ESOL Extras
Did that really happen?
Elevator: Activities
ElevatorUnderstanding
True or false?
1. Nick was on the 34th floor at 11 o'clock at night.
2. He was alone in the office at this time.
3. He went out for a cigarette.
4. He came back up in the slow elevator.
5. Nick pushed the wrong button in the elevator.
6. The maintenance staff had left for the weekend.
7. The security camera in the elevator was turned off.
8. Nick had food but no cigarettes.
9. On Sunday afternoon someone noticed Nick on a security camera.
10. He was trapped in the elevator for 44 hours.
1. Nick was on the 34th floor at 11 o'clock at night.
2. He was alone in the office at this time.
3. He went out for a cigarette.
4. He came back up in the slow elevator.
5. Nick pushed the wrong button in the elevator.
6. The maintenance staff had left for the weekend.
7. The security camera in the elevator was turned off.
8. Nick had food but no cigarettes.
9. On Sunday afternoon someone noticed Nick on a security camera.
10. He was trapped in the elevator for 44 hours.
Video
You can see Nick's 41 hours here - sped up by time-lapse film to just 3 minutes
Writing
Writing
1. Imagine you are Nick White. Write a postcard to a friend describing what has happened to you.
2. You are the security guard who saw Nick on the camera. Write a report about how this happened.
1. Imagine you are Nick White. Write a postcard to a friend describing what has happened to you.
2. You are the security guard who saw Nick on the camera. Write a report about how this happened.
Vocabulary/Crossword
Vocabulary
Classroom Activities
1. Role play the following scenes:
a) Nick White is suing the owner of the building for compensation. The owner of the building claims that Nick should not have used the elevator after 10 o'clock. Role play the court scene.
Possible roles: Nick White, his lawyer, the owner of the building, his lawyer, the security guard who finally saw Nick on camera, the judge.
b) In pairs role play a television interview with Nick White. The interviewer should try and suggest that Nick caused some his own problems.
a) Nick White is suing the owner of the building for compensation. The owner of the building claims that Nick should not have used the elevator after 10 o'clock. Role play the court scene.
Possible roles: Nick White, his lawyer, the owner of the building, his lawyer, the security guard who finally saw Nick on camera, the judge.
b) In pairs role play a television interview with Nick White. The interviewer should try and suggest that Nick caused some his own problems.
Answers
True or false?
1. Nick was on the 34th floor - false
2. He was alone in the office at this time - false
3. He went out for a cigarette - true
4. He came back up in the slow elevator - false 'express elevator'
5. Nick pushed the wrong button in the elevator - false
6. The maintenance staff had left for the weekend - true
7. The security camera in the elevator was turned off - false
8. Nick had food but no cigarettes - false: only three cigarettes
9. On Sunday afternoon someone noticed Nick on a security camera. - true
10. He was trapped in the elevator for 44 hours - false: 41 hours
1. Nick was on the 34th floor - false
2. He was alone in the office at this time - false
3. He went out for a cigarette - true
4. He came back up in the slow elevator - false 'express elevator'
5. Nick pushed the wrong button in the elevator - false
6. The maintenance staff had left for the weekend - true
7. The security camera in the elevator was turned off - false
8. Nick had food but no cigarettes - false: only three cigarettes
9. On Sunday afternoon someone noticed Nick on a security camera. - true
10. He was trapped in the elevator for 44 hours - false: 41 hours
What happened after?
Nick never returned to work in his office. You can find the full story here
Comment
First published in Ming Pao Daily.
Illustrations by MPD illustrator Iris Tsoi.
© 2020 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License * Contact
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License * Contact