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Describe a time someone didn’t tell you the truth

about something

You should say:

• when it happened
• who the person was
• why they didn’t tell the truth

and explain how you felt about the situation

1. IDEAS
We can talk about…

• family member,
• someone at work,
• government office (where you are applying for something),
• bank employee
• complaining about something you bought (in a shop, restaurant,
online…)

Not telling the truth could be…

• Telling a lie
• Telling a white lie or telling a fib (often to protect someone, e.g.
‘Mmmm, yes the cake you made is lovely’)
• Exaggerating
• Not lying, but not telling you everything

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2. LANGUAGE

- Be careful, to lie has several meanings such as

• Be horizontal
• Be situated
• Position of a team
•Not to tell the truth

- Synonyms and collocations of ‘to lie’ (verb) lied (past) lying

(participle)

To lie about something (v.)

To lie to someone (v.)
To tell a lie (n.)
To tell a pork pie (slang U.K.)
To tell a white lie (n.)
To fib (v.)
To tell a fib (n.)
A blatant lie (a clear lie) (adj.)
You are lying through your teeth (idiomatic expression)
To find out the truth (v.)
To uncover the truth (v.)

Deceptive (adj)
Misleading (adj.)

3. SAMPLE ANSWER

Several years ago, I was in one of those big shopping malls which is
more like a market, where they sell nothing but IT equipment.

I was after a new adaptor for my new phone, and I came across this
one store where they had a sale on.

So, I asked about the adaptors and the guy behind the counter showed
me this nifty, what he called ‘state of the art’ adaptor that apparently
works on all phones.

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So, I asked if it would work on my Samsung model and he said yeah, of
course.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten to bring my phone, so I couldn’t try it.

Well, the sales assistant was very confident, and dismissed any
questions with a wave of the hand - saying it will work, I guarantee
you, I stake my life on it.

So I took a chance and thought it would be fine.

It turns out though, that it didn’t fit.

Now, my first reaction was that he had blatantly lied to me, just to
make a sale.

Naturally, I was a little annoyed, but then I thought, maybe he had just
made a mistake.

Mind you, maybe, I was being too forgiving.

In any case, I went back the next day, and complained.

He actually seemed genuinely surprised that it didn’t work, but as I had

a receipt, he let me change it for another one and reimbursed me with
the price difference.

So it worked out well in the end.

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