Tom woke up late on Monday morning. He looked at his phone and saw the time. 'Oh no!' he shouted. It was already nine o'clock. He was supposed to be at work at eight. Tom jumped out of bed quickly. He got dressed in two minutes. He did not eat breakfast. He ran to his car and drove to work. The traffic was terrible. Tom arrived at the office at half past nine. He walked slowly to his desk. His boss, Mrs. Johnson, was waiting for him. 'Tom, you are very late today,' she said. Tom's face turned red. He needed to think of an excuse quickly. 'I am so sorry, Mrs. Johnson,' he began. 'There was a big accident on the highway.' Mrs. Johnson looked at him carefully. 'An accident?' she asked. 'Yes, it was very serious,' Tom continued. 'Five cars were involved.' His coworker, Lisa, was listening from her desk. She raised her eyebrows. She knew Tom was not telling the truth. 'The traffic was stopped for forty-five minutes,' Tom added. 'I tried to call, but my phone battery died.' Mrs. Johnson crossed her arms. 'That is strange, Tom,' she said slowly. 'I drove on that highway this morning.' 'There was no accident.' Tom's face became even more red. 'Well... maybe it was a different road,' he said nervously. Mrs. Johnson shook her head. 'Tom, please tell me the real reason,' she said firmly. Tom looked at the floor. 'I overslept,' he admitted quietly. 'My alarm did not go off.' Mrs. Johnson's face softened a little. 'Thank you for telling me the truth,' she said. 'Honesty is always better than excuses.' Tom nodded his head. 'I understand, Mrs. Johnson,' he said. 'I will not make excuses again.' 'Good,' Mrs. Johnson replied. 'Now please get to work.' Tom sat down at his desk quickly. He turned on his computer. Lisa walked over to his desk. 'That was a terrible excuse,' she whispered. Tom laughed quietly. 'I know,' he said. 'I panicked and could not think clearly.' 'Next time, just tell the truth from the start,' Lisa advised. 'People appreciate honesty more than perfect excuses.' Tom smiled and nodded. 'You are right,' he agreed. That evening, Tom set three alarms on his phone. He did not want to be late ever again. And he definitely did not want to make up another bad excuse.
English Story (A2)Making an Excuse
This A2 English story is designed for elementarys learning English. It includes simple vocabulary and short sentences to help you improve your reading and listening skills. Click any word to see translations and hear pronunciation.
About this story
Tom oversleeps and arrives late to work. When his boss asks why, he makes up a story about a highway accident. His boss quickly catches the lie and asks for the real reason. Tom admits he overslept, and his boss appreciates his honesty. His coworker Lisa reminds him that telling the truth from the start is always better than making excuses.
Translations in English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
What time was Tom supposed to be at work?
2
What excuse did Tom give to his boss?
3
How did Mrs. Johnson know Tom was not telling the truth?
4
What did Tom do that evening to avoid being late again?
Vocabulary
30 words from this story
