Lesson preview
Solve a tense bakery mystery by following clues, comparing alibis, and spotting contradictions in witness accounts. Practice describing past events and making deductions as you work out who took the secret cinnamon bun recipe and where they hid it.
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Something important has gone missing at Café Marlowe. Look closely at the bakery scene and get ready to solve the mystery before the festival begins.
Teacher note: Something important has gone missing at Café Marlowe. Look closely at the bakery scene and get ready to solve the mystery before the festival begins.
Teacher note: Key mystery and investigation words for the Café Marlowe case.
At 8:15 on Friday morning, the staff at Café Marlowe in Lisbon noticed that the original recipe notebook had disappeared. The bakery was already busy because the city food festival would open at noon. The notebook contained the famous cinnamon bun recipe, plus notes from the owner’s grandmother. Without it, the café could not prepare its best-selling buns in time.
There were four people with possible access to the kitchen area that morning: the owner, Mia, Bruno, and Leo. The owner said she was checking orders in her office. Mia was preparing pastry trays near the ovens. Bruno was near the back door, and Leo arrived with delivery boxes. A rival café manager, Rita, had also been asking unusual questions about the bakery’s menu in the previous week.
Detectives often describe one action in progress and another finished action that interrupts it. Use past continuous for the background action and past simple for the short completed action.
Small family bakeries often keep secret recipes in notebooks instead of digital files. In a busy festival week, staff may move quickly between the kitchen, the store room, and the delivery entrance, so timing is important evidence.
Teacher note: A short case file with background, grammar focus, and discussion prompts.
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Create free teacher accountUse these two tenses together when you describe a scene and then explain what happened next.
Use was/were + verb-ing for an action in progress at a specific time in the past.
Use the past simple for a completed event.
A common detective pattern is: past continuous + when + past simple.
You can also reverse the order:
Words like when, while, as, and at that moment help you show the sequence of events.
If one action is the background and the other is the clue, use the past continuous for the background and the past simple for the clue.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Background action | was/were + -ing | The staff were working quietly. |
| Finished event | past simple | The notebook disappeared. |
| Interrupted action | past continuous + when + past simple | Mia was speaking when the phone rang. |
Teacher note: Clear explanation of past simple and past continuous in a mystery context.
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Create free teacher accountChoose the best answer for each detective grammar question.
At 8:10, the owner ___ the office when she heard a noise from the kitchen.
Bruno ___ boxes by the back door when Mia saw him.
The notebook disappeared while the staff ___ for the festival.
Leo ___ the delivery area before the owner returned.
When the drawer opened, Mia ___ near the ovens.
The rival café manager ___ about the recipe last week.
Teacher note: Choose the correct tense in detective-style grammar questions.
Answer key (teachers only)
Students do not see this. Add or update questions and answers below the activity.
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Create free teacher accountListen to the dialogue, then answer the questions.
Owner: I checked the office drawer at eight o'clock, and the recipe notebook was still there. Mia: I was setting out pastry trays in the kitchen, so I didn't go near your office. Owner: Did you see anyone else moving around the back of the café? Mia: Yes, I saw Bruno near the back door, but he said he was unloading boxes. Owner: That is strange, because the drawer was open when I returned a few minutes later. Mia: Then someone must have taken the notebook while we were all busy. Owner: We need it before the festival starts. Mia: I agree. If the notebook is gone, the cinnamon bun recipe could be copied by a rival.
Teacher note: Listen to the bakery dialogue and answer questions about clues and timing.
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Create free teacher accountRead each statement and decide if it is true or false.
The food festival starts at noon on the same day the notebook went missing.
Mia says she was in the office drawer area when the notebook disappeared.
Bruno was seen near the back door during the busy morning period.
The notebook contained notes for a cinnamon bun recipe.
The owner found the drawer locked when she returned.
Rita is described as a rival café manager.
Teacher note: Judge whether each mystery statement is true or false.
Answer key (teachers only)
Students do not see this. Add or update questions and answers below the activity.
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Create free teacher accountMatch each suspect or role with the correct clue, alibi, or suspicious detail.
Column A
Column B
Teacher note: Matching activity that checks learners can connect each suspect or role with the correct clue, alibi, or suspicious detail from the Café Marlowe case.
Answer key (teachers only)
Students do not see this. Add or update questions and answers below the activity.
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Create free teacher accountLook closely at the evidence board and timeline. Which clues show who could have taken the missing recipe notebook from Café Marlowe?
Teacher note: Look closely at the evidence board and timeline. Which clues show who could have taken the missing recipe notebook from Café Marlowe?
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Create free teacher accountChoose the best caption for each clue image.
Teacher note: Three caption choices for the Café Marlowe clue images: apron, delivery box, and open drawer.
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Create free teacher accountWork with a partner. Compare the witness statements and the evidence board, then build your case together.
Take turns saying what each person was doing at the key moment. Use past simple for finished actions and past continuous for actions in progress.
Decide which details fit together and which details clash. Give short reasons based on evidence, not guesses.
For each suspect, say one of these:
Choose one suspect and prepare a 30-second explanation. Include:
Then swap roles and challenge your partner’s theory.
Teacher note: Guided pair speaking activity for analysing contradictions, alibis, and motives in the Café Marlowe mystery using past simple/past continuous and deduction language.
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Create free teacher accountWho is responsible for what
Stay in your role during the live voice chat. The AI partner follows the other role.
You (student)
Detective investigating the missing recipe notebook
AI partner
Suspect from Café Marlowe or the rival café
Students connect here for a live 5-minute AI voice conversation.
Teacher note: Role-play interrogation: the student questions a suspect about the missing recipe notebook using past simple/past continuous and deduction language.
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Create free teacher accountWrite a short detective accusation about the missing recipe notebook from Café Marlowe. Name the culprit, explain the key evidence, include one contradiction, and say where the notebook was hidden. Use clear B1 English and include past simple, past continuous, and a deduction phrase such as must have, might have, or can’t have.
Aim for at least 70 words.
Teacher note: Write a detective accusation and evidence summary.
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Create free teacher accountRecord a spoken final verdict as if you are the lead detective. Say who stole the notebook, why that person wanted the cinnamon bun recipe, what evidence proves your idea, and where the notebook was hidden. Keep your answer clear, confident, and around one minute or less.
Tap to record
Up to 60 seconds
Teacher note: Record your final spoken verdict as a detective.
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Create free teacher accountStudent's turn (preview)
Roll
Preview — dice sync when the lesson is live
Roll the die, move along the mystery path, and complete each detective task on the square you land on. Work with a partner or the teacher to solve the Café Marlowe case before you reach FINISH.
Teacher note: Roll the die, move along the mystery path, and complete each detective task on the square you land on. Work with a partner or the teacher to solve the Café Marlowe case before you reach FINISH.
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