A Roman city that disappeared in one day.
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First, let’s learn eight words. They are mixed up, not in story order. Read each word and its sentence, guess the meaning, then click Reveal to check. Say each word out loud.
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
Pompeii was a busy Roman town. It was near a big mountain called Vesuvius. The town had streets, houses, shops, and many people. Life was good.
Every day, the people looked up at the mountain. But they did not know one important thing. They did not know that the mountain was a volcano. They did not know it was dangerous.
Then, in the year 79 AD, something terrible happened. The volcano erupted. It opened with a huge noise. Hot rock and ash came out. The people were afraid. They did not understand what was happening.
1. What kind of place was Pompeii? What was near it?
2. What did the people not know about the mountain?
1. Pompeii was a busy Roman town with streets, houses, and shops. There was a big mountain called Vesuvius near it.
2. They did not know that the mountain was a volcano. They did not know it was dangerous.
The volcano sent a huge cloud of ash and stone high into the sky. The cloud went up and up, very high. People could see it from far away.
Then the ash started to fall. It fell on the town like grey rain. It fell for hours. Slowly, the ash covered the houses and the streets.
Many people ran away to escape. They took what they could and ran to the sea or the roads. But many other people stayed. Maybe they thought the ash would stop soon. A famous Roman man called Pliny watched everything from across the bay. Later, he wrote about it, so we know the story today.
1. What came out of the volcano, and what did it do to the town?
2. What did the people do? Who was Pliny?
1. A huge cloud of ash and stone went high into the sky. The ash fell on the town and slowly covered the houses and streets.
2. Many people ran away to escape, but many others stayed. Pliny was a famous Roman man who watched from across the bay and wrote about it.
On the second day, the volcano became more dangerous. It sent hot gas down the mountain, very fast. The gas reached the town. The people who stayed could not escape. The hot gas killed them. About 13,000 to 16,000 people died.
After this, the town was quiet. The ash buried Pompeii completely. The city stayed under the ash for about 1,700 years. People forgot it was there.
Then, in 1748, people started to dig up the town. Slowly, they found the streets, the houses, and even the shapes of the people. Today, you can walk in the ruins of Pompeii. It is a famous place, and many people go there to visit.
1. What happened on the second day? How many people died?
2. How long was the city under the ash? When did people dig it up?
1. On the second day, hot gas came down the mountain and killed the people who stayed. About 13,000 to 16,000 people died.
2. The city was under the ash for about 1,700 years. People started to dig it up in 1748.
Pompeii was a busy city, but then it stopped. To talk about things that happened many times in the past, but not now, we use used to.
Write used to + the verb.
1. People (meet) in the forum every day.
2. The bakers (make) fresh bread every morning.
3. Pompeii (be) a rich and busy town.
4. Families (go) to the baths in the afternoon.
1. used to meet
2. used to make
3. used to be
4. used to go
Remember: didn't use to and Did … use to …? — no d on "use".
1. The people (not / know) the mountain was a volcano.
2. people (buy) bread in the street?
3. Long ago, tourists (not / visit) Pompeii, because it was under the ash.
1. didn't use to know
2. Did … use to buy
3. didn't use to visit
Write used to (or didn't use to) + the verb. Then read it out loud.
Long ago, Pompeii (be) a busy Roman town. People (work) in the markets and shops. Every day, they (meet) friends in the forum. They (not / know) that the mountain was dangerous. Children (play) in the streets near the baths.
used to be · used to work · used to meet · didn't use to know · used to play
All of these are past habits and situations that are not true now — so we use used to.
There is a real podcast about Pompeii. 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. Hosted by historians, roughly 50 minutes.
Listen on Spotify →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
First, describe how people used to live in Pompeii before the volcano — what they used to do each day. Think about: the markets, the shops, the baths, the bakers, the forum. Then tell the rest of the story: the people did not know it was a volcano → the volcano erupted → the ash fell and buried the town → some people ran away, some stayed → the city was lost for 1,700 years → people dug it up → we visit it today.
Try to use used to for the old daily life ("People used to…", "They used to…"), and some of the key words (volcano, erupt, ash, cloud, escape, bury, dig up, ruins).
Pompeii shows us one normal day, frozen in time. Would you like to visit it? Why, or why not? How do you think you would feel there?
Tell me about a famous old place or building you know — in your country or anywhere. What is its story? How old is it? Why is it special?
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: