Mark had an important video meeting at nine o'clock. He woke up late and had only fifteen minutes to prepare. He quickly put on a nice shirt but kept his pajama pants. 'Nobody will see my legs,' he thought. He made a cup of coffee and sat down at his desk. His laptop was old and slow, so he started it early. The video software needed an update. 'Not now!' Mark said to himself. The update took five minutes. Finally, the meeting started. His boss and five colleagues appeared on the screen. 'Good morning, everyone,' said the boss. Mark smiled and waved at the camera. His cat jumped onto his desk. 'Hello, who is this?' laughed his colleague Anna. Mark gently pushed the cat away. The cat came back immediately. It sat in front of the camera and looked at everyone. 'Your cat is very curious,' said the boss with a smile. Mark picked up the cat and put it on the floor. The meeting continued, and they talked about the new project. Suddenly, Mark heard loud music from next door. His neighbor was playing drums. 'I'm sorry, my neighbor is practicing,' Mark explained. He muted his microphone and closed the window. When he came back, he accidentally knocked over his coffee. The hot liquid spilled all over his keyboard. 'Oh no!' Mark shouted. Everyone in the meeting saw his reaction. He quickly grabbed some tissues and cleaned the mess. 'Are you okay, Mark?' asked his boss. 'Yes, just a small accident,' he replied. His cat returned and started playing with the tissues. Mark sighed and continued the meeting. Then his phone rang loudly. It was his mother calling. He rejected the call, but she called again. Mark apologized and answered quickly. 'Mom, I'm in a meeting!' he whispered. His colleagues could still hear him through the microphone. Some of them laughed quietly. Finally, the meeting was almost over. The boss asked everyone to stand up and stretch. 'Let's take a short break,' she said. Mark forgot about his pajama pants. He stood up, and everyone saw his bright pink pajamas. The whole team burst into laughter. Mark's face turned completely red. 'Nice pants, Mark!' said his colleague Tom. Mark quickly sat back down. 'I think I'll stay seated,' he mumbled. The boss smiled and ended the meeting. 'Thank you all, and Mark, maybe wear proper pants next time.' Mark nodded and said goodbye to everyone. He closed the laptop and looked at his cat. 'That was the worst meeting ever,' he told the cat. The cat meowed and jumped onto his lap. Mark laughed and went to change his pants. From that day on, he always wore proper clothes for meetings. He also learned to close his door and charge his laptop early.
English Story (A2)Video Meeting Fail
This A2 English story is designed for elementarys learning English. It includes simple vocabulary and short sentences to help you improve your reading and listening skills. Click any word to see translations and hear pronunciation.
About this story
Mark wakes up late for an important video meeting. Wearing a nice shirt but pajama pants, he thinks no one will notice. During the call, his cat keeps interrupting, his neighbor plays drums, he spills coffee on his keyboard, and his mother calls. When the boss asks everyone to stand and stretch, Mark forgets about his pajamas and reveals his bright pink pants to the whole team. From then on, he always wears proper clothes for meetings.
Translations in English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
Why did Mark only put on a nice shirt but keep his pajama pants?
2
What happened when Mark knocked over his coffee?
3
Why did Mark's colleagues laugh quietly during the meeting?
4
How did everyone discover that Mark was wearing pajama pants?
Vocabulary
30 words from this story
