House key lying on the ground near a park bench

The Lost Key

Loss Fear Hope Social Issues Everyday Life School Childhood Life Lessons

Story Audio

Story Reading

Liam came home from school. He looked in his backpack for his house key. It was not there! He checked all his pockets. He looked in his lunch bag. He looked on the ground near his front door. The key was gone.

Liam thought about his day. He remembered he stopped at the playground. He watched his friends play soccer there. Maybe the key fell out of his pocket at the park.

Liam walked back to the playground. He looked near the benches. He looked near the swings. He looked on the path. He looked everywhere.

After a few minutes, Liam saw something small and shiny under a bench. He walked closer. It was his key!

A woman was sitting near the bench. She smiled at Liam. She said, "I saw the key earlier. I hoped the owner would come back for it."

Liam said, "Thank you for watching it for me."

The woman smiled again. "You are welcome," she said.

Liam was very happy. He did not want to lose the key again. This time, he put the key in a small pocket with a zipper. Now it could not fall out.

Liam walked home. He unlocked his front door with the key. He felt happy and relieved.

From that day, Liam always checked his backpack before he left home. He always made sure his key was there. He never lost his key again. Liam learned an important lesson that day. He learned to be careful with his things.

Vocabulary Exercises

Match

Match the Words with Their Meanings

1. backpack              a. feeling happy because a problem is over
2. playground            b. a bag used to carry things on your back
3. pocket                c. a place where children can play
4. shiny                 d. a small part of clothing used to hold things
5. owner                 e. reflecting light
6. relieved              f. a person who owns something
7. careful               g. paying attention to avoid mistakes or problems

Show/Hide Answer

1. b | 2. c | 3. d | 4. e | 5. f | 6. a | 7. g

Fill in the blanks

Fill in the blanks with the words below:

backpack - shiny - owner - relieved - careful - playground - pocket

1. Liam looked in his ______ for his house key.
2. He remembered stopping at the ______.
3. He put the key in a small ______ with a zipper.
4. Liam saw something small and ______ under a bench.
5. The woman hoped the ______ would come back for the key.
6. Liam felt happy and ______ when he found his key.
7. Liam learned to be ______ with his things.

Show/Hide Answer

Odd One Out

Odd One Out

1. backpack - bag - schoolbag - bicycle

2. playground - park - swings - kitchen

3. shiny - bright - sparkling - dark

4. relieved - happy - calm - worried

5. careful - cautious - attentive - careless

6. pocket - bag - backpack - soccer

7. key - keychain - lock - sandwich

Show/Hide Answer

1. bicycle 2. kitchen 3. dark 4. worried 5. careless 6. soccer 7. sandwich

Comprehension Exercises

True/False

Answer with True or False

1. Liam could not find his house key.
2. Liam found the key in his lunch bag.
3. Liam remembered stopping at the playground.
4. Liam looked near the benches and swings.
5. Liam found the key under a bench.
6. A woman had seen the key earlier.
7. Liam decided to put the key in a pocket with a zipper.

Show/Hide Answer

1. True 2. False 3. True 4. True 5. True 6. True 7. True

Multiple Choice

1. Where did Liam first look for his key?

a. Under the bench
b. In his backpack
c. At the playground
d. At school

2. Where did Liam think he might have lost the key?

a. At the supermarket
b. At school
c. At the playground
d. On the bus

3. What was Liam's friend doing at the playground?

a. Playing basketball
b. Playing soccer
c. Riding a bike
d. Running

4. Where did Liam find the key?

a. Near the swings
b. On the path
c. Under a bench
d. In his backpack

5. Who was sitting near the bench?

a. Liam's friend
b. Liam's teacher
c. An old man
d. A woman

6. Where did Liam put his key after finding it?

a. In his lunch bag
b. In his backpack
c. In a small pocket with a zipper
d. On the ground

7. What lesson did Liam learn?

a. To play soccer every day
b. To be careful with his things
c. To avoid the playground
d. To buy a new key

Show/Hide Answer

1. b | 2. c | 3. b | 4. c | 5. d | 6. c | 7. b

Ordering

Put the Events in Order

1. ___ Liam finds something shiny under a bench.
2. ___ Liam comes home from school.
3. ___ Liam walks back to the playground.
4. ___ Liam puts the key in a pocket with a zipper.
5. ___ A woman tells Liam she saw the key earlier.
6. ___ Liam remembers stopping at the playground.
7. ___ Liam unlocks his front door.

Show/Hide Answer

1. Liam comes home from school. 2. Liam remembers stopping at the playground. 3. Liam walks back to the playground. 4. Liam finds something shiny under a bench. 5. A woman tells Liam she saw the key earlier. 6. Liam puts the key in a pocket with a zipper. 7. Liam unlocks his front door.

Find the Evidence

Find a phrase from the story that supports each statement.

1. Liam cannot find his key.
2. Liam remembers going to the playground.
3. Liam searches different places at the playground.
4. Liam finds his key.
5. A woman saw the key earlier.
6. Liam decides to keep his key in a safer place.
7. Liam learns to be more careful.

Show/Hide Answer

1. "The key was gone." 2. "He remembered he stopped at the playground." 3. "He looked near the benches. He looked near the swings. He looked on the path." 4. "It was his key!" 5. "I saw the key earlier." 6. "He put the key in a small pocket with a zipper." 7. "He learned to be careful with his things."

