The lost phone
An A2 short story: Sanduni leaves her phone on a bus in Kandy. Read it, learn the key words and practise the simple past with a quiz.
In this lesson
The lost phone is an original A2 short story of about 450 words. Sanduni leaves her phone on a bus in Kandy, and an honest driver helps her to get it back. As you read, you will practise the simple past tense with regular and irregular verbs, and learn useful words for travelling by bus.
Before you read
Learn these eight words before you start. They will help you to follow the story without a dictionary.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| conductor | the person on a bus who sells tickets and calls out the stops |
| lap | the top part of your legs when you are sitting down |
| a small bag that is part of your clothes, for keeping small things in | |
| honest | telling the truth and never taking things that belong to other people |
| bus stand | a place where many buses start and finish their journeys (in the UK, a bus station) |
| cover | a case that protects a phone |
| lend (past: lent) | to give something to someone for a short time |
| accept | to take something that someone offers you |
Part 1: A sleepy bus ride
Sanduni lived with her family in a small house near Peradeniya. She studied at a college in Kandy, and every morning she took the bus into the city.
On Monday, she woke up late. She dressed quickly, picked up her bag and ran to the bus stop. The bus was full, but she found a seat at the back, next to the window. She put her phone on her lap and looked out at the green hills. Soon she felt sleepy, and she closed her eyes.
“Kandy! Clock Tower!” shouted the conductor. Sanduni opened her eyes, jumped up and got off the bus with everyone else.
Part 2: Where is my phone?
At the college gate, Sanduni wanted to send a message to her friend Ayesha. She opened her bag, but her phone wasn’t there. She checked her pockets. She looked in her bag again. Nothing.
“Oh no,” she said. “I left it on the bus!”
Her heart beat fast. The phone wasn’t new, but it had all her photos, her notes for the exam and her friends’ numbers. Her father gave it to her for her eighteenth birthday, and she didn’t want to tell him.
Then Ayesha arrived and saw her friend’s face. “What happened?” she asked.
“I lost my phone on the bus,” said Sanduni. “What can I do?”
“Let’s call it,” said Ayesha. She took out her own phone and called Sanduni’s number.
Part 3: An honest driver
The phone rang four times. Then a man answered. “Hello? Who is this?”
“Hello. My name is Ayesha. You have my friend’s phone. She left it on your bus this morning.”
“Yes, I found it under a seat at the back,” the man said. “I’m the driver. My name is Sunil. I’m at the bus stand near the market now. Your friend can come and get it.”
The two girls walked quickly to the bus stand. It was hot and noisy, and there were buses everywhere. Finally, they saw an old blue bus and a tall man with grey hair. He smiled and held up a phone with a pink cover.
“Is this yours?” he asked.
“Yes! Thank you so much,” said Sanduni. She tried to give him some money, but he didn’t take it.
“No, no,” said Sunil. “My daughter is a student too. I hope someone helps her one day.”
Part 4: A sweet thank you
That evening, Sanduni told her family the whole story. Her father laughed. “So you didn’t really lose it,” he said. “You lent it to a good man for two hours.”
The next morning, Sanduni waited for the same blue bus. When it arrived, she gave Sunil a small box of milk toffee. This time, he accepted it with a big smile. And this time, Sanduni kept her phone safely in her bag.
Tip
Read the story twice. The first time, read for the main idea and do not stop. The second time, read slowly, check the key words and notice the verbs.
Language focus: the simple past
The story uses the simple past to tell us what happened, one action after another. We use it for finished actions at a time in the past, such as on Monday, that evening or the next morning. For all the rules, see our full lesson on the simple past tense.
Regular and irregular verbs
Regular verbs add -ed (or -d). Irregular verbs have a special past form that you need to learn. Our list of regular and irregular verbs shows the most common ones.
Examples
- Regular: She checked her pockets. He smiled. Sanduni waited for the same blue bus.
- Regular with a spelling change: She studied at a college in Kandy.
- Irregular: She woke up late. She ran to the bus stop. I left it on the bus.
- Irregular: I found it under a seat. You lent it to a good man.
Negatives and questions
| Form | Structure | Example from the story |
|---|---|---|
| Positive (regular) | subject + verb + -ed | She checked her pockets. |
| Positive (irregular) | subject + past form | She left it on the bus. |
| Negative | subject + didn’t + base verb | He didn’t take the money. |
| Negative of be | subject + wasn’t / weren’t | Her phone wasn’t there. |
| Question | (question word) + did + subject + base verb | Where did she leave her phone? |
Common mistake
He didn’t took the money. → He didn’t take the money.
After didn’t, always use the base form of the verb.
Note
Ayesha asks “What happened?” with no did. When the question word is the subject of the sentence, we use the past form directly. Learn more in our lesson on Wh- questions.
For more graded texts at this level, try the British Council LearnEnglish A2 reading lessons.
Reading quiz: check your understanding
The quiz shows the story again, so you can look back at it. Answer the questions, then write about a time you lost something and compare your answer with the model.
When you are ready for a longer story, read A new job in Colombo, a B1 story about a young man’s first month in the city.
Summary
- Sanduni fell asleep on the bus and left her phone on her seat.
- Her friend Ayesha called the phone, and the driver, Sunil, answered.
- Sunil gave the phone back and did not take any money.
- Regular verbs in the simple past end in -ed. Irregular verbs have special forms, such as woke, ran and found.
- In negatives and most questions, use did or didn’t with the base form of the verb.
Frequently asked questions
What level is The lost phone?
It is an A2 (elementary) story. It uses short sentences, everyday words and mostly the simple past, so it suits learners who know basic English and want to read longer texts.
Why does “What happened?” have no “did”?
Because what is the subject of the question. When the question word is the subject, we use the past form directly, as in What happened? and Who called?
How can I learn the most from a short story?
Read it once for the main idea, then again for details. Check the key words, do the quiz and try reading the story aloud for extra speaking practice.
Practise this lesson
11 questions
