It was raining outside, and the building was almost empty. The cleaner was locking doors while our wooden mascot, Charlie, was sitting on the blue shelf like always. I thought everything was safe; I didn’t feel worried. Suddenly, the lights went off, and the room shook.

While the emergency lamp was blinking, a cat slipped in through the window. It was sniffing the desks when it found Paco’s lunch box. Charlie didn’t want trouble. He knew the cat loved tuna, so he wrote a note—“Follow me”—and was waving it like a flag.

The cat was following the paper trail when Charlie led it to the corridor. A trolley was rolling past, so he jumped on, rode it to the door, and pushed the handle. The wind was howling; the cat leapt outside; the door swung shut.

When the power finally came back, the class was laughing at the story. I believed Charlie saved our snacks. He didn’t say anything, of course—he just wore a tiny paper medal and looked proud.

Quick check (after reading):

1. While the lamp ___ (blink), what animal ___ (enter)?
2. True/False: Charlie wanted the cat to stay in the classroom.

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GRAMMAR BOX — State Verbs (meaning, not action)

What are state verbs? Verbs about thoughts, feelings, possession, senses, and facts. They usually do not use the -ing form even for actions in progress. Use Present/Past Simple, not Continuous.

Area	Common state verbs	Correct ✔	Incorrect ✘
Thinking/Opinion	know, believe, think(=opinion), understand, remember, mean	I knew it was safe.	I was knowing
Feelings/Like	love, like, hate, want, need, prefer	He wanted quiet.	He was wanting
Possession	have(=own), belong, own	The box belonged to Paco.	It was belonging
Senses (state meaning)	see, hear, smell, taste	I heard a noise.	I was hearing
Appearance/Seeming	seem, look(=seem), appear(=seem)	He looked proud.	He was looking proud.

Action vs State twins:

• think (opinion – state): I thought it was safe.
• be thinking (mental activity – action): I was thinking of a plan.
• have (possession – state): He had a note. vs be having (fixed expressions only: having lunch).

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ACTIVITY 1 — Past Simple vs Past Continuous + State Verbs (10)

Complete with Past Simple or Past Continuous. Use simple with state verbs.

1. The lights ___ (go) off while the cleaner ___ (lock) the doors.
2. Charlie ___ (sit) on the shelf and he ___ (not/feel) worried.
3. The cat ___ (sniff) the desks when it ___ (find) the lunch box.
4. I ___ (believe) Charlie’s plan; I ___ (not/want) a mess.
5. The trolley ___ (roll) past as Charlie ___ (jump) on it.
6. When the wind ___ (howl), the door ___ (swing) shut.
7. Everyone ___ (laugh) when the power ___ (come) back.
8. He ___ (wear) a paper medal and ___ (look) proud.

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“The Case of the Vanishing Chalks”

The next morning, the class was preparing a quiz when someone noticed the chalks were gone. I didn’t own any clues, but I felt something wasn’t right. While Paco was setting up the projector, Charlie was scanning the shelves. He knew the cleaner kept spare chalks in a tin. The tin lay open, empty.

We followed a dust trail to the hall. A seagull was pecking the white pieces outside and was shaking its head like a drummer. Charlie chose a bright idea: he fed the bird some rice from lunch while I wrote a big sign: “TRADE: rice for chalk.” The seagull took the deal. It brought three sticks back and hid the rest under a flowerpot.

While the bird was finishing the rice, Charlie lifted the pot and found the missing chalks. Back in class, the students were cheering. Our teacher taught the quiz, and nobody broke the new rule on the board: “Close the windows during snack time.” I thought the message made sense, and everyone agreed.

Quick check (after reading):

1. Where did the seagull hide the chalks? __________
2. Choose the correct form: I (knew / was knowing) the cleaner kept spare chalks.

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ACTIVITY 2 — Mixed Practice (Past Simple/Continuous + State Verbs)

A. Choose the correct option (6)

1. While Charlie (was scanning / scanned) the shelves, Paco (set / was setting) up the projector.
2. I (believed / was believing) Charlie’s idea.
3. The seagull (brought / was bringing) three sticks back, then it (hid / was hiding) the rest.
4. The class (was cheering / cheered) when Charlie (found / was finding) the chalks.
5. The rule on the board (made / was making) sense.
6. We (were following / followed) the dust trail when we (heard / were hearing) a noise.

B. Correct the errors (state verbs) (6)
7) ✘ I was wanting quiet. → __________________________
8) ✘ We were knowing the answer. → ____________________
9) ✘ She was having a good idea. → _____________________
10) ✘ The chalk was belonging to Paco. → _______________
11) ✘ He was hearing the bell. → _______________________
12) ✘ I was thinking it was a bad plan. (opinion) → ______