creative writing detective JONES

Creative Writing
Some more stories about detective Jones

The red words are either missing words, or grammar, lexical mistakes.

Detective John’s diary

On the second November  Mr Jack was killed. The police found him in the forest. He was beheaded and his right arm was broken in half. His blood was dry so I deduced (realized) he was killed at the beginning of the month.

In the forest, next to the body of Mr Jack ,the police found his car. Into the car there was a gold ring and a pair of pruning shears. Because of the ring and of the pruning shears I thought  that  the possible killer was: either his brother, or his butler, or his gardener, or his wife. As soon as possible I wanted to talk with each of them.

The first one I talked to was the butler. He was a bit nervous. I asked him:”Where were you in the evening of the second November?”. He answered:”I was with my wife at the cemetery. That evening was one of my few days off. So I wanted to spend it with my wife visiting our dead relatives” . His answer  was  quite detailed not to be true so I deduced (understood)that he wasn’t the killer.

The second one I talked to was his brother . I asked him:”Why weren’t you at home on second November and why did you go out without  car?”.He replied: “My car is broken. That evening I went out with my friends to eat out in a restaurant. I couldn’t imagine my brother could be killed. Maybe you don’t know he has a mistress. She has already been in jail for homicide”. I was very confused but then I calmed down.

I continued to talk with the suspects and now, also with Mr Jack’s mistress. The third one I talked to was the gardener. I asked him:”Into the car of the murdered there was a pair of pruning shears. How do you explain this?”. He replied:”I always finish my work at ten o’clock, such as the other employees. If you don’t trust me you can ask everyone”. I also asked :”Where did you go after you finish your work?”. He answered:” I went with the butler and his wife to the cemetery because it was ‘All Souls’ day’ “. Everything concided so neither him could be the killer.

But  the last one I talked to was his wife. I asked her:”You’re his wife. In his car we found a gold ring. It says 28/7/1986. How do you explain this?”. I gave it to her. She said:”28/7/1986 is our wedding date. That  night I was on the bed waiting for him, such as every night. The last thing I could imagine was that he was dead. Right now I’m sad and I’m getting more and more nervous if yoy don’t know who killed my husband!!”.

I said that her husband had a mistress and I decided to talk to her and the wife at the same time. I explained the situation and what we found into the car. At the beginning she lied saying that she didn’t know Mr Jack. Then I showed her  the gold ring and she was happy . She said:”I finally found my precious ring  I thought  I lost it”. She couldn’t  answer  my questions so by far the killer was the mistress.

What will happen? (Making Predictions using will)

Life in Anglo Saxon Britain | History - The Story of Britain

Video SparkNotes: Shakespeare's Hamlet Summary

The Celts mind map

Hamlet - Summary

Queen Elizabeth I Biography

Macbeth's themes

MACBETH'S THEMES

Macbeth - Themes video

ALIBI GAME -to practise PAST TENSE

Questions using the Past tense.
Some students still have problems in the use of Past Tense.

They've been asked to write down some questions.

Some suspects, a murder and a detective.....Mr Jones...asking questions.....

  Hello there, it’s Detective Jones.

Last week, on 13^th of November, Mr. Jack died.

He was found dead on the bed of The Wellington Hotel, in London.

Next to the body there was a black gun, a pair of black gloves and some blond straight hair.

Now I’m with the suspects.

Particulary his wife Cheryl, his brother Michael (he looks like Brad Pitt, with long blond hair) and his college’s friend, Briana.

I asked his wife: WHERE WERE YOU ON 13^TH FRIDAY OF NOVEMBER?

-And she answered: I went to the gym, I always go to the gym in the evening because he was at work up to 9 p.m.

After that I asked his brother: WERE YOU BROTHER? HOW DID HE BEHAVE WITH YOU?

-Michael was scared and he said: We’ve never talked lately because I work in Ohio and our parents died seven years ago, yes, we were brothers but I can’t stand that, it's terrifying.

He was credible but I’m a Detective, everything could happen!

Briana was a bit insecure on the answer.

I asked her: MR JACK HAS WORKED FOR HIS COMPANY FOR FIVE YEARS AND YOU WERE COLLEGE’S FRIENDS. MR JACK TALKED WITH YOU ABOUT HIS PROBLEMS? DIDN’T HE?

And she answered stammering: I loved Jack too much and when he said to me about his marriage I was very angry, we always stayed together at the college but after that news I decided to change my mind, We stayed only friends.

BUT WHY WAS MR JACK AT THE HOTEL?

I supposed about a meeting between Michael and Jack but it was wrong.

Michael was in Ohio and his wife was seriously at gym.

WHERE WERE YOU ON 13^TH FRIDAY OF NOVEMBER, BRIANA?

I asked Briana and she said: I was at the supermarket! -After that- No, I’m sorry, I was at home!

I had my answer, too easy!

The genetic test of the blond hair coincided with Briana’s hair.

Probably she was his mistress and this is why Mr Jack was at that Hotel.