Grammar Exercises

Fill in the blanks

Fill in the Blanks with the Correct Verb

Past Simple

1. Liam ______ home from school. (come)
2. He ______ in his backpack for his key. (look)
3. He ______ all his pockets. (check)
4. Liam ______ back to the playground. (walk)
5. He ______ something shiny under a bench. (see)
6. The woman ______ Liam about the key. (tell)
7. Liam ______ the key in his pocket. (put)

Show/Hide Answer

Choose one

Choose the Correct Preposition

1. Liam came home (from / at / on) school.
2. He looked (in / under / between) his backpack.
3. He looked (near / into / from) his front door.
4. Liam walked back (to / at / under) the playground.
5. He found the key (under / through / between) a bench.
6. The woman was sitting (near / into / from) the bench.
7. Liam walked (home / at / under) after finding the key.

Show/Hide Answer

Choose A, AN, or THE

1. Liam looked in ___ backpack.
2. He checked ___ lunch bag.
3. He saw ___ small and shiny object.
4. It was ___ key.
5. ___ woman was sitting near the bench.
6. She saw ___ key earlier.
7. Liam put the key in ___ small pocket with a zipper.

Show/Hide Answer

1. his | 2. his | 3. a | 4. his | 5. The | 6. the | 7. a

Transformation

Change to the Past Tense

1. Liam comes home from school.
2. He looks in his backpack.
3. He checks his pockets.
4. Liam walks to the playground.
5. He sees something shiny.
6. The woman tells him about the key.
7. Liam puts the key in his pocket.

Show/Hide Answer

1. Liam came home from school. 2. He looked in his backpack. 3. He checked his pockets. 4. Liam walked to the playground. 5. He saw something shiny. 6. The woman told him about the key. 7. Liam put the key in his pocket.

Make the Sentences Negative

1. Liam finds his key immediately.
2. The key is in his backpack.
3. Liam remembers the playground.
4. He finds the key near the swings.
5. The woman ignores Liam.
6. Liam loses the key again.
7. Liam forgets his lesson.

Show/Hide Answer

1. Liam does not find his key immediately. 2. The key is not in his backpack. 3. Liam does not forget the playground. 4. He does not find the key near the swings. 5. The woman does not ignore Liam. 6. Liam does not lose the key again. 7. Liam does not forget his lesson.

Turn the Sentences into Questions

1. Liam comes home from school.
2. The key is missing.
3. Liam remembers the playground.
4. He finds the key under a bench.
5. The woman sees the key.
6. Liam puts the key in a pocket.
7. Liam learns an important lesson.

Show/Hide Answer

1. Does Liam come home from school? 2. Is the key missing? 3. Does Liam remember the playground? 4. Does he find the key under a bench? 5. Does the woman see the key? 6. Does Liam put the key in a pocket? 7. Does Liam learn an important lesson?

Find the Adjectives

Find the adjective in each phrase.

1. small and shiny key
2. front door
3. important lesson
4. small pocket
5. happy and relieved Liam
6. new zipper
7. careful person

Show/Hide Answer

1. small, shiny 2. front 3. important 4. small 5. happy, relieved 6. new 7. careful

Find the Adverbs

Find the adverb in each sentence.

1. Liam slowly walked back to the playground.
2. He carefully looked near the benches.
3. The woman kindly helped Liam.
4. Liam finally found his key.
5. He happily walked home.
6. He always checked his backpack.
7. Liam never lost his key again.

Show/Hide Answer

1. slowly 2. carefully 3. kindly 4. finally 5. happily 6. always 7. never

Speaking Activities

Discussion

Why was Liam worried when he could not find his key?

Show/Hide Answer

He was worried because he could not get into his house without the key.

Why is it important to take care of your things?

Show/Hide Answer

It is important because losing important things can cause problems.

What lesson did Liam learn?

Show/Hide Answer

Liam learned that he should always check his things and keep them in a safe place.

What Would You Do?

1. What would you do if you lost your house key?

2. Would you go back to the last place you visited?

3. Would you ask someone nearby if they had seen your key?

4. Would you keep your key in a zipped pocket?

5. Would you feel worried if you could not find your key?

6. Would you thank someone who found your key?

7. What habit would you develop after losing your key?

Show/Hide Answer

1. I would go back to the places I had visited and look carefully. 2. Yes, I would return to the last place I visited. 3. Yes, I would ask people nearby for help. 4. Yes, I would keep it in a zipped pocket. 5. Yes, I would be worried because I need my key to get home. 6. Yes, I would thank the person and be very grateful. 7. I would always check that I had my key before leaving.

Rate the Story

1. How stressful is the story?

1 = Not stressful
5 = Extremely stressful

2. How helpful is the woman?

1 = Not helpful
5 = Extremely helpful

3. How worried is Liam?

1 = Not worried
5 = Extremely worried

4. How satisfying is the ending?

1 = Not satisfying
5 = Extremely satisfying

5. How realistic is the story?

1 = Not realistic
5 = Extremely realistic

6. How interesting is the story?

1 = Not interesting
5 = Extremely interesting

7. How responsible is Liam at the end?

1 = Not responsible
5 = Extremely responsible

Writing Exercise

Change the Ending

Write a new ending for the story. Keep the story the same until Liam finds the key, but change what happens after he finds it.

Show/Hide Answer

Liam picked up the key and thanked the woman. He put it safely in his pocket and walked home. When he reached his house, he noticed that his backpack was open. He checked it carefully and found that his notebook was missing. Liam quickly remembered the playground. He went back and found his notebook under a bench. From that day, Liam always checked his backpack before leaving anywhere.

Dialogue

Write a dialogue between Liam and the woman after he finds the key.

Show/Hide Answer

Liam: Is this my key? Woman: Yes, I saw it under the bench earlier. Liam: Thank you so much! Woman: You're welcome. I hoped you would come back for it. Liam: I was very worried when I couldn't find it. Woman: I'm glad you found it. Liam: I'll be more careful with my things next time. Woman: That's a good idea. Put it somewhere safe. Liam: I will. Thank you again!