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Who sent the first spam? Be supposed to for rules, expectations and plans

This B1 ESL lesson plan teaches supposed to for rules, expectations and plans that fell through, with the first spam email and reply-all manners.

Grammar
Be supposed to + verb for rules and expectations (You're supposed to reply only to the sender.) and was or were supposed to for past plans that often didn't happen, with questions and short answers.
Topic
The earliest known spam, an ad sent over ARPANET in May 1978, and email manners today, with words such as inbox, reply all, unsubscribe and rude.
Activities
Episode notes to read, an email class and a listener's reply-all story to hear, five self-checking drills, a group-chat conversation and open boxes.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Warm-up: Check your inbox!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: email and online mannersVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Episode notes: one ad, 400 inboxes

    • Look at the picture: a computer room in the 1970sPictureUnlock
    • Read the episode notesArticleUnlock
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Listen: Don't press reply all!

    • Listen to Jade and GavinListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Listener's Take: FloydListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen again: true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: You're not supposed to reply all!

    • Study the scheme: be supposed toGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: be supposed toFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: be supposed toFill in the tableUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: rules, plans and oops moments

    • Choose the right replies: rules in your group chatChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: rules and plansOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Sort the habits into the correct columns: polite or rude?Sort into columnsUnlock
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: make sentences with be supposed toFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Cedric's emailChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: the hosts answer FloydDrag and dropUnlock

32 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

12 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • inbox
  • spam
  • reply all
  • polite
  • rude
  • manners
  • ad
  • presentation
  • complaint

Grammar: be supposed to for rules, expectations and plans

Be supposed to says what a rule or other people expect, even when people don't do it: You're supposed to reply only to the sender. In the past, was or were supposed to often marks a plan that went wrong. With an email class and a 1978 ad that broke a network's rules, learners build the form on be for every person, ask questions and spell supposed with -d.

You're supposed to… You're not supposed to…

be supposed to = what a rule or other people expect. was / were supposed to = a plan or an expectation in the past, often one that didn't happen.

Now: am, is or are supposed to

Be changes with the person, and the rest stays the same: I'm supposed to reply today. He's supposed to check his inbox. The negative puts not after be: You aren't supposed to send jokes to everyone. The base form follows to.

Now: rules and expectations

Whobe supposed to ✅not supposed to ❌
II am supposed to reply today.I am not supposed to reply all.
youYou are supposed to reply to the sender.You aren't supposed to send jokes to everyone.
heHe is supposed to check his inbox.He isn't supposed to delete my email.
sheShe is supposed to unsubscribe.She isn't supposed to write in capital letters.
it (the class chat)It is supposed to be for questions.It isn't supposed to be for jokes.
weWe are supposed to be polite.We aren't supposed to send ads.
theyThey are supposed to start at nine.They aren't supposed to be late.

be + supposed to + the base form

Always use be (am, is, are, was, were), then supposed to, then the base form: You are supposed to reply. Write supposed with a -d, even when you can't hear it. Not: You supposed to reply. Not: You're suppose to reply. Not: I'm supposed send. Not: Are we supposed to replying?

The past: was or were supposed to

Was and were supposed to describe a plan or an expectation in the past, and often the plan didn't happen: The meeting was supposed to start at nine, but it started at ten. In 1978, ARPANET users weren't supposed to send ads.

The past: plans and expectations

Whowas / were supposed towasn't / weren't supposed to
II was supposed to check the names.I wasn't supposed to press reply all.
youYou were supposed to call me.You weren't supposed to tell Riley!
heHe was supposed to keep the secret.He wasn't supposed to send it to Riley.
sheShe was supposed to send it to Chloe.She wasn't supposed to send it to forty people.
it (the meeting)It was supposed to start at nine.It wasn't supposed to take two hours.
weWe were supposed to open our laptops.We weren't supposed to talk so much.
theyThey were supposed to use the ARPANET for government work.They weren't supposed to send ads.

was / were supposed to: plans that didn't happen

Use was / were supposed to for a plan or an expectation in the past. Often it didn't happen: The meeting was supposed to start at nine, but it started at ten. Don't forget was / were. Not: We supposed to start at nine.

Questions and short answers

Questions put be before the subject: Are we supposed to share jokes? Was he supposed to call you? Short answers repeat that verb: No, we aren't. Yes, he was. Question words come first: What are we supposed to do?

QuestionShort answer
Am I supposed to reply?Yes, you are. / No, you aren't.
Is he / she / it supposed to …?Yes, … is. / No, … isn't.
Are you / we / they supposed to …?Yes, … are. / No, … aren't.
Was I / he / she / it supposed to …?Yes, … was. / No, … wasn't.
Were you / we / they supposed to …?Yes, … were. / No, … weren't.
What are we supposed to do?You're supposed to delete it.

Softer than have to

Be supposed to is softer than have to and must: it names what's expected, not what always happens. You're supposed to reply in a day or two, but plenty of people don't. In fast speech it sounds like “s'posta,” but writing keeps every letter.

supposed to or have to?

be supposed to is softer than have to and must. It's what a rule or other people expect, but people don't always do it: You're supposed to reply in a day or two (but a lot of people don't!). In fast speech, it sounds like “s'posta”. In messages, use I'm, you're, he's, isn't, aren't.

Supposed with -d, and never without be

Write supposed with -d even when you can't hear it: You're not supposed to reply all, not suppose to. Keep be and to: You supposed to reply and I'm supposed send it are wrong, and so is Are we supposed to replying?

  • You're not suppose to reply all.

    You're not supposed to reply all.

    supposed with -d

  • You supposed to reply.

    You're supposed to reply.

    don't forget be: am, is, are

  • I'm supposed send it.

    I'm supposed to send it.

    supposed + to

  • Are we supposed to replying?

    Are we supposed to reply?

    to + the base form

At the email class

  • You're supposed to reply only to the sender.
  • You're not supposed to reply all with jokes.
  • Are we supposed to share jokes? – No, we aren't.
  • Jade's poem was supposed to go only to Chloe.
  • In 1978, ARPANET users weren't supposed to send ads.
  • We were supposed to open our laptops ten minutes ago!

More lessons on this grammar: Modal verbs lessons and exercises

Try the supposed to exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 18 auto-checked exercises
  • 5 games
  • 1 article
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • talk about rules and expectations: You're supposed to reply only to the sender. We aren't supposed to send ads.
  • describe past plans that didn't happen: Jade's poem was supposed to go only to Chloe. We were supposed to open our laptops ten minutes ago!
  • ask and answer about rules: Are we supposed to share jokes? – No, we aren't. What are we supposed to do with spam?
  • keep be, the -d and to: You're supposed to reply, not You supposed to reply or You're suppose to reply
  • tell a story about a message that went to the wrong person: It was supposed to go to my mom, but my boss got it.

Lesson 14 is the second lesson of Life online, unit 4 of English B1.1 · Stories That Travel. It builds on A2.2 lessons 21 to 23, which taught have to, must and be allowed to, and on lesson 5, which moved those forms into the future. Lesson 15 adds ought to and had better for advice. A network with a strict rule, an ad that broke it and the unwritten rules of email give supposed to plenty of work.

Students spin a wheel of questions about email and messages, then learn twelve words, from reply and delete to reply all and complaint, with pictures and audio. The episode notes tell how Gary Thuerk's 1978 ad reached about 400 people at once, with true-or-false statements and a quiz. Jade takes an email manners class with Gavin, a librarian, and admits a reply-all mistake; Floyd from Massachusetts tells his own reply-all story. Both are AI-voiced. Five self-checking drills follow the scheme, among them a table with three forms for every person. In the speaking chapter, Jade asks about the student's group chat rules, and open boxes ask about rules and plans.

All ten homework tasks check themselves: a word match, an anagram, a word gap-fill and a sort of polite and rude habits, then a choice of forms, gaps that build sentences with be supposed to, sentences to order, a quiz, an office manager's new email rules and the hosts' answer to Floyd.

Grammar:
be supposed to · not supposed to · was / were supposed to · questions and short answers
Topic:
spam · email · the ARPANET · Gary Thuerk · email manners · online rules · Stories That Travel

Teaching tips

  • Collect real rules first: ask what students are supposed to do at school, at work or in a family group chat, and what they aren't supposed to do. Write the best ones in two columns.
  • Before the episode notes, ask when spam began: in the 1990s, the 1980s or the 1970s? Darius bet on the 1990s and lost, so students can check how close their own guesses were.
  • Pause the class dialogue after Jade's poem story and ask what she was supposed to do. Students answer with She was supposed to… before they hear her own answer.
  • Let pairs swap reply-all stories after Floyd's message: each partner asks What was supposed to happen? and What happened instead?

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The whole course: English B1.1 · Stories That Travel

32 lessons for adults at B1 in American English, each built around a true story. Riley, Jade and Darius make a podcast in Kansas City about true American stories, and each lesson tells one, from a seaplane airport in Alaska to the Marfa Lights of West Texas. Learners compare the present perfect with the past simple, use future forms, modals and quantifiers, and give their own opinions. The practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Travel smart

    the present perfect vs the past simple, for and since, indirect questions, be used to and get used to

    1. Lesson 1Would you visit an airport just for fun?Present perfect vs past simple
    2. Lesson 2Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn?For and since with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 3My suitcase has gone to Honolulu!Indirect questions for polite requests
    4. Lesson 4Can you practice a flight?Be used to and get used to

  2. Unit 2 Dream jobs, new jobs

    will have to and won't be allowed to, the present perfect continuous, simple vs continuous, would vs used to

    1. Lesson 5Would you jump off a moving boat for a job?Will have to, will be able to and will be allowed to
    2. Lesson 6Working from anywherePresent perfect continuous
    3. Lesson 7Could you be a camp counselor?Present perfect simple vs continuous
    4. Lesson 8Would you live in a lighthouse?Would vs used to for the past

  3. Unit 3 Space and discovery

    it's + adjective + to, What's it like to…?, future forms compared, future time clauses, too and enough + to

    1. Lesson 9What's it like to work in space?It's + adjective + to and What's it like to…?
    2. Lesson 10Who will walk on the Moon next?Future forms compared by meaning
    3. Lesson 11A message for the starsFuture time clauses
    4. Lesson 12A helicopter on Mars?Too and enough + to-infinitive

  4. Unit 4 Life online

    the more…, the more…, be supposed to, ought to and had better, let, make and allow

    1. Lesson 13The internet's first word was “LO”Comparative and comparative; the more…, the more…
    2. Lesson 14 · you're hereWho sent the first spam?Be supposed to for rules, expectations and plans
    3. Lesson 15Is your password really safe?Ought to and had better for advice and warnings
    4. Lesson 16Who writes Wikipedia?Let, make and allow + someone

  5. Unit 5 Screen and page

    -ed and -ing adjectives, gradable and extreme adjectives, present tenses for a plot, articles for things in general

    1. Lesson 17Why do readers still love Nancy Drew?-ed and -ing adjectives for feelings
    2. Lesson 18Movie night in your carGradable and extreme adjectives
    3. Lesson 19Would you review a book on TV?Present tenses to tell a plot
    4. Lesson 20Where are the books about girls like me?Articles for things in general and specific things

  6. Unit 6 Green living

    few and a few, little and a little, all, most, some and none, each and every, fewer and less

    1. Lesson 21A year's trash in one jar?Few, a few, little and a little
    2. Lesson 22No food in the trash!All, most, some and none (of)
    3. Lesson 23A farm in the middle of DetroitEach and every
    4. Lesson 24A trash collector with googly eyesFewer and less

  7. Unit 7 Sporting moments

    could, was able to and managed to, for, during and while, present tenses for live commentary, question tags

    1. Lesson 25From a leg brace to three goldsCould, was able to and managed to
    2. Lesson 26A doctor and an Olympic champion?For, during and while
    3. Lesson 27Who's that runner coming from behind?Present simple and continuous for live commentary
    4. Lesson 28Why do high jumpers go backward?Question tags

  8. Unit 8 Mysteries and lost worlds

    both… and, either… or and neither… nor, uncountable nouns, how sure we are about the future, unless, as long as and in case

    1. Lesson 29A calendar made of posts?Both… and, either… or, neither… nor
    2. Lesson 30What was the Great House for?Uncountable abstract nouns
    3. Lesson 31What does Newspaper Rock say?Certainty about the future
    4. Lesson 32What are the Marfa Lights?Unless, as long as and in case

Questions about this lesson

What does supposed to mean?
Be supposed to means something is expected because of a rule or a plan: You're supposed to reply only to the sender. It often hints that people don't always do it. In the past, was supposed to usually means the plan didn't happen: The class was supposed to finish at noon, but it finished at twelve thirty. The B1 lesson Who sent the first spam? on edio.ai teaches both.
How do you use be supposed to?
The form is be + supposed to + the base form, and only be changes for the person and the time: I'm supposed to, she's supposed to, we were supposed to. The negative adds not after be: He isn't supposed to delete my email. Questions start with be, and short answers repeat it: Is Jade supposed to reply to everyone? – No, she isn't.
What's the difference between supposed to and have to?
Have to and must are stronger: they say something is necessary. Be supposed to reports what a rule or other people expect, and people don't always do it: You're supposed to reply in a day or two, but many people don't. So it fits rules that get broken: In 1978, ARPANET users weren't supposed to send ads. A tip in the scheme of Who sent the first spam? on edio.ai explains the difference.
Is it "supposed to" or "suppose to"?
Write supposed to, with a -d, even though the -d is hard to hear before to: You're not supposed to reply all, not suppose to. Don't drop be either: We supposed to start at nine is wrong, and We were supposed to start at nine is right. The base form follows: Are we supposed to reply?, not replying.
What does "was supposed to" mean?
Was or were supposed to describes a plan or an expectation in the past, and often it didn't happen: Jade's poem was supposed to go only to Chloe, but she pressed reply all and forty people got it. Floyd's answer was supposed to go only to his boss. In Who sent the first spam?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, a quiz asks which sentence is about a plan that didn't happen.
Who sent the first spam email?
The Computer History Museum calls an ad from May 3, 1978 the earliest known spam. Gary Thuerk, a marketer at the computer company DEC, sent it to about 400 people on the ARPANET at once. It invited them to two presentations of new DEC computers in California. The whole ad was in capital letters, and the address list was so long that only 320 addresses fit in the mail program.
Why was the first spam against the rules?
In 1978, ARPANET was only for official US government business, so ads didn't belong on it. The agency that ran the network called Thuerk's boss to complain and sent a notice that called the ad “a flagrant violation” of the network's use. Thuerk promised not to do it again. The episode notes in Who sent the first spam? on edio.ai tell the story, with true-or-false statements and a quiz.
How do I teach be supposed to to B1 students?
Start from rules students already follow, at school, at work or in a group chat, and write them as You're supposed to… and You aren't supposed to… Then turn to plans that went wrong with was supposed to. Who sent the first spam? on edio.ai moves from an email manners class, where Jade admits a reply-all mistake, to a scheme with every person and five drills.
What's a good game for practicing supposed to?
Opening boxes of rules and broken plans makes a quick speaking game: a student opens a box such as Something was supposed to happen last week, but it didn't. Tell the story. and answers aloud. For a twist, play rule or no rule: one student reads out a habit, and the class answers You're supposed to… or You aren't supposed to…
What's good homework for practicing supposed to?
Good homework puts the form into everyday rules and plans: gaps such as We ___ (be supposed to / have) a picnic last Sunday, but it rained, a choice between was and were, and an office email full of team rules. All ten homework tasks in Who sent the first spam? on edio.ai check themselves, including a sort of polite and rude habits.
How do you practice supposed to one-to-one?
Compare the rules of two places: the teacher describes what people are supposed to do at one workplace or school, and the student answers about their own. Then swap stories of plans that went wrong. The chat in Who sent the first spam?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, needs no partner: Jade asks about the student's group chat rules and about messages sent to the wrong person.
Are there interactive exercises for supposed to?
Yes. This page plays three parts of Who sent the first spam?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, without an account: Jade's email manners class with the librarian Gavin, a gap-fill that builds be supposed to from prompts in the present and the past, and Jade's chat about group chat rules. Wrong answers show up right away. Everything else in it needs an account.
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