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Bright Lives English
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Pelé: His Father Cried… So the Boy Made a Promise

Level A1 (Beginner) · Watch the video and do the online quiz at https://brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/pele-the-promise/

A Match the words to their meanings

  1. ball (noun)
  2. sock (noun)
  3. kick (verb)
  4. team (noun)
  5. goal (noun)
  6. field (noun)
  7. shirt (noun)
  8. score (verb)
  1. when the ball goes into the net
  2. to hit something with your foot (past: kicked)
  3. you wear it on your foot
  4. a big area of grass where people play sports (also: pitch)
  5. clothes for the top of your body
  6. to get a goal or a point (past: scored)
  7. a round thing you play with
  8. a group of players who play together

B Complete the sentences from the story

sock · shirts · ball · goals · scored · team · kicked · field

  1. In the final, he two goals.
  2. In 1970, Brazil played in yellow .
  3. He played with a full of paper.
  4. He scored more than a thousand .
  5. His family had no money for a .
  6. He played on a big green .
  7. At fifteen, he joined a big .
  8. He the ball all day.

C Did you understand?

  1. Pelé's family had a lot of money.True / False
  2. What did he play with when he was a boy?
    1. A new leather ball
    2. A tennis ball
    3. A sock full of paper
    4. A big stone
  3. Why did his father cry in 1950?
    1. Pelé was ill
    2. Brazil lost the World Cup final
    3. The radio was broken
    4. They had no food
  4. In 1958, Pelé was only seventeen.True / False
  5. How many times did he win the World Cup?
    1. One
    2. Five
    3. Ten
    4. Three

D Put the words in order

  1. When / promise / a / was / he / nine / made / he

E Grammar: When + past simple, past simple

We use it for to say the time of something in the past. When he was nine, he made a promise. · When he was fifteen, he joined a big team. · When I was a child, I played football.

Example from the story: When he was nine, he made a promise.

  1. he was a little boy, he cleaned shoes for money. (When / What / Who)
  2. When he was fifteen, he a big team. (joined / joins / join)
  3. When he seventeen, he played in the World Cup final. (was / is / were)

F Your turn

Retell Pelé's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.

Transcript

A little boy saw his father cry.

Their country lost a big football game.

The boy said: Don't cry.

I will win the World Cup for you.

This is the story of Pelé.

Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.

Ball. A ball is round.

You play football with a ball.

His family had no money for a ball.

Sock. You wear a sock on your foot.

He played with a sock full of paper.

Kick. When you kick, you hit something with your foot.

The past is kicked.

He kicked the ball all day.

Team. A team is a group of players who play together.

At fifteen, he joined a big team.

Goal. When the ball goes into the net, it is a goal.

He scored more than a thousand goals.

Now, one pattern: when.

We use when to say the time of something in the past.

He was nine.

He made a promise.

When he was nine, he made a promise.

Ready? Let's begin.

Pelé was born in Brazil in 1940.

His real name was Edson.

His family was poor.

When he was a little boy, he cleaned shoes for money.

His family had no money for a ball.

So he played with a sock full of paper.

He kicked the ball all day with his friends.

In 1950, Brazil played the last big game of the World Cup.

The family listened on the radio.

Brazil lost!

Edson saw his father cry.

When he was nine, he made a promise.

"I will win the World Cup for you."

When he was fifteen, he joined a big team.

At sixteen, he played for Brazil.

Could he keep his promise?

In 1958, the World Cup was in Sweden.

Pelé was only 17.

In the final, he scored two goals.

Brazil won!

Pelé cried. He was very happy.

His friends held him.

He won the World Cup again in 1962 and in 1970.

He is the only player with three World Cup wins.

He scored more than a thousand goals.

Pelé died in 2022, at 82.

People everywhere remember him.

And he kept his promise to his father.

Let's review. His family had no money for a ball.

He played with a sock full of paper.

He kicked the ball all day.

At fifteen, he joined a big team.

He scored more than a thousand goals.

And remember: when he was nine, he made a promise.

Pelé's story teaches us: make a big promise, then work hard to keep it.

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Answer key

A. 1g 2c 3b 4h 5a 6d 7e 8f

B. 1 scored · 2 shirts · 3 sock · 4 goals · 5 ball · 6 field · 7 team · 8 kicked

C. 1 False · 2 c · 3 b · 4 True · 5 d

D. 1 When he was nine he made a promise.

E. 1 When · 2 joined · 3 was