The most famous gangster in America — and the tax bill that finally caught him.
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Here are the new words for the Al Capone story. Do the four short tasks. Do the thinking first, then click Reveal to check.
Match each word (1–5) to its meaning (A–E). Say it out loud — "I think 1 is C" — then check.
1 = C (a gangster) · 2 = A (a gang) · 3 = D (illegal)
4 = E (a crime) · 5 = B (the police)
Read each sentence. What do you think the bold word means? Decide, then reveal.
Three words go together. One is different. Say which one — and why — then reveal.
Read the meaning. Which word is it? The first letter helps. Reveal to check.
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
Al Capone was born in New York in 1899. His family came from Italy. He left school at fourteen and joined a street gang. In a fight in a bar, a knife cut his face. This gave him his nickname: "Scarface." He did not like this name. When he was young, he moved to the city of Chicago to work for an older gangster.
Then something big happened. In 1920, a new law said that alcohol was illegal in America. This time was called Prohibition. But people still wanted to drink. So they went to secret bars called speakeasies. Someone had to make the alcohol and sell it — illegally. This job was bootlegging, and Capone did it very well.
Capone made a lot of alcohol in secret and sold it all over Chicago. He made millions of dollars. He also used fear: shops had to pay him money, or he hurt them. He gave money to some police and judges, so they did not stop him. Soon he was the most powerful gangster in the city.
1. What was Prohibition, and why did it help Capone?
2. How did Capone make so much money?
1. It was a law that made alcohol illegal. But people still wanted to drink, so Capone sold it to them illegally and became rich.
2. By bootlegging — making and selling illegal alcohol — and by making shops pay him money.
Capone was like two different people. To many people in Chicago, he was almost a hero. He talked to newspapers. He went to sports matches. When times were hard and many people had no job, he opened a place that gave free food to the poor. He wanted people to like him.
But behind this, Capone was very dangerous. Other gangs wanted the same business, and the gangs fought each other. On 14 February 1929 — St Valentine's Day — seven men from another gang were killed in a garage. Some of the killers were dressed as police. Most people believed Capone gave the order, but Capone was in Florida, far away, and no one could prove it.
This day is called the St Valentine's Day Massacre. After it, many people were afraid of Capone and did not like him any more. Now the police really wanted to stop him. But there was a big problem: people were too scared to speak against him in court, and some police took his money.
1. How did Capone try to make people like him?
2. What happened on St Valentine's Day in 1929?
1. He talked to newspapers, went to matches, and gave free food to poor people. He wanted a good public image.
2. Seven men from another gang were killed in a garage. People believed Capone gave the order, but no one could prove it.
For years, the police could not put Capone in prison. People were too afraid to speak in court. So the government tried a new idea. Capone was very rich, but he never paid tax on his money. This was also a crime — a smaller one, but easier to prove.
A team of people looked at his money for a long time. They found the proof. In 1931, Capone went to court — not for killing people, but for not paying his tax. This time, his money could not save him. The court sent him to prison for eleven years.
Capone spent some of these years in Alcatraz, a famous prison on an island. But he was already ill. An old illness had hurt his brain. When he left prison in 1939, he was very sick. He died in 1947, at his home in Florida. He was only forty-eight. The most powerful gangster in America was not stopped by a gun — he was stopped by a tax bill.
1. Why couldn't the police put Capone in prison for killing people?
2. What crime finally sent Capone to prison?
1. People were too afraid to speak against him in court, so there was no proof.
2. Not paying his tax. He was rich but never paid tax on his money, and the government proved this in court.
This is a story about the past. We use the past simple for finished actions in the past. Most of this story uses it.
Write the past simple of the verb in brackets.
1. Capone (work) for an older gangster in Chicago.
2. He (open) a place that gave free food.
3. Many people (want) to drink alcohol.
1. worked
2. opened
3. wanted
Write the past simple. These verbs do not use -ed.
1. Capone (go) to Chicago when he was young.
2. He (make) millions of dollars.
3. He (become) the most powerful gangster in the city.
1. went
2. made
3. became
Fill each gap with the past simple of the verb in brackets. Read it aloud when you finish.
In 1920, a new law (make) alcohol illegal. But people (want) to drink, so Capone (sell) it in secret. He (be) very rich, but he (not / pay) his tax. So the police (send) him to prison.
made · wanted · sold · was · did not pay (didn't pay) · sent
Remember: after did not, use the base verb ("did not pay", not "did not paid").
There is a real podcast about Al Capone. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.
From the Noiser podcast network. About 50 minutes. Open Spotify and search "Short History Of Al Capone" to find the episode.
Open the show on Spotify →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of Al Capone in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a boy in New York → he moved to Chicago → the law banned alcohol (Prohibition) → he sold illegal alcohol and became rich → the St Valentine's Day Massacre → the tax crime and prison.
Try to use the past simple ("he went", "he made", "he sold") and some of the key words (gangster, gang, illegal, crime, speakeasy, bootlegging, police, prison).
The government banned alcohol, but this helped criminals. Do you think a government should ban things that many people want? Talk about it. Give your reasons.
Tell a story about the past. Use the past simple ("I went…", "she said…", "we saw…").
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: