The Wrong Taxi
Featured Story
The Wrong Taxi 🚕
Amara doesn't go where she wants to go.
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🟢 Beginner:
Amara gets in a taxi.
"To the Grand Hotel, please," she says.
The taxi drives for 5 minutes and stops in front of a building.
Amara looks around. "This is not my hotel!" she says.
The driver checks his GPS. "Oh! Sorry!"
He turns the car around and takes her to the right place.
Expression: A small mix-up (a minor mistake or confusion)
• Taxi (noun, a car that takes people to places for a fee)
• Hotel (noun, a place where people stay when traveling)
• Stop (verb, to make something not move or continue)
• Driver (noun, a person who operates a car or other vehicle)
• Sorry (adjective, feeling bad about a mistake)
Example:
Emma wanted sugar in her tea, but she accidentally put salt instead. She took a sip and made a face. "Oops! That was a small mix-up!"
🟡 Intermediate:
Amara landed in a new city and jumped into a taxi.
"Grand Hotel, please."
After 10 minutes, she noticed the street signs looked strange.
"Wait, this isn’t the Grand Hotel."
The driver checked his GPS. "Oh! You meant Grand City Hotel! I took you to Grand Plaza Hotel!"
Amara sighed, "Let’s try again."
Expression: A wrong turn (a mistake that leads to an unexpected or incorrect result)
• Land (verb, to arrive on the ground after flying)
• Notice (verb, to see or become aware of something)
• GPS (noun, a system that helps people find directions)
• Sigh (verb, to breathe out loudly when frustrated or relieved)
• Try again (phrase, to attempt something one more time)
Example:
Leo followed his GPS while driving, but after 10 minutes, he realized he was heading in the wrong direction.
"Oops, I must have taken a wrong turn!" he said, turning the car around.
🔴 Advanced:
Amara hailed a taxi after a long flight, exhausted but excited.
"The Grand Hotel, please," she said, leaning back.
Thirty minutes later, she looked around—this was not the right place.
"Uh, sir, where are we?"
The driver frowned. "This is Grand Hotel… but in the next city over."
She groaned. "Well, this trip just got more interesting."
Expression: A mishap (a small mistake or problem) /ˈmɪs.hæp/
• Hail (verb, to call a taxi or other vehicle to stop)
• Exhausted (adjective, very tired)
• Lean back (phrasal verb, to rest your body backward slightly)
• Frown (verb, to move your eyebrows down when unhappy)
• Groan (verb, to make a low sound when frustrated or in pain)
• Get more interesting (verb, to become more exciting, sometimes sarcastic)
Example:
Lena arrived at the airport, ready for her vacation.
She looked at her boarding pass and froze.
"Wait… my flight was yesterday?!"
She sighed. "Well, that’s a mishap if I’ve ever seen one!"
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