A Danish company made energy from oil, gas and coal. Then it decided to change — and it changed almost everything.
Harder version: read this lesson at C1 level →
Look at each word. Say what you think it means. Then tap the card.
Tap a card to see the meaning.
Write one word from the cards in each gap.
1. My car was very cheap, but my brother's car was very .
2. I don't have enough money. Can I fifty euros from you?
3. She wants to her old phone and buy a new one.
4. Turn off the lights. We use too much in this house.
5. He studied every night, and he in his exam.
6. Driving fast in the rain is a big .
1. expensive · 2. borrow · 3. sell · 4. energy · 5. succeeded · 6. risk
Read each part. Then answer the questions before you read the next part.
Denmark is a small country in the north of Europe. In 2008 it had a big energy company. The name was DONG. The company made electricity for people's homes.
It made this electricity from coal, oil and gas. Eighty-five per cent of its energy came from these things. They are cheap, but they are dirty. They make the air bad and they change the weather of the planet.
Then the company made a decision. It wanted to stop using coal, oil and gas. It wanted to make energy from the wind instead. It wanted to build big wind farms in the sea.
This was a very big risk. Wind farms in the sea were new. They were very expensive. The company had to borrow a lot of money from banks. Many people said, "This is a stupid plan. It will not work."
In 2012 there was a big problem. The company lost a lot of money. It nearly died. But the new boss did not stop the plan. He kept it.
True or false? Click your answer.
1. In 2008, most of the company's energy came from the wind.
2. Wind farms in the sea were cheap and easy.
3. In 2012 the company had serious money problems.
Then the plan started to work.
The wind machines got bigger. Companies learned how to build them faster. So the price went down, down, down. Wind energy became much cheaper.
The Danish company was the first big company to try this. So now it was the best at it. It won contracts all over the world.
In 2017 the company sold all its oil and gas business. It did not want it any more. It also changed its name. The new name was Ørsted, after a famous Danish scientist.
Ørsted became the biggest wind farm company in the world. Its shares became very expensive. Business schools taught the story to students. Everybody said, "Look! An old dirty company can change. This company succeeded."
True or false? Click your answer.
1. Wind energy became more expensive in these years.
2. The company sold its oil and gas business in 2017.
3. Ørsted is the name of a Danish scientist.
After 2022, two things happened at the same time.
First, banks started to ask for much more money for their loans. This was a big problem, because the company borrowed a lot of money.
Second, steel, cables and workers became much more expensive. But the company promised its prices years before. It could not change them now.
In 2023 Ørsted stopped two big projects in America. It lost billions. Its shares fell by about seventy-five per cent. The boss left the company.
But here is the interesting part. The idea was not wrong. People still need electricity. Countries still want their own energy. Companies are still building wind farms today.
The company was right about the future. It was wrong about the price.
True or false? Click your answer.
1. After 2022, borrowing money became more expensive.
2. The company stopped two projects in Denmark.
3. Today, nobody builds wind farms any more.
This story happened in the past. It is finished. So we use the past simple.
Regular verbs: add -ed.
work → worked · want → wanted · start → started · decide → decided · borrow → borrowed
Irregular verbs: you must learn them. There is no rule.
make → made · sell → sold · build → built · become → became · lose → lost
In negatives and questions we use did, and the main verb goes back to its normal form.
| Type | Example | Careful! |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | They sold the oil business. | — |
| Negative | They did not sell the wind business. | NOT |
| Question | Did they sell the oil business? | NOT |
All of these verbs are in the story.
| Now | Past | Now | Past |
|---|---|---|---|
| decide | build | ||
| want | sell | ||
| borrow | become | ||
| start | lose | ||
| happen | get |
Regular: decided · wanted · borrowed · started · happened
Irregular: built · sold · became · lost · got
Use the past simple. One word for each gap.
1. In 2008 the company to change its energy.
2. It a lot of money from the banks.
3. It big wind farms in the sea.
4. In 2017 it its oil and gas business.
5. It the biggest wind company in the world.
6. In 2023 it billions on two American projects.
1. decided 2. borrowed 3. built 4. sold 5. became 6. lost
Each sentence has one mistake. Say the correct sentence out loud, then check.
1. The company did not sold the wind business.
2. Did they built the wind farms in the sea?
3. In 2012 the company loses a lot of money.
4. The wind machines becomed bigger every year.
5. Why the boss did leave the company?
1. The company did not sell the wind business. (after "did", use the normal verb)
2. Did they build the wind farms in the sea? (same rule)
3. In 2012 the company lost a lot of money. (2012 is finished time)
4. The wind machines became bigger every year. ("become" is irregular)
5. Why did the boss leave the company? ("did" comes before the person)
Make five past simple questions about the story and ask them out loud. Begin each one with a different word:
Take your time. Use the past simple. Short sentences are fine.
Tell me the story of this company in your own words. Six or seven sentences is enough.
Tell me about a time you changed something important — a job, a city, a habit, a plan.
What did you do? Was it difficult? Are you happy now?
Tell me about a risk you took. What happened after?
Some people say: change now, even when it is expensive. Other people say: wait, and change later.
Which do you think is better? Say why. Give one example.