A missing diamond necklace, a dinner party, and a quiet library late at night: this is the setting for a one-to-one detective interview you can use to practise real B1 speaking skills. Private detective Stephen Vane is questioning Daniel, the nephew of widow Eleanor Hart, about where he was during dinner and what he was doing. The conversation stays calm on the surface, but small details in the study do not match Daniel's answers.

This study guide treats the library interview as a listening and speaking exercise, not a plot recap. You will practise past location and activity questions, learn how short reactions such as "That is strange" can signal polite doubt, and build a simple framework for describing whereabouts and noticing details. If you have searched for how to ask "where were you" questions in English, or for B1 practice with past continuous alibi statements, this guide gives you the patterns and the tone behind them.

The situation and your learning goal

The wider case at Greystone concerns a diamond necklace that disappeared after a dinner party at the large old home of widow Eleanor Hart. The main practice, however, comes from the one-to-one interview in the library. Vane asks Daniel about his movements during dinner, and details in the study — objects, marks, small inconsistencies — do not quite fit the answers he receives.

Your goal is practical: follow the main topic of each question and answer, then produce similar lines yourself. By the end, you should be able to ask three past questions about location and activity, answer them with a clear alibi, and react to one suspicious detail without sounding aggressive. The lesson does not reveal how the case ends, and neither does this guide; the focus stays on the language of the exchange.

Useful English for this situation

The phrases below are the core of the lesson. The first four are verified expressions from the recording; the fifth is included as an extension example and is labelled as such.

I would like to ask you two or three questions.

This is a polite, controlled way to open a short interview. "I would like to" is softer than "I want to", and the fixed number ("two or three") makes the request feel limited and reasonable. Use it in formal or semi-formal situations: a workplace investigation, a landlord's check, or a role-play like this one. It signals that you are in charge of the conversation without being rude.

Where were you during dinner?

A direct past-location question. "During" points to a period, not an exact moment, so the answer usually describes an activity in progress. You can adapt it easily: "Where were you at eight o'clock?", "Where were you when the guests arrived?" Keep your voice level and neutral; a sharp rise in tone can make the same question sound like an accusation.

I was reading.

A past continuous answer about an activity in progress. The pattern is subject + was/were + verb-ing. It answers "What were you doing?" rather than "What did you do?", and it is the natural shape of an alibi statement. Extension example (added for practice): "I was reading in the library, so I did not hear the door."

That is strange.

A short response that signals doubt or surprise. In this interview it is not a neutral comment; it quietly tells the other person that a detail does not fit. Tone matters enormously here. Said slowly and flatly, it is a challenge. Said with a light rise, it is closer to genuine surprise. Compare "That is strange" with the stronger "That does not make sense", which is much more direct and can feel confrontational.

I am building a story out of small things. (extension example)

This phrase is an extension example, not a verified line from the recording. It is useful for explaining that separate details are being combined into one idea — exactly what a detective does with clues. You can reuse the structure in study or work contexts: "I am building a picture out of small pieces of evidence."

Vocabulary for rooms, objects and evidence

The interview moves between places, objects and marks, so sorting the words helps you follow what each question refers to.

  • detective — a person who investigates crimes, often privately.
  • widow — a woman whose husband has died.
  • safe — a strong locked box or room for keeping valuables.
  • housekeeper — a person employed to look after a house.
  • fingerprint — a mark made by a finger, often used as evidence.
  • clue — a small fact or object that helps solve a mystery.
  • brandy — a strong alcoholic drink.
  • greenhouse — a glass building used for growing plants.

Two more words appear in the lesson's language focus and are worth adding to your own list: key and code (for opening a safe), and window handle and mud (for noticing how someone entered or left). Try grouping them: places (library, study, greenhouse), objects (safe, key, box), and marks (mud, fingerprints).

How to use the language

Build your answers in two layers. Use the past continuous for the background activity and the past simple for completed actions:

  1. "I was reading in the library." (activity in progress)
  2. "At nine, I went to the kitchen." (completed action)
  3. "I did not see anyone." (completed negative)

For questions, keep a small set ready: "Where were you during dinner?", "What were you doing at that time?", "Did you go into the study?" Then add one follow-up that shows you are listening: "And after that?", "Who else was there?"

For doubt, choose your strength deliberately. "Perhaps" is gentle. "That is strange" is a clear signal. "I know" can acknowledge a point while still holding your position. Practise saying one line in four ways — neutral, polite, doubtful, tense — and notice how much meaning comes from tone rather than words.

Common mistakes and practice

The most frequent B1 error here is mixing tenses in an alibi: "I was read" or "I was reading and then I was going to the kitchen" when a completed action needs the past simple. A second mistake is hearing "That is strange" as a neutral comment and missing the doubt. A third is losing track of pronouns and objects across a long exchange — which "key", which "box", which room — so you miss what a question actually refers to.

Try these short tasks:

  • In pairs, role-play a three-question interview about where someone was and what they were doing, then react to one detail with polite doubt.
  • Draw a dinner-to-late-night timeline, marking completed actions in one colour and activities in progress in another.
  • Sort evidence words into places, objects and marks, then describe a room with "There is…", "There are…" and "Somebody…".
  • Listen to a short question-and-answer exchange and label each reply as neutral, polite, doubtful or tense.

Now listen to the lesson and follow Vane's opening question. Then pause and answer it yourself as Daniel might: "I was reading in the library." Add one detail, and see whether your listener reacts with "That is strange."