Haverel to phone the police, but she couldn’t. She had no telephone. Mary said, “We’ll phone the police.” John didn’t want to stay any longer. “The detective told us to go straight home,” he said. “Oh, he won’t complain – he won’t get angry with us. If he comes now, he’ll catch the thief and get the pendant back.”
Cathy: But it wasn’t as easy as that, was it? They knew that Forset’s nephew would come back for the pendant. But he was very dangerous.
Tom: Yes, he was. Well, I won’t tell you any more of the story now. First, you have to exercise your English. So now,
EXERCISE YOUR ENGLISH.
Exercise 1
Listen to the example:
A: When is he coming back?
B: Tonight.
C: He’s coming back tonight.
Listen, speak, listen.
A: When is he coming back?
B: Tonight.
[Your response]
C: He’s coming back tonight.
A: When are they leaving?
B: Next week.
[Your response]
C: They’re leaving next week.
A: When is she meeting him?
B: At 7 o’clock.
[Your response]
C: She’s meeting him at 7 o’clock.
A: When are we visiting her?
B: Later.
[Your response]
C: We’re visiting her later.
A: When are you phoning them?
B: In the morning.
[Your response]
C: I’m phoning them in the morning.
A: When are we seeing them?
B: This evening
[Your response]
C: We’re seeing them this evening.
Exercise 2
Listen to the example:
A: I don’t like him.
B: I’m afraid I don’t like him either.
Listen, speak, listen.
A: I don’t like him.
[Your response]
B: I’m afraid I don’t like him either.
A: He doesn’t know her.
[Your response]
B: I’m afraid I don’t know her either.
A: They aren’t telling the truth.
[Your response]
B: I’m afraid I’m not telling the truth either.
A: We didn’t arrive on time.
[Your response]
B: I’m afraid I didn’t arrive on time either.
A: They don’t speak French.
[Your response]
B: I’m afraid I don’t speak French either.
A: We haven’t seen the pendant.
[Your response]
B: I’m afraid I haven’t seen the pendant either.
A: They weren’t too polite.
[Your response]
B: I’m afraid I wasn’t too polite either.
A: She won’t help them.
[Your response]
B: I’m afraid I won’t help them either.
A: I don’t understand you.
[Your response]
B: I’m afraid I don’t understand you either.
Tom: And now, listen to our story once again. John and Mary were talking to Miss Haverel, who was showing them the pendant.
Miss Haverel: Here it is. This is the pendant, isn’t it?
John: Yes, that’s the pendant.
Mary: Where did it come from?
Miss Haverel: I took it.
John: Where was it?
Miss Haverel: Do you know Mr. Forset’s nephew?
John: We know the man with the scar.
Miss Haverel: He is Mr. Forset’s nephew. I found the pendant in his pocket.
John: So, he is the man who stole it.
Mary: Was he the visitor who came to see you this evening?
Miss Haverel: Yes. I’m afraid I don’t like him, but I’m always polite to visitors.
Mary: You took the pendant from his pocket.
Miss Haverel: He took something from me. He stole my cigarette lighter. It was the cigarette lighter my brother gave me. It had my initials on it: J. B.
John: That was my cigarette lighter, Miss Haverel.
Miss Haverel: Forset’s nephew was interested in it. I left it on the table, and he stole it. So I am glad I put my hand in his pocket.
John: Did you tell him about me?
Miss Haverel: I told him you knew Mr. Egg. He didn’t stay long. He took the lighter and left. But I’m not sorry he left.
Mary: When did he leave?
Miss Haverel: I didn’t look at the clock. I was looking at the pendant. I’m glad I got it back.
John: Did he leave before 7 o’clock?
Miss Haverel: Oh, yes, long before.
John: So, he was at Egg’s bookshop before us.
Mary: Yes.
John: He is the man who murdered Mr. Egg and stole the book. He is the man who set fire to the shop.
Miss Haverel: He set fire to the shop, did he? That’s dangerous.
Mary: He is dangerous. He tried to kill us.
John: He murdered Mr. Egg because Mr. Egg had the book, because the book and the pendant go together. Now he has got the book, but he hasn’t got the pendant.
Miss Haverel: It’s a pretty pendant, isn’t it? It’s very old. Once it was very valuable.
John: You have the pendant. If he misses it, he’ll know where it is.
Mary: Miss Haverel, you’re in danger.
Miss Haverel: Am I? I’ll tell the servants.
John: There are no servants.
Miss Haverel: Of course, there are servants. They… they are out. But they’ll come back.
John: They’ll be too late. You must phone the police.
Miss Haverel: I’m afraid I don’t like the police. They said I stole things.
Mary: They’ll help you now.
Miss Haverel: My servants will help me.
Mary: You haven’t got any ser—
Miss Haverel: Haven’t got any?
Mary: I mean, your servants are all out. You must phone the police.
Miss Haverel: The police will take my pendant away again. They’ll say I stole it.
John: It belongs in a museum.
Miss Haverel: It’s my pendant. My brother gave it to me.
John: The man with the scar wants it. He’ll take it away. Please, phone the police.
Miss Haverel: I can’t. I haven’t got a phone. Somebody stole it.
Mary: Somebody stole your telephone?
Miss Haverel: They came in a green van and took it away.
Mary: Then we’ll phone the police.
John: But Mary! The detective told us to go straight home.
Mary: Oh, he won’t complain. If he comes now, he’ll catch the thief and get the pendant back.
Miss Haverel: When is Forset’s nephew coming back?
John: When he misses the pendant.
Miss Haverel: We must drive him away.
Mary: How can we drive him away?
Miss Haverel: There’s a thick stick in the corner, there’s a long knife in the kitchen, and there’s a bottle by the window. If I see him, I’ll throw the bottle.
Scarface: And if you don’t see him?
Mary: John! It’s him!
Scarface: Well…
Mary: Miss Haverel, there’s a man in the doorway.
Miss Haverel: Tell him I’m not at home.
John: That’s the man with the scar.
Scarface: Where is it? Where is that pendant?
(theme music)