PROGRESSIVE - 06

The Cold Soup

After a day of errands, Renee and her friend Julia stopped at a restaurant. Renee ordered soup, but after one spoonful, she set it down.

“What’s wrong?” Julia asked.

“It’s barely warm,” Renee whispered. “I don’t want to give anyone a hard time, especially when the restaurant is busy.”

“You aren’t giving anyone a hard time,” Julia replied. “You ordered hot soup. Just explain the problem politely.”

Renee hesitated, then raised her hand. When the server approached, he asked, “Is everything all right?”

“I’m sorry,” Renee said, “but this soup isn’t hot. Would you mind checking it?”

The server touched the side of the bowl. “You’re right. I apologize, and I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you,” Renee answered. “I wasn’t trying to complain. I only wanted the soup to be hot.”

A few minutes later, the server returned with a fresh bowl. “Please be careful; this one is hot. Thank you for bringing the problem to my attention.”

Renee tasted it and smiled. “This is much better. I appreciate you fixing it.”

After he walked away, Julia said, “See? You were respectful, and he responded professionally.”

Renee nodded. “Next time, I won’t be so nervous about speaking up.”

SPEAK

Answer in complete sentences.

  1. Why did Renee hesitate to tell the server about the soup?

  2. How did Julia encourage Renee to speak up?

  3. How did Renee explain the problem politely?

  4. How did the server respond to Renee’s concern?

  5. Do you think Renee handled the situation respectfully? Why?

LISTEN

Listen to the recording and respond in complete sentences.

play

steve acc 01.m4a

  1. What did the speaker say?

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

WRITE

Write 3–4 sentences.

  • What did Renee do after she realized that her soup was not hot?

You may begin:

After Renee realized that her soup was not hot, she…

Review Phrases

  1. give someone a hard time
    To bother, criticize, or make a situation difficult for someone.

    Renee did not want to give the server a hard time.

  2. take care of it
    To handle or fix a problem.

    The server said he would take care of the cold soup.

  3. bring something to someone’s attention
    To tell someone about something they did not notice.

    Renee brought the problem to the server’s attention.

  4. fix it
    To correct a problem.

    The server fixed the problem by bringing Renee fresh soup.