INSPECTOR STONE

Narrator: Welcome to Inspector Stone, the case of the missing ring, brought to you by BBC Learning
English. Episode 2 – the ring. In this episode, you will practise listening for specific information in English. Let the show begin. (Sound of slowly dripping water, lots of echo, spooky creaking noises)
Inspector: (Thinking) Yes... The case of the missing ring. A very, very difficult case. A wedding ring worth £5,000 goes missing just 3 hours before the wedding. After my first enquiries I knew that... this was clearly a job for a very experienced detective. But, first of all, I had an important job to do.
Best man: (Calling from a distance) Inspector? Are you OK?
Inspector: (Thinking) Oh no! What does he want? I need more time - quick... (Shouting) Err, yes, I'm just coming. Can I have a cup of tea?
Best man: Tea?! Oh, OK.
Inspector: (Groan... Grunt...) That's better. (Thinking) Now I was ready to continue my investigation. I had one important question: which guest saw the ring last? I needed to ask all the wedding guests and if anybody's story was different... ha!! I decided to start with the most difficult person first, the mother of the bride. (Sound of door opening and closing)
Inspector: A word, madam.
Bride's mother: May I help you, Inspector?
Inspector: (Thinking) Just as I thought: she was being difficult. Yes, when did you... (He's given a cup of tea) Oh, bride, tea, lovely, thank you.
Bride's mother: Inspector!
Inspector: When did you last see the ring?
Bride's mother: Inspector. I am the mother of the bride. So, of course, I was arranging the flowers on the suits of the groom and the best man – I am an expert in the art of flowers you know.
Inspector: (Thinking) Really, flower arranging, how very interesting... Hmm... Which flowers was she
arranging and... Who bought the flowers? Did you see the ring?
Bride's mother: Of course I saw the ring Inspector! The best man kept it in his jacket pocket. He showed it to the groom. It was in a small red plastic box.
Inspector: (Thinking) She really was a very difficult woman... But through hard work and patience, I got the information I needed. The best man kept the ring in a small red plastic box in his jacket pocket... But who took the ring out of the box? Was her story true? It was time to talk to the groom. And you?! When did you last see the ring?
Groom: Me Inspector?? Well, err... Well... let me think, I was talking to the best man. He showed me the ring. It was in a small blue plastic box, which he kept in his jacket pocket.
Inspector: (Thinking) Hmmm. Very interesting. But what did the bride see? You!! Bride. When did you last see the ring?
Bride: (Sobbing) I was fixing my hair and my mother was fixing the flowers for the best man and the groom. I saw the best man take a large red plastic box out of his pocket. He opened it and showed my wedding ring to the groom. Inspector, you will find my ring, won't you??
Inspector: She's still asking difficult questions... And why does she keep crying all the time? Next on my list: the best man. And you?!!
All: Me?
Inspector: No, not you, you.
All: Me?
Inspector: No... You. Best man.
Best man: (Innocently) Who me?
Inspector: Yes you. When did you last see the ring?
Best man: Ah, well, I was talking to the groom. The ring was in a small red wooden box. I kept it in my
jacket pocket. I showed it to the groom. That's the last time I saw it.
Inspector: (Thinking) Just as I thought: another character I can't trust. I knew I had to keep my eyes and ears open. Which guest was lying? I needed a place to think – but I couldn't go back to the bathroom... then I found the solution – the garden. Each one of these... people had told me their story... But who did I trust? Something was not quite right... What was it?? (Thunderstorm)
Inspector: (Thinking) It came to me suddenly, as if in a dream... But I knew it wasn't a dream. No, all my experience and my excellent detective skills made me realise that each and every one of them had made a mistake in their story. The groom said the box was blue, but everyone else said it was red. The bride said the box was large, but everyone else said it was small. The best man said the box was wooden, but everyone else said it was made of plastic. (Thunder)
Inspector: (Thinking) And with that, I had all the evidence I needed but I had one more question: what's happened to the horse? (Thunder)
Narrator: So what is the truth? Who is the thief? And does anyone know anything at all? Find out next time, when Inspector Stone continues to uncover more vital evidence in the case of the missing ring.

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 wedding 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 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.

