Free Daily English · Level A2 (Elementary) · Topic: sending a text message to the wrong person
Sofia Texts the Wrong Person at the Market
Name: ______________________ Date: ____________
Sofia is at a busy market. She loves shopping there on the weekend. There are many stalls with fruit, vegetables, and clothes. The market is loud and full of people. Sofia walks slowly between the stalls. She has a list of things to buy. She wants tomatoes, bread, and some fresh flowers. Sofia is also thinking about her friend, Marta. She wants to tell Marta something funny. Sofia takes out her cell phone. She starts to type a message. She writes: "I can see a man selling hats. He looks just like our old teacher! So funny!" Sofia smiles and presses send. She puts her phone back in her bag. A few seconds later, Sofia's phone makes a noise. She gets a new message. She takes out her phone and reads it.
The message says: "I am your old teacher. This is Mr. Reyes. I think you sent this to the wrong person." Sofia's face turns red. She feels very embarrassed. She looks around the market quickly. She sees a man near a hat stall. He is looking at his phone. He looks up and sees Sofia. Sofia freezes. She does not know what to do. The man smiles at her. He waves his hand in a friendly way. Sofia takes a deep breath. She walks over to him slowly. "Mr. Reyes, I am so sorry!" Sofia says. "I did not mean to send that message to you." Mr.
Reyes laughs. "Do not worry," he says. "It is funny. I like hats very much!" Sofia laughs too. She feels a little better. They talk for a few minutes. Mr. Reyes tells Sofia he sells hats now. He left his teaching job two years ago. Sofia buys a small blue hat from him. "It is a good color," Mr. Reyes says. Sofia smiles and says goodbye. She takes out her phone again. She sends the story to Marta. This time, she checks the name very carefully before she presses send.
Key vocabulary
| stall (noun) | a small table or stand where someone sells things, usually at a market“Sofia stops at a stall that sells fresh fruit.” |
| embarrassed (adjective) | feeling ashamed or uncomfortable because of something you did“Sofia feels embarrassed when she sends the message to the wrong person.” |
| freeze (verb) | to suddenly stop moving because you are shocked or scared“Sofia freezes when she sees Mr. Reyes looking at her.” |
| press (verb) | to push a button or key to make something happen“She presses send and the message goes to the wrong person.” |
| wave (verb) | to move your hand from side to side to say hello or goodbye“Mr. Reyes waves at Sofia in a friendly way.” |
| message (noun) | a piece of written or spoken information sent to someone“Sofia types a message on her cell phone.” |
| carefully (adverb) | giving close attention to what you are doing so you do not make a mistake“She checks the name carefully before she sends the message.” |
| friendly (adjective) | kind and pleasant to other people“Mr. Reyes smiles and waves in a friendly way.” |
Useful phrases
- take out (something) — to remove something from a bag, pocket, or container“Sofia takes out her cell phone to type a message.”
- press send — to push the button that sends a message from your phone“She presses send without checking the name first.”
- turn red — when your face becomes red because you feel embarrassed or shy“Sofia's face turns red when she reads Mr. Reyes's reply.”
- take a deep breath — to breathe in slowly and deeply to help yourself feel calm“Sofia takes a deep breath before she walks over to Mr. Reyes.”
- do not worry — a phrase used to tell someone there is no problem and they should feel relaxed“"Do not worry," Mr. Reyes says, and he smiles.”
- I did not mean to — used to say that you did something by accident, not on purpose“"I did not mean to send that message to you," Sofia says.”
- look up — to raise your eyes to look at something or someone above or in front of you“Mr. Reyes looks up from his phone and sees Sofia.”
- this time — used to say that on this occasion something is done differently from before“This time, Sofia checks the name before she presses send.”
Word search
Find all 8 key words from the story. They can read forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | U | A | C | Y | L | D | N | E | I | R | F | I | Q |
| 2 | C | U | P | C | Q | E | C | U | U | K | C | E | M |
| 3 | O | D | Y | K | Q | P | U | W | Q | L | M | L | E |
| 4 | R | S | K | R | J | I | I | F | Q | B | M | L | S |
| 5 | V | D | P | C | S | Q | R | X | A | V | N | V | S |
| 6 | G | E | C | T | A | E | M | R | D | S | P | C | A |
| 7 | X | O | A | Y | E | R | R | T | S | Z | U | M | G |
| 8 | L | L | A | Z | G | A | E | E | M | S | Q | R | E |
| 9 | L | D | E | L | S | T | R | F | W | W | A | V | E |
| 10 | A | B | X | S | V | P | P | P | U | H | Q | Q | M |
| 11 | V | B | E | P | Y | Z | P | A | J | L | X | T | O |
| 12 | T | D | U | B | V | W | L | I | Z | E | L | K | Q |
| 13 | Y | V | B | N | J | L | Y | M | L | O | L | Y | Y |
Comprehension quiz
Where is Sofia at the beginning of the story?
- A) At a park
- B) At a busy market
- C) At a café
- D) At a school
Who does Sofia want to send the message to?
- A) Mr. Reyes
- B) A sales clerk
- C) Her friend Marta
- D) Her mom
What does Sofia write in her message?
- A) She sees a man selling hats who looks like her old teacher.
- B) She sees a man selling bread who looks like her teacher.
- C) She sees a man selling fruit who looks like Mr. Reyes.
- D) She sees a man selling flowers who looks like her friend.
What does the word 'stall' mean in this story?
- A) A kind of cell phone
- B) A small stand where someone sells things at a market
- C) A type of hat
- D) A room inside a building
How does Sofia feel when she reads Mr. Reyes's reply?
- A) Happy and excited
- B) Tired and bored
- C) Angry and upset
- D) Embarrassed and shocked
What does Mr. Reyes do when he sees Sofia at the market?
- A) He calls her on her phone.
- B) He smiles and waves at her.
- C) He walks away quickly.
- D) He asks her to leave.
What does Sofia buy from Mr. Reyes?
- A) Some flowers
- B) A bag
- C) A blue hat
- D) A red hat
True or False: Mr. Reyes still works as a teacher at the end of the story.
- A) Not stated
- B) Not mentioned
- C) False
- D) True
What does 'freeze' mean as used in the story?
- A) To wave at someone
- B) To send a message quickly
- C) To become very cold
- D) To stop moving suddenly because you are shocked
What does Sofia do differently at the end of the story when she sends a message?
- A) She does not send any message.
- B) She checks the name carefully before pressing send.
- C) She asks Mr. Reyes to help her.
- D) She uses a different phone.
Answer key (A2 (Elementary))
1. B 2. C 3. A 4. B 5. D 6. B 7. C 8. C 9. D 10. B
Word search answer key (A2 (Elementary))
Columns are lettered from the left, rows numbered from the top. The arrow shows the reading direction from the word's first letter.
carefully: D5 ↘ · embarrassed: L2 ↙ · freeze: H4 ↙ · friendly: K1 ← · message: M2 ↓ · press: F10 ↗ · stall: E5 ↙ · wave: J9 →