Learning English

Narrator
Welcome to Inspector Stone, the case of the missing ring, brought to you by BBC Learning English. Episode 3 - Fight Club. In this episode, you will study past simple negatives. Let the show begin.

Inspector
Yes... The case of the missing ring. A very difficult case... Luckily, I was clever enough for the challenge. I was using an old detective's trick - he didn't mind, he was dead - I was hiding outside an open window and I was listening to the suspects. They were having a huge fight and each person was saying that someone else was the thief. So far, my plan was working...

Bride
(Sobbing) I didn't! I didn't steal the ring. Why would I steal my own wedding ring? Mummy, tell them I didn't steal the ring. You saw everything when you were doing the flowers.

Inspector
(Thinking) Typical - mother and daughter protecting each other. The bride says her mother knows she didn't steal the ring because she saw everything while she was doing the wedding flowers. But the question is: what - or who - did the bride's mother see? I was getting closer to the truth...

Mother of the bride
Darling, of course you didn't stole your ring. Somebody stole your ring darling, but it wasn't you. You didn't stole it.

Inspector
(Thinking) Very strange. Hmm... Which word did the mother of the bride use? She made a grammar mistake. She said 'you didn't stole' instead of 'you didn't steal'... Interesting.

Mother of the bride
It was probably one of those dreadful men...

Groom / Best man
It wasn't me!!!

Groom
Surely you know I didn't take the ring. You were standing right next to me. Didn't you see who took the ring?!

Mother of the bride
Young man, I didn't saw anything. Now tell me, is it true that you owe the best man a lot of money?

Inspector
(Thinking) Not again! Normally, when you make a past simple negative in English, you start with the subject, such as I, you or we. Then you use the word didn't and then you use the infinitive form of the verb. So instead of saying I didn't saw, you should say I didn't see. This is very unusual behaviour... And the mother of the bride's behaviour will become more unusual in the rest of this episode - she will make three more mistakes with past simple negatives. Which word will she get wrong next?

Best man
It's true, mother of the bride, surely you saw what happened. You were standing very close to me when you were putting that flower on my jacket.

Mother of the bride
Best man, I can't hear you. You must speak more clearly next time. Now, please tell us why you lent the groom £5,000!

Best man
(Shouting) I said, you were standing next to me when the ring went missing.

Bride
Mummy, you were standing very near to him...

Mother of the bride
It's no good, I can't hear a word anyone is saying. Now, best man, you didn't answering my question.

Inspector
(Thinking) And there it was... The first of the 3 past simple mistakes. Who noticed it? Nobody, it seems. Not even the mother of the bride. She just started asking the best man why he lent the groom £5,000.

Mother of the bride
Why did you lend the groom £5,000?

Bride
Mummy, he said that you saw what happened.

Mother of the bride
No, no, no, darling, I didn't had my glasses.

Inspector
(Thinking) The second mistake... And another thing missing - the mother of the bride's glasses... And again, nobody seemed to notice the mistake, the only thing they noticed, was that I wasn't there with them...

Mother of the bride
Now, where is that inspector? Inspector... Inspector!! This really is very bad. We didn't brought him here just to disappear!

Inspector
(Thinking) The third and final mistake with the past simple negative. But nobody seemed to notice. What did they do? Nothing at all. They didn't look for the ring… And they didn't look for the glasses. What - or who - were they looking for? Me... And they were still arguing.

Mother of the bride
Inspector?! Inspector!! Inspector!!

Inspector
(Thinking) What do they want now? Is there no peace for the detective? No, never. Luckily, the window was already open and not too high, so it was easy to... Ooof... Argh... Jump up and...

(Sound of crash, bang, breaking glass as the Inspector enters room through window)

Inspector
...ooh, argh, ooff... Climb through. Who put that window there? And... (breaking glasses) whose glasses have I just stepped on?

All
Ohhh!! Inspector Stone! He leaves no stone...

Inspector
...unturned, yes, I know. Thank you.

All
Well, Inspector?! Have you found the ring?

Inspector
Ladies and gentlemen, please...

Mother of the bride
Inspector, have you solved the mystery? Have you found my daughter's ring?

Inspector
Madam, I know who took your daughter's ring.

(Thunder and lightning)

Narrator
So what is the truth? Who stole the ring? And why did they do it? And where's the horse? I like the horse! Why do they always get rid of the horse? Yes, well... Join us next time when Inspector Stone reveals all in the case of the missing ring.