The Trip That Went Wrong
Do more with this exercise
A woman tells her friends about a holiday that went wrong. Listen to her story, then do the exercises.
Listen to the audio
Listen and answer the questions before reading the transcript.
Show transcript
exhausted
very, very tireddiscovered
found out something you did not knowairline
a company that flies planes with passengerssuitcase
a big bag for your clothes when you travelstaff
the people who work in a placepour
when it rains very hard, we say that it begins to poursoaked
completely wetairline
a company that flies planes with passengerssuitcase
a big bag for your clothes when you travelstressful
making you feel worried and nervousPractice exercises
Listen and choose
Listen once or twice, then choose the best answer.
1.What happened at the station?
2.What was the problem in Lisbon?
3.What happened on the way to the beach?
4.Why did they get so wet?
Right or wrong?
Listen to the whole story, then decide whether each sentence is correct.
5.The sisters woke up at five o'clock on the first morning.
6.The sisters caught the train to the airport.
7.The airline found the suitcase in the end.
8.The sisters were already on the beach when the rain started.
Choose the correct answer
Listen to the whole story, then select the correct answer.
9.What did the sisters do after they missed the train?
10.What did the airline staff give the speaker?
11.How does the speaker feel about the trip now?
Listen and write
Listen to the sentence, then type what you hear.
12.Listen and write the sentence.
13.Listen and write the sentence.
14.Listen and write the sentence.
Frequently asked questions
What level is this listening practice?
It is written for B1 learners. The story uses the past simple, the past continuous and the past perfect, with linking words such as when, while, after and by the time.
How can I use this page to learn English?
Listen to the whole story without the transcript, answer the questions, then listen again and read the transcript to check the words you missed.
Can I slow the audio down?
Yes. Use the 0.75x speed button, or play one sentence at a time if you want to hear a difficult part again.
Answer key
1. Listening question 1: By the time we reached the station, the train had already left.
Answer: The train had gone
The speaker says, “By the time we reached the station, the train had already left.”
2. Listening question 2: Then we discovered that the airline had lost my suitcase.
Answer: A lost suitcase
The speaker says, “Then we discovered that the airline had lost my suitcase.”
3. Listening question 3: While we were walking there, the sky turned dark, and it began to pour.
Answer: Heavy rain began
The speaker says, “While we were walking there, the sky turned dark, and it began to pour.”
4. Listening question 4: We had left our umbrellas at the hotel, so we got completely soaked.
Answer: They had no umbrellas with them
The speaker says, “We had left our umbrellas at the hotel, so we got completely soaked.”
5. The sisters woke up at five o'clock on the first morning.
Answer: True
The speaker says: We woke up at five because our train to the airport left at six.
6. The sisters caught the train to the airport.
Answer: False
The speaker says: By the time we reached the station, the train had already left.
7. The airline found the suitcase in the end.
Answer: True
The speaker says: They had found my suitcase, and it was waiting at the hotel.
8. The sisters were already on the beach when the rain started.
Answer: False
The speaker says: While we were walking there, the sky turned dark, and it began to pour.
9. What did the sisters do after they missed the train?
Answer: They took a bus
The speaker says: We took a bus instead, but we missed our flight.
10. What did the airline staff give the speaker?
Answer: A small bag with a few things
The speaker says: The staff promised to find it, and they gave me a small bag with a few basic things.
11. How does the speaker feel about the trip now?
Answer: She can laugh about it
The speaker says: Honestly, it was a stressful week, but now we laugh about it every time we remember it.
12. Dictation 12
Answer: We woke up at five because our train to the airport left at six.
The sentence uses the past simple for two actions in the story: woke up and left.
13. Dictation 13
Answer: I wore the same clothes for two days.
The sentence uses for with a period of time: two days.
14. Dictation 14
Answer: They had found my suitcase, and it was waiting at the hotel.
The sentence uses the past perfect, had found, for an action that happened before the call.