Vibrant scene of musicians playing traditional instruments at a lively cultural festival.
Photo by Pipe Carbonell on Pexels

Musician wearing a semi-professional football club shirt at a music festival

Level
a1
Topic
culture

Read this at a different level:a2b2c1

My friend Tomás loves music and football. Last week, he called me with a big story.

He saw a video online. Grian Chatten is the singer of Fontaines D.C. He wore a football shirt at Reading Festival. The shirt was from a small, semi-professional club. Tomás loves that club too. He was very happy.

Tomás told me something great. After the festival, the club sold many more shirts. The number almost doubled. Tomás said, "The singer wears the shirt, and everyone wants one!"

Now Tomás wants a new shirt too. He looks at the club's website every day.

Highlighted sentences show the grammar focus structure.

Key Vocabulary

  • friend

    /frɛnd/

    A person you know well and like very much.

    My friend and I walk to school together every morning.

  • shirt

    /ʃɜːrt/

    A piece of clothing that you wear on the top part of your body.

    He bought a blue shirt for the party.

  • happy

    /ˈhæpi/

    Feeling very good and pleased about something.

    She was very happy when she got a present on her birthday.

  • want

    /wɒnt/

    To feel that you would like to have or do something.

    The children want ice cream after dinner.

  • new

    /njuː/

    Made or bought recently and not used before.

    She opened the box and put on her new shoes.

Grammar Spotlight

Simple Past — Common Regular and Irregular Verbs

subject + verb (past form)

When do we use it?

  • Use the simple past to talk about something that happened and finished in the past.
  • Use it when you say or know when something happened — yesterday, last week, in 2020.
  • Use it to tell a story about past events, one after another.

How is it formed?

subject+past form of verb+(object / rest of sentence)

Regular verbs add -ed. Irregular verbs change their form — you must learn these.

★One past form for all — no he/she/it change!

See it in action

  1. Tomás called me last week with a big story.

  2. He saw a video online about Grian Chatten.

  3. The singer wore a football shirt at the festival.

  4. Tomás was very happy about the shirt.

Remember this

Most verbs form the simple past by adding -ed (e.g. call → called), but many common verbs are irregular and have a completely different past form.

!
see → saw: He saw a video online.
!
wear → wore: Grian wore a football shirt.
!
be → was / were: Tomás was very happy.
!
have → had: The club had a famous fan.

Discussion Questions

  1. 1.

    Do you have a favourite sports team in your country? What do you like about them?

  2. 2.

    What music or sports do people in your city or town enjoy? Do you enjoy them too?

  3. 3.

    Do you have a friend who loves music or sport? What do they like?

Comprehension Questions

  1. 1.

    Who is Tomás?

  2. 2.

    What did Grian Chatten wear at the festival?

  3. 3.

    When did Tomás call with a big story?

  4. 4.

    Where does Tomás look every day?

View answers for the comprehension questions
  1. 1.Tomás is the narrator's friend. He loves music and football.
  2. 2.Grian Chatten wore a football shirt at Reading Festival. The shirt was from a small, semi-professional club.
  3. 3.Tomás called last week. He had a big story to share.
  4. 4.Tomás looks at the club's website every day. He wants to buy a new shirt.

Test your knowledge

Question 1Fill-in-the-blank

She put on a clean ____ before going to work.

Question 2Fill-in-the-blank

I ____ a glass of water because I am thirsty.

Question 3Fill-in-the-blank

She was very ____ when she passed her exam.

View answers for test your knowledge
  1. 1.shirt
  2. 2.want
  3. 3.happy

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