Narrator: Welcome to Inspector Stone, the case of the missing ring, brought to you by BBC Learning English. Episode 4 – war of the roses. In this episode, you will find out how to use intonation to express facts or ask questions. Let the show begin. (Sound of a beard trimmer, nail file, combing, etc)
Inspector: (Thinking) Look at them, the bride, the groom, the mother of the bride and the best man. So patient, so hopeful... I think I am enjoying this... Shaving, doing my nails, combing my hair twice in one day. So unusual, so relaxing, so peaceful... who needs crime? Life is so...
All: (Interrupting the Inspector from his thoughts – loudly) Inspector?
Inspector: (Thinking) What?! Oh yes, the case. Yes? Do you have a question for me?
Bride: (Sobbing) Have you found my wedding ring, Inspector?
Mother of the bride: Yes Inspector, have you found my daughter's ring?
Best man: Inspector, as the best man, I must insist that you tell us what you have discovered.
Inspector: (Thinking) Oh bother, I really do hate these people - always asking questions. OK, it's time to give them the answer to the most important question: who is the thief? Who stole the ring? Best man – you have lent the groom £5,000 haven't you?
Best man: Errrr...
Inspector: That was not a question, that is a fact. (Thinking) My voice goes down when I am stating a fact. And you are in love with the bride aren't you? (Thinking) I hope he realises that is also not a question.
Best man: I didn't take the ring Inspector. You do believe me, don't you? Don't you?
Inspector: (Thinking) Aha!! His voice went up then, when he said "Don't you? Don't you?" – that means he is asking a question, he really wants to know if I believe him.
Best man: Don't you? Don't you?
Inspector: (Thinking) He is a simple man, a fool, perhaps even a stupid man. But... He is not a thief. Best man, do not worry. You are a fool, but you are not a thief. (To the bride) Speaking of fools, my dear, you are the prettiest fool in the land, aren't you?
Bride: Am I? I don't know Inspector, I hope...
Inspector: (Thinking) Again, that was not a question, that was a fact. My voice goes down when I am stating a fact. I will repeat it... Again. My dear, you are a very pretty fool, aren't you? You say that you love your future husband, but it is easy to see that you do not love him at all!!
All: She doesn't love him?!
Inspector: (Thinking) Yes. The bride doesn't love the groom. And that gave her a very good reason to steal the ring! It is very easy to see, my dear. And so, you had a very good reason to steal your own wedding ring... To stop your wedding to a man you hate... Didn't you?!
Bride: (Sobbing) You're right Inspector... It's true. I don't love him.
Inspector: (Thinking) I know it's true: that's why my voice went down at the end... I was stating a fact. She doesn't love him. Who does she love? I don't know and she doesn't know either. But... She was not the thief. Time to move on. And as for your future husband...
Groom: Inspector, surely you don't think I took the ring, do you?
Inspector: (Thinking) Well, groom boy – you have a reason to steal the ring, but no, you don't have the skill or the ability. You had a very good reason to steal the ring. You owe a lot of money to the best man. But no, you are a gambler and a liar but you are not a thief. Are you?
Groom: Inspector, that is a fact. I am definitely not a thief. But that only leaves one person, doesn't it?
Inspector: Very true.
Best man: Surely it can't be...
Mother of the bride: I hope you don't mean to...
Bride: Mummy? Mummy! Mummy?! You didn't take my ring, did you? Did you? Mummy?!
Inspector: (Thinking) She is a nice girl but she really is very stupid. Her voice is going up, which means she is asking a real question. Who had the best chance to steal the ring? It's obvious, you silly girl. Madam, why did you want to do the flowers at this wedding?
Mother of the bride: Every mother wants her daughter's wedding to be beautiful, Inspector.
Inspector: Every normal mother... But you had another reason, didn't you? You didn't want your daughter to marry the groom. You wanted her to marry a man with money, the best man, didn't you? You knew she hated him, like she hates all men –
Bride: I hate them, all of them!!
Inspector: You stole the ring from the best man's pocket while you were fixing the wedding flowers to his jacket.
Best man: Gosh, is that what you were doing? I thought it was a funny place to pin the flowers...
Inspector: Exactly. Now, I think it is time for you to tell the truth, isn't it? (Thinking) Yes, but which truth will she tell us? The truth about the ring, or the truth about her glasses or perhaps the truth about the horse? Let us look at the facts. The bride's mother believes that money is more important than happiness, so she wanted her daughter to marry the man with all the money – the best man – and not the groom, who owes a lot of money. And so, she stole the ring whilst fixing the flowers on the best man's jacket!
Mother of the bride: Curse you Inspector, you and your downward intonation! You are right again.
Bride: Mummy?!
Mother of the bride: It's true: I know my daughter doesn't want to get married. She wants to be happy. But I got married and I was never happy! Who wants to be happy?! She should marry a man with money, with power, with position, instead of someone like... Like...
Father of the bride: 'ello treacle!
Bride: Daddy!
Father of the bride: Anyone seen my racehorse? (Sound of a horse neighing)
Narrator: Another case solved by Inspector Stone. He never leaves a stone...
Inspector: ...unturned. Yes I know, thank you.