Wrong move Briana!

Another problem solved by Detective Jones!

See you soon!

Alibi Game Example: The Case of the Missing Trophy

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 B1 Vocabulary & Focus

• Focus: Past Simple, Time Adverbs (yesterday, last night, this morning), Common Verbs (eat, watch, do homework, listen to, leave, arrive), Prepositions of Place (at, in, near).

• Target Phrases: "I was at...", "I was doing...", "We left...", "He/She said...", "At [time], I was..."

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 The Background Crime: "The Silver Snitch"

Crime: The prestigious 'Silver Snitch' trophy from the school's annual Quidditch tournament was stolen from the locked display case in the main hall between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM last night.

The Suspects: Two students, Alex and Ben, were seen near the main hall shortly before the time of the crime. They are roommates.

The Task: The class (playing as Detectives) must interview Alex and Ben (played by two students) to find contradictions in their stories. Alex and Ben must create a shared, consistent alibi!

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 Suspect Roles (Alex & Ben)

Goal: Create a believable, shared story of what you were doing between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM last night.

Time Slot	Shared Alibi Activity	Key Details to Remember
5:00 PM	Arrived home from school.	Changed clothes, put books away.
5:30 PM	Ate dinner together.	Pizza and salad. Watched the news on TV.
6:30 PM	Did homework in the living room.	Alex worked on Math; Ben worked on History.
7:30 PM	Walked to the corner shop.	To buy snacks (crisps and a drink).
8:00 PM	Started watching a movie.	Remember the name of the movie!

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 Detective Questions (B1 Level)

The Detectives should use these types of questions:

1. "What did you do after school yesterday?" (Start general)

2. "Where were you at 6:00 PM?" (Specific time check)

3. "Did you eat dinner together?"

4. "What did you eat?" (Detail check)

5. "When did you leave your apartment?" (Specific action/time)

6. "Who was with you when you did your homework?"

7. "What did you buy at the shop?" (Detail check)

8. "What time did you start watching the movie?" (Specific time check)

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How to Play

1. Preparation (5-7 mins): Alex and Ben go outside the room to create their alibi using the table above. They must memorize the details. The Detectives review the timeline of the crime and the question list.

2. Interview: Alex is brought back in and interviewed by the Detectives. The teacher (or another student) writes down Alex's answers.

3. Second Interview: Alex leaves, and Ben is brought in. Detectives ask the same questions in a different order to check for consistency.

4. Conclusion: The Detectives compare the notes. If there are contradictions (e.g., Alex says "We ate burgers," but Ben says "We ate pizza"), the Detectives declare the alibi broken, and the suspects are 'guilty'.

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Alibi Game Example: The Stolen Plane Ticket

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B1 Vocabulary & Focus

• Focus: Past Simple (went, bought, met, saw), Time Phrases (before, after, during, exactly at), Travel Verbs (miss, wait, check in, arrive), Adjectives for feeling (tired, happy, annoyed).

• Target Phrases: "I was supposed to...", "We couldn't because...", "He/She told me...", "We had an agreement..."

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The Background Crime: "The Disappeared Documents"

Crime: A valuable, non-refundable plane ticket to a major sports event was stolen from the school's travel office, which was only open between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM this afternoon. The thief must have been someone who was supposed to be in class or at a scheduled activity.

The Suspects: Two friends, Sam and Maya, who were planning to travel together but who were seen near the travel office earlier that morning.

The Task: Sam and Maya must create a rock-solid, shared alibi for 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM this afternoon.

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Suspect Roles (Sam & Maya)

Goal: Create a believable, shared story about your activities during the key time slot.

Time Slot	Shared Alibi Activity	Key Details to Remember
12:30 PM	Lunch in the main school cafeteria.	Maya had soup; Sam had a sandwich. Sat near the big window.
1:30 PM	Went to the library together.	To get a book for a class report. Checked out one specific book.
2:00 PM	Met a friend (Leo) outside the library.	Talked about weekend plans for about 20 minutes.
2:30 PM	Walked to the bus stop.	Sam bought a drink from a vending machine there.
3:00 PM	Arrived at the local park.	Sat on the bench and talked about the travel ticket.

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Detective Questions (B1 Level)

The Detectives should use these types of questions:

1. "Where were you when you finished your lunch?"

2. "What did you eat at the cafeteria?" (Detail check)

3. "Which book did you get from the library?" (Specific detail check)

4. "Did you see anyone you knew after the library?"

5. "What did Leo say to you?" (Reported speech check)

6. "What did you buy from the vending machine?"

7. "Who paid for the drink?" (Detail check)

8. "What time did you get to the park?"

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Why this works for B1

This scenario forces the teenagers to use:

• Past Simple: "I bought a drink," "We met Leo."

• Time Prepositions: "We were at the library from 1:30 to 2:00."

• Sequencing: "We had lunch before we went to the library, and after that, we met Leo."

• Recounting Details: They must remember small, specific details about objects and food to ensure their stories match.