英语博客(A cup of English):055 Car crash

　　Beginners.

The other day, I was looking in the kitchen for a cookie. It was mid-afternoon and I was having a 'snack attack'. I opened the cupboard hoping to find a few oatmeal cookies (my favorites), or perhaps chocolate chip cookies. Unfortunately there were none, just a few crumbs 1 where the last packet had been. I had nothing to dip in my cup of tea. I thought, "Why don't I quickly make some?" Immediately, I realized that I didn't have any chocolate chips; we were out of them. I didn't want to jump in the car and go to the shops just for a bag of chocolate; it would be easier to buy a packet of cookies. As I was thinking, I rememered an embarrassing accident I had many years ago because of chocolate chips. My husband was making cookies. "Anna, we're out of chocolate chips. Can you run down to the store to buy some?" So, I did. I parked the car, his pick-up Chevy truck, outside the supermarket, and ran in. There were just a few people in the store. I bought the chocolate and walked out towards the truck. It wasn't where I had parked. It was about five meters away, and right next to a car. There was a group of people around it. U-oh. I understood what had happened. I had not put the truck in 'park' before turning it off. So, when I was shopping, it had rolled backwards 2 and hit a car. I was in big trouble.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: cookie, snack-attack, cupboard, chocolate chips, crumbs.

Typical expressions: to run to (by car).

Ex: I ran to the store and bought a jacket (means by car).

We made a quick run to the library.

To jump in (the car)/ on (the bike).

Ex: He jumped on his bike and got to school on time.

You're going to be late! Jump in the car and get going!

Advanced.

So, you heard about my oops incident. It was a nightmare 3, truly. The funny thing was, I had just learned to drive, and I was very proud of my effort to go to the store by myself in this Chevy truck. I thought that I had done very well to drive on the other side of the road; in England we drive on the left. It was a pleasant *Autumn evening, already dark, and the supermarket was quite empty. I quickly found the cooking aisle 4, chose the bag of chocolate chips, and went to the cashier to check out. Over the loud speaker I suddenly heard, "Could the owner of the green and tan Chevy truck please report to customer services." A bad, sinking feeling rose is my stomach, but I convinced myself that there must be one other person in the store who drove a green and tan truck just like ours. There wasn't. I finished with the cashier clerk and went outside to find the truck. I was horrified 5 at what I saw. My truck had rolled backwards quite a few feet, and hit a parked car. At the time, a man was napping in the car, waiting for his wife who was shopping. Eek! The poor man must have had quite a shock. Fancy being hit by an empty car when you are parked in a parking lot! My first instinct was to walk straight past the two cars and the crowd that had gathered around them. But how could I do that? I had to confess, and call and let my husband know about the incident. That bag of chocolate chips ended up being a lot more expensive than ususal. That's why I prefer oatmeal cookies.

Grammar notes.

Common expressions: Oops! Eek! What a shock! Fancy that! Fancy + gerund, the poor man/woman/thing/etc, a sinking feeling.

Verbs (plu-perfect): I had just learned (how) to drive.

The car had gone off the road and crashed into a tree.

She had not studied enough for the final exam, so she felt nervous.

Hadn't he had enough fighting for one day?