The big ship that people said could not sink.
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First, a quick question. Say your answer out loud: What do you know about the Titanic?
Now let's learn the important words. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = B (a ship) · 2 = A (a voyage) · 3 = D (an iceberg) · 4 = C (a lifeboat)
5 = E (to sink) · 6 = G (a lookout) · 7 = F (to rescue) · 8 = H (a survivor)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
The Titanic was a very big ship. It was new, and it was beautiful. Many people thought it was the best ship in the world. People said the Titanic could not sink. They said it was the safest ship ever built.
In April 1912, the Titanic was ready for its first voyage. It left England to sail to New York, in America. More than 2,200 people were on the ship. Some people were very rich. Other people were poor. They wanted to start a new life in America.
But there was a problem. The Titanic had only 20 lifeboats. This was not enough for everyone. If something went wrong, there were not enough boats for all the people. But people were not worried. After all, the Titanic could not sink — or so they thought.
1. What did people say about the Titanic?
2. Where was the ship going, and how many people were on it?
1. People said it was the best and safest ship, and that it could not sink.
2. It left England in April 1912 to sail to New York, with more than 2,200 people on it.
For four days, the voyage was good. The sea was calm. But the water was very cold, and there was ice in the sea.
It was night, on 14 April 1912. A man called a lookout was watching the sea. Suddenly, he saw something big and dark in front of the ship. It was an iceberg — a huge piece of ice. The lookout shouted a warning. The sailors tried to turn the ship away. But the ship was too big and too fast. There was no time.
The iceberg hit the side of the ship. It made a long hole under the water. Cold sea water started to come into the ship. At first, many people did not understand. But the captain knew the truth. The Titanic was going to sink.
1. What did the lookout see in the dark?
2. What did the iceberg do to the ship?
1. He saw an iceberg — a big, dark piece of ice in front of the ship.
2. It hit the side of the ship and made a long hole. Cold water came in, and the ship started to sink.
People got into the lifeboats. There was a rule: women and children first. But there were not enough boats. Many people had to stay on the ship. Everybody was afraid.
Early in the morning, on 15 April 1912, the Titanic went down under the sea. The ship sank in less than three hours. About 1,500 people died in the cold water. It was a terrible night, and one of the worst accidents at sea in history.
Then another ship came. It was called the Carpathia. It saved about 700 people from the lifeboats. For many years, nobody could find the Titanic. It was deep under the sea. But in 1985, people finally found it. Today, the world still remembers the Titanic, the ship that could not sink.
1. What was the rule when people got into the lifeboats? How many people died?
2. Which ship saved people, and when did people find the Titanic again?
1. The rule was "women and children first." About 1,500 people died.
2. The Carpathia came and saved about 700 people. People found the Titanic deep under the sea in 1985.
When you tell a story, sometimes two things happen in the past. The past perfect shows which one happened first.
Put the first action in the past perfect (had + past participle) and the second action in the past simple.
1. By the time the lookout (see) the iceberg, the ship (already / go) too fast.
2. The passengers did not know that the crew (receive) warnings about the ice.
3. Before the rescue ship (arrive), many people (already / die) in the cold water.
1. saw / had already gone (the ship went too fast first)
2. had received (the warnings came before they knew)
3. arrived / had already died
Use the past simple for what happened, and the past perfect (had + past participle) for what happened before it. Then read it out loud.
The lookout (shout). But it was too late — the ship (already / get) too close to the ice. The crew (not / put) enough lifeboats on the ship, so many people (die) in the cold water.
shouted · had already got · had not put · died
"had already got" and "had not put" happened first; "shouted" and "died" are the past simple actions in the main story.
There is a real podcast about the Titanic. 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.
Tell the story of the Titanic in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a big new ship → people said it could not sink → it left England for New York → it hit an iceberg at night → the ship sank → about 1,500 people died → the Carpathia saved about 700 people.
Try to use the past perfect (had + past participle) to show what had already happened before the key moment, and some of the key words (ship, voyage, iceberg, lifeboat, sink, lookout, rescue, survivor).
Why do you think people remember the Titanic so much? There are films, books, and museums about it. Why this ship and not other accidents?
Tell the story of a famous accident or disaster you know about — from your country, from the news, or from a film. What happened? Use the past perfect (had + past participle) to show what had already happened before the key moment.
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: