Lesson 5: The Secret at the Sea
Every summer, Nora and Sam visit their grandfather near the sea. His house stands on a quiet hill, and the blue water shines under the sun.
One evening, while they are walking along the beach, they notice something unusual. There is a small wooden boat near the rocks. It is old and broken.
“Is it yours?” Sam asks a fisherman.
“No,” the fisherman says. “That boat appears every year, but nobody knows where it comes from.”
The wind is blowing strongly, and the waves are moving quickly. Nora feels nervous. She is watching the boat carefully. Suddenly, she sees a small light inside it.
“Sam, look! Something is shining!”
They are standing very still. The light is moving slowly… and then it disappears.
The next morning, the boat is gone.
Vocabulary Summary
sea | beach | wave | wind | boat | rock | fisherman | hill | shine | light | appear | disappear | unusual | broken | carefully
Grammar: Present Continuous (am / is / are + verb + ing)
We use the Present Continuous to talk about actions happening now.
Forms:
- Subject + am / is / are + verb + ing
Examples from the story:
- They are walking along the beach.
- The wind is blowing strongly.
- The waves are moving quickly.
- She is watching the boat.
- The light is shining.
Negative:
- She is not watching.
- They are not standing.
Questions:
- Is the wind blowing?
- Are they looking at the boat?
Short answers:
- Yes, it is.
- No, they aren’t.
Notice the difference:
- Present Simple → The boat appears every year. (fact / repeated action)
- Present Continuous → The wind is blowing. (happening now)