In 1982 someone put poison in Tylenol medicine on shop shelves. It was not the company's fault. The company took back every bottle in America anyway.
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. Nobody could drink the water from the river, because there was in it.
2. The milk is on the top in the fridge.
3. The accident wasn't your . The other driver was looking at his phone.
4. The waiter came to our plates after dinner.
5. I don't that website. The prices are too low to be real.
6. She was ill for two weeks, but she quickly after that.
1. poison · 2. shelf · 3. fault · 4. remove · 5. trust · 6. recovered
Read each part. Then answer the questions before you read the next part.
In 1982, Tylenol was the most popular painkiller in America.
More than a third of all painkillers sold in the country were Tylenol. The company that made it was Johnson & Johnson.
At the end of September 1982, seven people near Chicago died suddenly. It happened in about three days.
The police soon found the link. All seven people took Tylenol capsules just before they died. Somebody had put poison inside the capsules.
The poison did not come from the factory. Somebody took bottles from shop shelves. They opened the capsules, added poison, and put the bottles back.
In 1982, bottles had no seals. You could not see if somebody had opened one.
So it was not the company's fault. But the company's name was on every bottle. And nobody knew how many poisoned bottles there were.
True or false? Click your answer.
1. Tylenol was a small brand that few people used.
2. The poison was put in the capsules after they left the factory.
3. In 1982, you could easily see if someone had opened a bottle.
As soon as the company understood the danger, it stopped all Tylenol advertising.
It opened phone lines for worried customers and doctors. It talked to journalists openly, every day.
Then it did something very big. It took Tylenol capsules back from every shop in America. This recall was about thirty-one million bottles.
The recall cost about one hundred million dollars.
Not everyone agreed with this decision. The deaths were only in one city. Some officials worried that other criminals would copy the crime.
Customers stopped buying Tylenol. Before the deaths, more than a third of painkillers were Tylenol. A few weeks later, it was less than one in ten.
Many experts said the brand was finished. They said nobody would ever trust the name again.
True or false? Click your answer.
1. The company stopped advertising Tylenol.
2. The company removed bottles only from shops in Chicago.
3. Everybody agreed that the national recall was a good idea.
About six weeks after the deaths, Tylenol came back to the shops.
The new bottles had three seals: a glued box, plastic around the top, and foil under the cap. If someone opened a bottle, you could see it.
The company also gave people money-off coupons. It sent many workers to talk to doctors.
It worked. In about a year, Tylenol won back most of its customers. The brand recovered.
The police never found the killer. After 1982, most medicine bottles in the world started to use seals.
Business schools still teach this story as a perfect example. But the later story is not so simple.
Years later, around 2010, the company had problems in its own factories. It had to take back children's medicines. People said it forgot its own lesson.
In 2025 the US government said the medicine may be linked to autism if women take it in pregnancy. The company and many doctors said the science does not show this.
So here is the question. In 1982, was the company brave? Or was it easy, because the company was clearly the victim?
True or false? Click your answer.
1. The new bottles had three different seals.
2. The police found and arrested the killer in 1983.
3. Around 2010, the company had quality problems in its own factories.
This story happens very fast, so we need words that show when things happen.
when — at that time: I was at school when the phone rang.
as soon as — immediately when: Call me as soon as the train arrives.
before / after — earlier / later: Wash your hands before you eat.
until — up to that time, then it stops: We stayed at the party until midnight.
Careful: when we talk about the future, we do not use will after these words. I'll text you when I get home. (NOT when I will get)
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| when | at that time | It was raining when we left. |
| as soon as | immediately when | I'll start as soon as you are ready. |
| before | earlier than | Turn off the lights before you go. |
| after | later than | We had coffee after the meeting. |
| until | up to that time | The shop is open until nine. |
Use when, as soon as, before, after or until. Use each word once.
1. Customers had to wait the new bottles arrived in November.
2. Please check the seal you open the bottle.
3. The company stopped its adverts it heard the news — in the same hour.
4. the crisis ended, Tylenol slowly won back its customers.
5. My father was a young man this happened, so he remembers it.
1. until · 2. before · 3. as soon as · 4. After · 5. when
Each sentence has one mistake. Say the correct sentence out loud, then check.
1. I'll call you as soon as I will get home.
2. Before to take the medicine, read the label.
3. We waited outside until the shop open.
4. When I will see her tomorrow, I'll give her the book.
5. After finish work, I usually go to the gym.
1. I'll call you as soon as I get home. (no will after time words)
2. Before you take (or taking) the medicine, read the label. (not before to)
3. We waited outside until the shop opened. (past story = past simple)
4. When I see her tomorrow, I'll give her the book. (no will after when)
5. After I finish (or finishing) work, I usually go to the gym. (add a subject, or use -ing)
Take your time. Short sentences are fine.
Tell me the Tylenol story in your own words. Six or seven sentences is enough.
Tell me about a brand you trust — or a brand you stopped trusting.
What happened? What could the company do to win you back?
Think of a time a shop, a company or a service made a mistake with you.
What did they do first? Was it the right thing?
Tell me about your plans for the next few days.
Use when, as soon as, before, after and until — and no will after them!