Free Daily English · Level A2 (Elementary) · Topic: accidentally sitting in someone else's seat
The Wrong Seat
Name: ______________________ Date: ____________
Leila was very happy that evening. She went to a rooftop terrace with her friend Sam. The rooftop terrace was on top of a tall building. It was a beautiful place with many tables and chairs. There were small lights everywhere. The sky was clear and full of stars. Leila looked around and smiled. She loved being outside in the fresh air. A waiter showed them the terrace. There were many people already sitting at tables. Some tables were empty. Leila saw a nice table near the edge of the terrace. It had a great view of the city below. "Let us sit there," she said to Sam. They walked to the table and sat down.
Leila put her bag on the table. She picked up the menu and started to read it. Sam also looked at the menu. "The food here looks good," Sam said. Leila agreed and smiled. Then a tall woman walked towards their table. She looked confused. She stopped next to Leila and said, "Excuse me, I think you are sitting in my seat." Leila looked up at the woman. "Oh, I am sorry," Leila said. "I did not know this table was taken." The woman pointed to a jacket on the back of the chair. Leila had not seen the jacket before. She felt her face go red. She was very embarrassed. "We are so sorry," Sam said quickly. Leila stood up right away.
She picked up her bag from the table. "Please forgive us," Leila said to the woman. The woman smiled kindly. "It is not a problem," the woman said. "It happens all the time. Do not worry about it." Leila felt a little better after that. The waiter came over to help them. He showed Leila and Sam to another table. This table was also near the edge of the terrace. The view was just as good. Leila and Sam sat down and laughed about the mistake. "Next time, I will check the chairs first," Leila said. Sam laughed and agreed. They had a wonderful evening on the rooftop terrace.
Key vocabulary
| terrace (noun) | a flat open area outside, often on top of a building or next to a restaurant“We had dinner on the terrace because the weather was warm.” |
| view (noun) | what you can see from a particular place“The view from the rooftop was amazing.” |
| confused (adjective) | not able to understand something clearly“She looked confused when she saw someone at her table.” |
| embarrassed (adjective) | feeling shy, awkward, or ashamed about something“Leila was embarrassed about sitting in the wrong seat.” |
| empty (adjective) | having nothing or nobody inside“There were a few empty tables on the terrace.” |
| edge (noun) | the part along the outside of something“Their table was near the edge of the rooftop.” |
| forgive (verb) | to stop being angry with someone about something they did“"Please forgive us for the mistake," she said.” |
| mistake (noun) | something you do wrong without meaning to“Sitting in the wrong chair was an honest mistake.” |
Useful phrases
- let us sit there — a suggestion to go and sit in a particular place“"That table looks nice. Let us sit there," she said.”
- I think you are sitting in my seat — a polite way to tell someone they have taken your place“The man said, "I think you are sitting in my seat."”
- I did not know — used to explain that you had no information about something“"I did not know this seat was taken," Leila explained.”
- it happens all the time — it is a very common thing and not unusual“"Do not worry. It happens all the time," the woman said.”
- do not worry about it — used to tell someone that something is not a problem“"Do not worry about it. Everything is fine," he said.”
- right away — immediately, without waiting“Leila stood up right away when she heard the news.”
- just as good — equally good, not worse“The new table was just as good as the first one.”
- next time — the time after this, on another occasion in the future“"Next time, I will look more carefully," Leila said.”
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 | E | C | D | Y | M | I | S | T | A | K | E | F | X |
| 2 | B | B | G | E | N | C | B | Z | R | L | O | Q | J |
| 3 | N | B | C | L | S | Q | E | M | X | R | I | Z | U |
| 4 | D | Y | B | A | W | S | T | C | G | P | M | E | B |
| 5 | E | M | S | N | C | R | A | I | A | X | A | D | A |
| 6 | E | C | F | C | O | Z | V | R | T | R | W | G | C |
| 7 | K | X | P | M | N | E | F | Y | R | G | R | E | K |
| 8 | F | O | C | W | F | I | I | F | D | A | T | E | N |
| 9 | F | S | L | J | U | V | S | R | T | P | B | C | T |
| 10 | Y | F | P | W | S | J | I | K | A | Z | Q | M | G |
| 11 | X | I | U | Z | E | K | H | E | X | D | W | O | E |
| 12 | O | F | K | D | D | S | M | S | W | Q | A | Y | Q |
| 13 | G | L | W | R | V | Z | E | M | P | T | Y | L | B |
Comprehension quiz
Where did Leila go that evening?
- A) To a rooftop terrace
- B) To a shopping center
- C) To a park
- D) To a cinema
Who did Leila go with?
- A) Her friend Sam
- B) Her mother
- C) Her sister
- D) She went alone
What does the word 'embarrassed' mean in the story?
- A) Feeling hungry
- B) Feeling tired
- C) Feeling angry
- D) Feeling shy or ashamed
How did Leila know the table was already taken?
- A) The waiter told her
- B) There was food on the table
- C) There was a sign on the table
- D) A woman told her and there was a jacket on the chair
True or false: The woman was very angry with Leila.
- A) True
- B) False
- C) Not mentioned
- D) Not stated
What does the phrase 'it happens all the time' mean?
- A) It is very common
- B) It is very rare
- C) It is very strange
- D) It never happens
What did the waiter do after the mistake?
- A) He showed them to another table
- B) He asked them to leave
- C) He laughed at them
- D) He gave them free food
What does the word 'view' mean in the story?
- A) A kind of table
- B) An opinion about something
- C) A type of food
- D) What you can see from a place
True or false: Leila and Sam had a terrible evening.
- A) True
- B) Not mentioned
- C) False
- D) Not stated
What did Leila say she would do next time?
- A) Not go to the terrace again
- B) Check the chairs first
- C) Ask for a different waiter
- D) Arrive earlier
Answer key (A2 (Elementary))
1. A 2. A 3. D 4. D 5. B 6. A 7. A 8. D 9. C 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.
confused: E5 ↓ · edge: L4 ↓ · embarrassed: M11 ↖ · empty: G13 → · forgive: L1 ↙ · mistake: E1 → · terrace: M9 ↖ · view: F9 ↘