Tom and Mary were playing in the garden one morning when their mother called from the kitchen, “Tom, Mary, can you go to the shop for me?”. “OK Mum”, they said “What do you need?”.
“I need 1 loaf of bread, 2 bottles of milk and 6 apples. Shall I write a shopping list for you?”
“It’s OK Mum”, they said “We can remember that”. They walked around to the shop talking about the game they had been playing.
At the shop they said “Good morning Mr Jones. Can we have 6 loaves, 1 apple and 2 bottles of milk? “Are you sure”, said Mr Jones. That does not seem right thought Mr. Jones, but he gave them what they asked for.
On the way home the children saw their uncle Bill. Hi kids, have you been to the shops for your Mum?”. “Yes”, they said, “we like shopping”. Bill looked at their shopping and said, “Are you sure your Mum wants 6 loaves?”.
They thought for a moment and then said to each other “I think we may have made a mistake. Let’s go back to the shop”. They walked back and Mr. Jones said, “Did you write a list of what your Mum wanted?” Tom said “No, but I can remember now. It’s 2 loaves, 6 bottles of milk and 1 apple.”
Mr. Jones smiled again ” I think that your Mum will probably want 1 loaf of bread, 2 bottles of milk and 6 apples”. “OK”, said the kids. “We think that sounds good.”
When they got home their mother opened the shopping bag “Let’s see if you have got what I asked for”, she said
“Well done children. You didn’t need a shopping list after all”, she said. Tom grinned at Mary and said “Well perhaps you are right Mum. It would be safer with a list”
A Shopping Story – Questions
What are the children’s names?
What did their mother want from the shop?
Who is the shopkeeper?
What did they buy in the shop?
Who did they meet on the way home?
Why didn’t they write a shopping list?
Was their mother happy?
Practising English 