A university student makes a website that becomes huge — and loses two friends because of it. Most of the story is true.
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These are the new words. Match each word (1–10) to its meaning (A–J). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is C" — then check.
1 = C (an idea) · 2 = B (a website) · 3 = D (a share) · 4 = E (a lawyer) · 5 = F (rich)
6 = A (twins) · 7 = H (to argue) · 8 = G (to agree) · 9 = I (a university) · 10 = J (money)
David Fincher's The Social Network (2010). Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one. (There are spoilers — that is fine, we want to talk about it.)
Mark is a clever student at Harvard, a famous university in the USA. He is very good with computers, but not very popular. Two rich twin brothers at the university, Cameron and Tyler, have an idea. They want to make a website only for Harvard students. They ask Mark to help them build it, because he is a great programmer.
Mark says yes to the twins. But secretly, he starts to build his own, different website — his own idea.
1. What idea do the twins have?
2. What does Mark do instead of just helping them?
1. A website only for students at their university.
2. He secretly starts to build his own, different website.
Mark makes his own website. His best friend, Eduardo, gives him money to start it and helps with the business side. The website becomes very popular at Harvard, and then at other universities too. It grows incredibly fast.
The twins are angry. They believe Mark stole their idea. A confident, exciting businessman named Sean tells Mark to think bigger — to move to California and find rich investors. Eduardo does not trust Sean, and the two men begin to argue.
1. Who gives Mark money to start the website?
2. Why do the twins feel angry?
1. His best friend, Eduardo.
2. They believe Mark used their idea for a Harvard social network without them.
The company grows and needs more money, so it makes new company shares for new investors. But something bad happens to Eduardo: his share of the company becomes much, much smaller — almost worth nothing. When he understands this, he is shocked and very angry. He feels his best friend betrayed him.
Both the twins and Eduardo take Mark to court. The website becomes one of the biggest companies in the world. But by the end, Mark has lost his two closest friends.
1. What happens to Eduardo's share of the company?
2. What does Mark lose, even though his company succeeds?
1. It becomes much smaller, almost worthless, without him fully understanding why.
2. His two closest friends.
This story is full of people reporting what other people said. English has two common reporting verbs — say and tell — and they work in different ways.
Complete each sentence with the correct verb.
1. The twins that Mark stole their idea.
2. Mark Eduardo that the company was doing well.
3. Eduardo that he felt betrayed.
1. said (no person after it)
2. told (person right after it)
3. said (no person after it)
Complete each sentence with said or told.
1. Sean Mark he should move to California.
2. Mark he wanted to build something bigger.
3. The lawyer Eduardo the case might take years.
1. told (+ person + that)
2. said (+ that, no person)
3. told (+ person + that)
Fill each gap with said or told. Read it aloud when you finish.
After the meeting, Eduardo that he was confused about the new shares. Mark him that everything was fine. But later, Eduardo his lawyer that he didn't believe Mark any more.
said · told · told
Use said when no person follows the verb, and told when a person follows it directly.
Here is the surprising part: the two big fights in this film really happened, and there is real proof — court documents and money that really changed hands.
Facebook really started at Harvard University in February 2004. Mark Zuckerberg made it with friends, including Eduardo Saverin. The twin brothers, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, really did take Mark to court — they said he used their idea. In 2008, the two sides agreed a settlement: the twins received about $65 million.
Eduardo Saverin's share of the company really did become much smaller. He also took Mark to court. In 2009, the two sides agreed a settlement too — and Facebook officially called him a co-founder again. When Facebook became a public company in 2012, his small share was worth billions of dollars.
But one part of the film is not true. The film starts with Mark's girlfriend, Erica, leaving him — and this makes him angry enough to build his first website. In real life, "Erica" did not exist. Mark already had a real girlfriend, Priscilla, at this time.
Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of The Social Network in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a clever student and someone else's idea → a friend's money and a website that grows fast → a smaller share and a broken friendship.
Try to use some key words (idea, website, share, lawyer, rich, twins, argue, agree, university, money) and say / tell.
Mark used his own idea instead of just helping the twins, and later Eduardo's share became very small. Do you think Mark did something wrong? What would you do if you were him?
Talk about ideas, money and friendship. Use say and tell.
Not sure what to say? Choose one: