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Learn English with I, Robot
Evidence or Assumption?
A suspicious detective questions one robot, then searches for another among identical-looking machines. Separate what is observed, what a character claims and what an observer merely assumes.
Created by Denis M., British English teacher.
Content note: Adults: murder allegations, aggressive questioning, gunfire and damage to robots. The clips concern fictional machines rather than guidance for real investigations.
A little context: Detective Del Spooner is investigating the death of Dr Lanning, a robotics designer. Sonny is a robot connected with the investigation. Dr Susan Calvin specialises in robot behaviour and works with Spooner. In this fictional world, ordinary robots are programmed to follow a set of rules intended to protect humans; the scenes test assumptions about those rules and about robot emotion.
Watch each scene, then try its activities. Use the scene guide if you need support.
Study guidance
On my own: Start with the vocabulary. Watch, answer and read the explanations. Say your answers aloud before opening a possible answer.
With my tutor: Compare interpretations, explain the details you noticed and use the follow-up prompts to develop your answers.
- Distinguish observations, reported claims and deductions.
- Use modal verbs to express different degrees of certainty about the past.
- Ask evidence-seeking questions without building guilt into the wording.
These words help you discuss the scenes; not all are spoken in the clips. Examples, practice expressions and grammar models are original teaching material.
Before you watch
If someone behaves unexpectedly, what should you establish before deciding why they did it?
One possible answer
I would first describe the behaviour without a motive, then ask what information is missing. The same action can have several explanations.
A question with an accusation inside
Spooner questions Sonny about his behaviour and the death of his designer.
Notice which explanations Sonny gives and which claims Spooner treats as impossible.
English scene guide
Sonny asks about a wink; Spooner describes it as a human sign of trust. Sonny calls his designer his father, says he hid because he was frightened and claims to dream. Spooner dismisses robot feeling and challenges robot creativity. Sonny turns that challenge back on him. Repeated accusations provoke an angry denial, complicating Spooner’s claim that robots feel nothing.
Watch and check · 6 questions
Choose one answer for each question. Use details from the scene and its English guide.
Answer key and explanations
- B. As a human sign of trust. Spooner links the gesture with trust and presents it as something human.
- C. Dr Lanning, his designer. Spooner replaces Sonny’s family term with the technical description designer.
- A. He was frightened. Fear is Sonny’s stated explanation; the scene does not independently prove every part of his account.
- A. Dreams. His claim to dream directly challenges Spooner’s list of things robots supposedly do not do.
- C. Sonny responds with an angry denial. The denial grows forceful, and Spooner labels the response as anger.
- B. It challenges whether Spooner himself meets the standard he applies to robots. The return question exposes a possible double standard; it does not settle the investigation or demonstrate artistic ability.
1–2 minGrammar in a minuteB2 · Past possibility: might have + past participle
Original practice, not dialogue from the film or programme.
He might have hidden because he was frightened.
Might have plus a past participle expresses a possible explanation for a past event. It does not establish that explanation as true. Must have expresses a much stronger deduction. When evidence is incomplete, distinguish a plausible account from something you can confidently conclude.
Speaking · 3 prompts
Explain your interpretation and support it with a detail from the scene.
- Choose one leading question or assumption in the scene. How could Spooner ask about the same issue more fairly?
One possible answer
Asking why Sonny murdered the designer assumes guilt. He could ask what Sonny did before the death, then compare that account with independent evidence.
Now ask one precise follow-up that tests the answer rather than accepting it automatically.
- Does the angry response prove feeling, guilt, both or neither? Separate observation from interpretation.
One possible answer
It shows a forceful response that resembles anger. That does not by itself prove subjective feeling, and it certainly does not establish guilt. We should state what is observable before adding an explanation.
What additional evidence could change your confidence in one of those interpretations?
- A teammate says a quiet colleague must be dishonest. Offer two alternative explanations without claiming either is true.
One possible answer
They might have been nervous, or they may have needed time to understand the question. Neither explanation is certain, but silence alone is not enough to establish dishonesty.
Your teammate says you are making excuses. Explain the difference between an alternative hypothesis and an excuse.
Searching for an exception
Spooner and Calvin face a group of robots that look alike.
Compare the programmed response with the different reaction Spooner hopes to provoke.
English scene guide
Calvin asks the assembled robots to identify the one that does not belong, but their shared answer does not distinguish an individual. Spooner orders them to remain still, then threatens them with his gun. He expects an exceptional robot to protect itself despite the order. Calvin objects, while Spooner questions whether human-looking faces encourage people to trust the machines.
Watch and check · 6 questions
Choose one answer for each question. Use details from the scene and its English guide.
Answer key and explanations
- C. The robot that does not belong in the formation. Her request asks the robots to single out the extra or different member.
- A. It says the robot is among them without identifying which one. The reply identifies membership of the group, not the individual being sought.
- C. They must not move. He commands stillness and receives confirmation before proceeding.
- B. One robot may protect itself even though doing so breaks the human order. His method depends on finding an exception to the expected priority of obedience over self-protection.
- B. It makes people more willing to trust them. He connects the human-looking design with people’s trust, while rejecting that response himself.
- A. Calvin relies on normal programmed behaviour while Spooner looks for an exception. Their disagreement concerns whether the expected rules account for every robot present.
1–2 minGrammar in a minuteB2 · Unless: an exception to a negative result
Original practice, not dialogue from the film or programme.
Unless the response differs, the test will not identify the exception.
Unless usually means if not. It introduces the condition that must change for the stated result to be avoided. Use a present form after unless when referring to the future. Avoid adding an unnecessary negative, which can reverse the meaning you intended.
Speaking · 3 prompts
Explain your interpretation and support it with a detail from the scene.
- State the assumption behind Spooner’s test. What would make the test inconclusive?
One possible answer
He assumes the unusual robot will protect itself while ordinary robots obey. The test would be inconclusive if the unusual robot also remained still or if another cause made an ordinary unit move.
Give a second explanation for a different response without adding facts from later in the film.
- Can an attractive or familiar appearance affect trust without supplying evidence of reliability? Give a non-sensitive example.
One possible answer
A familiar-looking website can seem reliable even when I have not checked its information. Design influences my first impression, but accuracy requires a different kind of evidence.
What would you check after that first impression?
- Design a harmless way to compare two explanations for a malfunctioning device. Explain what each possible result would mean.
One possible answer
If the problem occurs only with one cable, the cable might be responsible. If it occurs with both, we need another explanation. I would change one condition at a time.
What result would leave you uncertain, and how would you describe that honestly?
Listen and repeat
Original English practice. Listen, repeat and try each situation before opening a possible reply.
Download the full British-English MP3
What do we know, and what are we assuming?
Separate evidence from interpretation.
You say: A team concludes that a late delivery proves the supplier does not care.
One possible reply
What do we know, and what are we assuming? We know it is late; we do not yet know why.
Contrast know with assuming, leaving room for a reply.
That might explain it, but there are other possibilities.
Keep a hypothesis tentative.
You say: Someone offers a plausible explanation as if it were established fact.
One possible reply
That might explain it, but there are other possibilities. What would help us distinguish between them?
Stress might lightly; avoid sounding as though you reject the suggestion outright.
Would you apply the same standard to both cases?
Question a possible double standard.
You say: A colleague requires more proof from one team than from another.
One possible reply
Would you apply the same standard to both cases? If the difference matters, could you explain why?
Use an even tone and make the second sentence a genuine invitation.
Unless we test that assumption, we cannot be confident.
Identify a missing check.
You say: A plan depends on an untested explanation of what went wrong.
One possible reply
Unless we test that assumption, we cannot be confident. Let’s choose a small check that could show we are mistaken.
Link unless to its clause and stress test and confident.
1–2 minGrammar masteryB2 · Grammar mastery
Original practice, not dialogue from the film or programme.
The machine might have reacted to the noise.
Might have reacted offers a possible explanation of a past event. It does not establish the cause. Must have reacted expresses stronger confidence, while cannot have reacted rejects the possibility. The grammatical choice should match what the speaker actually knows rather than make weak evidence sound conclusive.
Put it all together: a fairer investigation
Compare Spooner’s interview with his test in the robot formation. Identify one assumption in each, then propose a less aggressive question and a harmless test for a new fictional problem. Use might have, unless and at least two vocabulary items. End by stating what evidence would change your mind.
One possible answer
The interview assumes robot emotion is impossible and builds guilt into questions. The formation test assumes the exceptional robot will protect itself. Both methods need assumptions made explicit. In a workplace problem, I would ask what happened before accusing anyone. The device might have failed for several reasons; unless we compare those explanations, confidence is premature. I would revise my view if the result contradicted my prediction.
Ask which part is a direct observation, which is a character’s claim and which is the learner’s proposed inference. Have the learner revise one overconfident sentence.