A BUNGLED BURGLARY

ACTIVITY 1
Match the words with their definitions.
1. a nickname A. police

2. an accomplice B. a bird which can copy a human

speech

3. a parrot C. a person who helps someone to

commit a crime

4. authorities D. entering a building and stealing things from

it

5. a burglary E. an informal name used instead of a

real one

The title of this lesson is: A BUNGLED BURGLARY. If someone bungled

something it means that they failed at something because they did it very badly or
without skill.

ACTIVITY 2
The article is a story about a bungled burglary. Put the story in the correct order.
BURGLARS GET THE BIRD
source: www.sky.com
A)
"They were afraid the bird would stool on1 them," said police Major Billy Garrett said.
"They actually believed he could identify them."
B)
However, one of the three realised that a parrot in the house had heard him using
the nickname "JJ" for one of his accomplices - and had started repeating it.
C)
Three thieves were undone2 when they returned to the scene of their alleged3 crime
- to silence a parrot.
D)
His cage broke open in the crash and he flew away. He has not been seen since.
E)
Police gave chase and caught the men moments later when their car crashed. The
men have been charged with aggravated4 burglary and evading5 arrest.
F)
They went back for the bird and were loading it into their car when police arrived,
authorities said.
G)
The trio allegedly stole DVD players, computers, radios, televisions and other
electronic items from a house in Memphis, Tennessee.
H)
However, the story has not ended happily for Marshmallow, the six-year-old parrot at
the centre of the drama.
1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 ___ 6 ___ 7 ___ 8 ___

WORD FOCUS
steal / rob / burgle / mug
STEAL - to take something without the owner’s permission.
to steal something from somebody
ROB - to steal money or things from a person or place.
to rob a place (e.g. a bank), to rob a person, to be robbed (about a person)
BURGLE - to enter the building illegally and steal from it.
to burgle a place, to be burgled (about a place, e.g. office, house, etc.)
MUG - to attack sb violently in order to steal their money, especially in a public place
to mug somebody

ACTIVITY 3
Fill in with correct words:
a person who steals is ……………………………………………….
a person who robs is ……………………………………………….
a person who burgles is ……………………………………………….
a person who mugs is ……………………………………………….

ACTIVITY 4
Write the STEAL / ROB / BURGLE / MUG in correct forms. Sometimes you can
use more than one word.
1. Nearly 2 million pets are ………………………………………….. a year.
2. I would like to report a …………………………………………… car.
3. She was ……………………………………………….. in the park in broad daytime.
4. The house on the other side of the road was ……………………………… last week.
5. They are planning to …………………………….. the bank.
6. He was …………………………….. of all his money.
7. I’ve been ……………………………….. .