Narrative Reading: The Wallet on the Bench

It was a sunny afternoon in the park when I noticed a wallet sitting on the bench. I stood there, debating whether to pick it up or just leave it alone. As I looked around, I couldn’t see anyone nearby who might have dropped it. "Finders keepers," I thought to myself with a smile, though I knew that wasn’t the right thing to do.

I bent down and grabbed the wallet, hoping it wouldn’t tear apart in my hands—it looked old and worn. Inside, I found a folded piece of paper with a name and number. I decided to look around one more time before calling the number. Just as I was about to give up, a man came running up, out of breath. He wiped a tear from his cheek and thanked me profusely. “That wallet means the world to me,” he said. It felt good to have made the right choice.

PIE PROMPTS

1. P (Pronunciation)

   • Vocabulary in the text:

     • Idiom: Finders keepers

     • Phrasal Verbs: Pick it up, Look around, give up

     • Homonyms; Tear (a drop from the eye) / Tear (to rip).

2. I (Intonation)

   • Stress these words to match the narrative tone:

     • wallet, tear, look, around

3. E (Expression)

   • Yes, this should be expressive so the listener feels the narrator's internal debate and the resolution of the situation.