PROGRESSIVE - 01

The Missed Order

Maya worked at a small printing shop near a busy shopping center. On Monday morning, a customer came to pick up 200 flyers for a restaurant event. The flyers were supposed to be ready by 9:00 a.m., but no one had printed them.

Maya checked the order sheet and realized that the customer had clearly explained the deadline. When he asked what happened, Maya did not blame anyone. She said, “I’m sorry. We dropped the ball on this order, and I understand why you’re upset.”

A few minutes later, Maya’s coworker Ben came from the back room. He looked embarrassed and said, “I thought it was already taken care of.”

Maya replied, “That’s how things slip through the cracks.” Then she turned to the customer and said, “We can print the flyers now and deliver them to your restaurant by noon. We want to make this right.”

The customer sighed. “I appreciate you fixing it, but this put me in a difficult position.”

Maya nodded. She understood that their mistake had created a serious problem for him.

SPEAK

Answer in complete sentences.

  1. What went wrong with the customer’s order?

  2. Why did Ben think the flyers had not been printed?

  3. What did Maya offer to do?

  4. How did the mistake put the customer in a difficult position?

  5. Do you think Maya handled the situation well? Why or why not?

LISTEN

Listen to the recording and respond in complete sentences.

play

katie The missed order.m4a

  1. What did the speaker say?

  2. Do you agree or disagree with the speaker? Why?

WRITE

Write 3–4 sentences.

  • What did Maya do after she learned that the flyers were not printed?

You may begin:

After Maya learned about the mistake, she…

Review Phrases

  1. drop the ball
    To make a mistake or fail to do something you were responsible for.

    We dropped the ball on the order.

  2. taken care of
    Already handled, completed, or finished.

    I thought the order had already been taken care of.

  3. slip through the cracks
    To be missed or forgotten by mistake.

    The order slipped through the cracks.

  4. make this right
    To correct a mistake or fix a problem.

    We want to make this right.

  5. put someone in a difficult position
    To cause a problem or make a situation harder for someone.

    The late order put the customer in a difficult position.