A part of the sea where ships and planes are said to disappear — and the real reasons why.
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Here are the new words, in three short activities. Do each one out loud. Say your answer 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 (the sea) · 2 = A (a ship) · 3 = E (a plane)
4 = D (an island) · 5 = B (a storm)
Read the little clue and the emoji. Say the word, then reveal.
Is the second word the same or the opposite? Say your answer, then reveal.
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
The Bermuda Triangle is a part of the sea. It is in the Atlantic Ocean, near the United States. It is a big triangle between three places: the city of Miami, the island of Bermuda, and the island of Puerto Rico. Many ships and planes go across this sea every day.
On 5 December 1945, five American planes flew out from Florida. This group was called Flight 19. The flight was only a training exercise. But something went wrong. The leader said on the radio that his compass was not working. He did not know which way to fly. The planes were lost over the sea, and they never came back. Then another plane went to look for them — and that plane disappeared too.
People looked for the planes for many days. They found nothing at all — no bodies, no pieces, nothing. Fourteen men were lost. After this day, people started to say that this part of the sea was strange and dangerous.
1. Where is the Bermuda Triangle? Name the three places.
2. What happened to Flight 19?
1. In the Atlantic Ocean, near the United States. The three places are Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico.
2. Five American planes were lost on a training flight after the compass stopped working. Another plane looked for them and also disappeared. Nothing was found.
Flight 19 was not the first loss. In 1918, a very big American ship called the USS Cyclops sailed across this sea. There were more than 300 people on the ship. It did not send a radio message. It never arrived, and no one ever found it. This is still a mystery today.
For many years, people thought these were just separate accidents. Then, in 1964, a writer gave the sea a name: "the Bermuda Triangle." In 1974, a man named Charles Berlitz wrote a book. The book put all the lost ships and planes together in one story. It said maybe there was magic, or aliens, or a lost city under the water. The book sold millions of copies, and now everyone knew the name.
But there was a problem. The writers wanted an exciting story, so they made it bigger than the truth. They forgot to talk about the storms. Sometimes they wrote about ships that were lost far away, not in the Triangle at all. So the mystery grew, but not all of it was true.
1. What was the USS Cyclops, and what happened to it?
2. How did a book help make the Bermuda Triangle famous?
1. A very big American ship with more than 300 people. It sailed across the sea in 1918 and disappeared. No one ever found it.
2. In 1974 Charles Berlitz wrote a book that put all the lost ships and planes together and talked about magic and aliens. It sold millions of copies.
Later, some people looked at the facts more carefully. A big insurance company in London, called Lloyd's, checks all the ships that are lost in the world. They found something important: ships are lost in the Bermuda Triangle at the same rate as in other busy seas. There is nothing special about it.
The real reasons are quite simple. This part of the sea has very bad, fast storms. A strong warm current, called the Gulf Stream, moves through it and can carry pieces of a ship far away. Very many ships and planes cross this sea every day, so of course there are more accidents here than in an empty sea. And people make mistakes, like the lost pilots of Flight 19.
Some scientists also talk about gas under the sea. In theory, gas can come up from the bottom and make a ship sink. But there is little proof of this. Today, most scientists say the Bermuda Triangle is not really dangerous. So the big question is not "Why do ships disappear?" The big question is: "Why do we like a scary mystery so much?"
1. What did the company Lloyd's of London find?
2. Name two normal reasons why ships and planes are lost here.
1. Ships are lost in the Bermuda Triangle at the same rate as in other busy seas. There is nothing special about it.
2. Any two of: fast, bad storms; the strong Gulf Stream current that carries pieces away; very many ships and planes crossing every day; and people making mistakes.
This story is about places — the sea, an island, a ship. Small words called prepositions tell us where things are.
Choose in, on, between, near or under.
1. The Bermuda Triangle is the Atlantic Ocean.
2. It is Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico.
3. The gas comes from the sea.
4. Bermuda is an island the United States.
1. in (inside a big area of water)
2. between (in the middle of three places)
3. under (below the sea)
4. near (close to)
Choose the right small word.
1. The pilots were their planes.
2. There were more than 300 people the ship.
3. The planes took off the airport in Florida.
1. in (inside the planes)
2. on (we say "on a ship / on a plane")
3. at (at the airport — a point/place)
Fill each gap with a preposition of place. Read it out loud when you finish.
Flight 19 flew out the sea, far from land. The pilots were their planes, but they got lost Miami and Bermuda. Nobody found them, and there was nothing the water.
over / above the sea · in their planes · between Miami and Bermuda · on the water
Remember: things are in the sea or on the water, people are on a ship or in a plane, and a place can be between two others.
There is a real podcast about the Bermuda Triangle. 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 The Bermuda Triangle" 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 the Bermuda Triangle in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a part of the sea between Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico → the lost planes of Flight 19 in 1945 → the big ship USS Cyclops → the book that made it famous → the real reasons: storms, the current, busy sea, and mistakes.
Try to use prepositions of place (in, on, between, near, under) and some of the key words (sea, ship, plane, island, storm, compass, legend).
Scientists say the Bermuda Triangle is not really dangerous. But many people still believe in the mystery. What do you believe — the mystery, or the science? Why?
Tell a mystery story of your own. Use in, on, between, near and under to say where things are.
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: