You are learning reported speech basics: you will read the scene it happens in, learn 10 words and phrases, take apart the pattern behind them (reported speech: tense shift from direct to indirect), hear them in a conversation, rehearse them, and finish by saying one thing out loud to be graded.
The Halal Guys, corner of 53rd & 6th Ave, Midtown, late evening
Everyone told me I had to try The Halal Guys. My coworker said the chicken over rice was the best street food in the city. My neighbor mentioned that the line was always long but worth it. Even my boss told me she went there every Friday night.
So tonight I'm standing at the corner of 53rd and 6th Avenue. The line wraps around the block, just like everyone said it would. The man in front of me told me he'd been coming here for ten years. He said he couldn't imagine eating anywhere else on a Friday.
I reach the front and order the chicken and rice platter. The guy at the cart asked if I wanted white sauce. 'Of course,' I said. He warned me that the hot sauce was extremely spicy. My coworker had told me the same thing — she said she'd made the mistake of using too much once.
I sit on a bench nearby and take my first bite. Now I understand what everyone was talking about. The chicken is perfectly seasoned, the rice is fluffy, and the white sauce is addictive. My coworker was right. She said it was amazing, and it is.