B1 · Intermediate · Asking Around · 169 words · ~2 min read

🗣️ Asking the Right Questions

Language focus: Professional arrangements · polite enquiries

The London Startup Mystery

Over the next few days, Maya tried to find out more about Daniel without raising suspicion. She decided to play it by ear, slipping casual questions into ordinary conversations whenever she ran into a colleague by the coffee machine.

“Daniel? Brilliant designer, bit of a mystery,” said one. “He always kept his projects under wraps,” said another. Nobody seemed to know exactly what he had been working on before he handed in his notice and disappeared more or less overnight.

Maya arranged a quick chat with Priya. “I don’t want to overstep,” she began carefully, “but I came across an old file of Daniel’s. Should I look into it, or leave it well alone?” Priya hesitated for a moment. “Let me get back to you on that,” she said, a little too quickly.

That evening, Maya replayed the conversation in her head on the train home. Priya’s reaction had been strangely guarded — almost defensive. The plot, it seemed, was beginning to thicken, and Maya’s instincts were rarely wrong.

Key vocabulary (6 words)

suspicionnoun
A feeling that something is wrong or that someone is hiding something.
colleaguenoun
A person you work with.
noticenoun
A formal statement that you are leaving your job.
guardedadjective
Careful not to give too much information; cautious.
casualadjective
Relaxed and not planned or formal.
arrangementnoun
A plan or agreement about how something will happen.

Phrasal verbs in this episode

  • find out — To find out means to discover information.
  • run into — To run into someone means to meet them by chance.
  • get back to — To get back to someone means to reply to them later.

Comprehension quiz

  1. What is Maya trying to do?

    • Find out more about Daniel
    • Get a pay rise
    • Redesign the office
    Show answer

    Find out more about Daniel

  2. How does she ask her questions?

    • In a formal meeting
    • Casually, by the coffee machine
    • By email only
    Show answer

    Casually, by the coffee machine

  3. “Kept his projects under wraps” means he kept them…

    • secret
    • online
    • colourful
    Show answer

    secret

  4. How does Priya respond to Maya’s question?

    • She explains everything
    • She says she will get back to her
    • She laughs
    Show answer

    She says she will get back to her

  5. “Play it by ear” means to…

    • listen to music
    • decide as you go
    • speak loudly
    Show answer

    decide as you go

  6. “Run into a colleague” means to…

    • meet by chance
    • argue with
    • avoid
    Show answer

    meet by chance

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