A story by O. Henry about a homeless man who tries to go to prison for the winter — and always fails.
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These are the new words for the story. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = D (homeless) · 2 = B (a bench) · 3 = G (a prison) · 4 = F (to arrest)
5 = E (a police officer) · 6 = H (to break the law) · 7 = A (a church) · 8 = C (to change your life)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
Soapy sat on a bench in a park in New York. It was autumn, and the nights were getting cold. A dead leaf fell into his lap. Soapy knew what this meant: winter was coming, and winter was hard for a homeless man.
Every year, Soapy made the same plan. He did not want to sleep outside in the cold. He wanted a warm room and hot food for three months. So he wanted to go to prison for the winter. In prison, a man had a bed, a roof and food. It was warm.
But to go to prison, you must break the law. So Soapy made a simple plan. He was going to do something small and bad. Then a police officer was going to arrest him. It was easy, he thought. He only needed to get caught.
1. What does Soapy want for the winter?
2. What is Soapy's plan? Where does he want to go?
1. He wants a warm place, food and a bed for three months. He does not want to sleep outside in the cold.
2. He wants to break the law so a police officer will arrest him. Then he can go to prison, where it is warm.
First, Soapy went to a nice restaurant. He wanted to eat a big dinner and then say, "I have no money." Then the police were going to come. But at the door, a waiter looked at his old shoes and dirty clothes. The waiter pushed him out into the street. No dinner. No police.
Next, Soapy picked up a stone and broke a shop window. Then he stood next to it and waited. He was going to say, "I did it!" A police officer ran to the window. But the officer did not think Soapy did it. He ran after a different man. Soapy was angry.
Again and again, Soapy tried. He ate food in a small café and said he had no money — but the waiters only pushed him outside. He shouted on a busy street corner — but a police officer thought he was just a happy student and walked away. Every plan went wrong. The city did not care about Soapy at all. The warm prison was still far away.
1. Name two things Soapy tried to do to get arrested.
2. Did his plans work? What happened?
1. Any two: he tried to eat in a nice restaurant with no money; he broke a shop window; he said he had no money in a café; he shouted on a busy corner.
2. No, they did not work. The waiter pushed him out, the police officer ran after a different man, and another officer thought he was just a student. Every plan went wrong.
Soapy was cold and tired. He walked back to the park. Then he stopped. Music was coming from an old church. It was a beautiful song, and it made him think of his old life — his mother, his friends, and good days, long ago.
Something changed in Soapy's heart. He did not want to live on the street any more. He made a new plan. Tomorrow, he was going to find a job. He was going to work hard and be a good man again. For the first time in years, he felt happy and full of hope.
But as he stood there, a police officer touched his arm. "What are you doing here?" the officer asked. "Nothing," said Soapy. "Then come with me," said the officer. The next day, a judge sent Soapy to prison for three months. Soapy got the thing he wanted all winter — but only now, when he did not want it any more.
1. What does Soapy hear at the church? How does he feel after?
2. What is the surprise at the end of the story?
1. He hears beautiful music from the church. It makes him remember his old life. Now he wants to change and find a job.
2. Just when he wants to be a good man, a police officer arrests him. He goes to prison for three months — the thing he wanted before, but not now.
This story is about plans. Soapy wanted things and he was going to do things — but they went wrong. Here are two easy ways to talk about plans in the past.
Read the meaning in brackets and complete the sentence.
1. Soapy go to prison for the winter. (this was his wish)
2. He break a window and then wait for the police. (this was his plan)
3. At the church, Soapy change his life. (this was his new wish)
1. wanted to (a wish in the past)
2. was going to (a plan in the past)
3. wanted to (a new wish)
Write the past simple form of the verb in brackets. Then read the sentence out loud.
1. Soapy (sit) on a bench in the park.
2. He (break) a shop window with a stone.
3. He (hear) beautiful music from the church.
1. sat (sit → sat)
2. broke (break → broke)
3. heard (hear → heard)
Fill each gap with was going to, wanted to, or the past simple of the verb. Read it aloud when you finish.
Soapy stay warm in the winter, so he made a plan. He break the law and get arrested. But every plan went wrong. Then he (hear) music from a church, and he wanted to be a good man again.
wanted to (a wish) · was going to (a plan) · heard (past simple of "hear")
Use wanted to for a wish, was going to for a plan, and the past simple for what really happened.
A good short story stays in your mind after you finish it. Before you talk, think about this.
Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of "The Cop and the Anthem" in your own words. Use these steps to help you: Soapy on a cold bench → his plan to go to prison for the winter → he tries again and again, but every plan goes wrong → he hears music from a church → he wants to change → the surprise: he is arrested at the wrong time.
Try to use was going to and wanted to, and some of the key words (homeless, bench, prison, arrest, police officer, break the law, church, change your life).
Soapy gets what he wanted, but at the wrong time. Do you like this ending? Is it a good ending or a bad ending? Would you like a happy ending better? Say why.
Tell a story about a plan that went wrong — yours or someone else's. Use was going to for the plan, wanted to for the wish, and the past simple for what happened.
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: