Hello students. I’m proud of you for completing years 1 and 2 of our American English course. In order for you to become a strong intermediate American English learner, you need to be able to read, understand, and discuss abridged American English short stories. In this lesson, throughout Year 3 of your studies, you will read, listen to, and write about popular American English short stories. Please follow the directions below closely.
- Study the American English vocabulary below.
Words in This Story
interurban – n. between cities or towns
guinea pig – n. a small furry animal, or rodent, that is often kept as a pet
hippopotamus – n. a large African animal that has an extremely large head and mouth and short legs and that spends most of its time in water
genus – n. a group of related animals or plants that includes several or many different species
telegram – n. a message that is sent by telegraph (an old-fashioned system of sending messages over long distances by using wires and electrical signals)
- Listen to the story.
- Watch the video and read along.
- Take the short story quiz.
Take the quiz: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/ellis-parker-butler-pigs-is-pigs/2930216/p1.html?isEmbedded=True
- Write a summary of the short story you just read and listened to in the comments section below. Click here to read an article that teaches you how to summarize a story. Remember to let us know who the characters of the story are, what they do, and what the story is about.
Lesson 3.4.2 year 3.
today’s story is ” pigs is pigs” written by Ellis parker butler.
Railway agent mike Flannery wants to charge the livestock rate for a shipment of two guinea pigs and refuses to accept the lower pet rate, saying ” pigs is pigs ”. Flannery believes that the guinea is an indication of the pigs’ national origin. The message of this story is to the bureaucrats that making rules wisely and enforcing them effectively. I think this is a hilarious tale of bureaucracy. the interesting thing that while cross ponding between bureaucracy the first two pigs did work hard and built homes in order to have more free time to play.
Greetings Maestro Sersea
Pig is Pig
It was written by: Ellis Parker Butler
Mike Flannery the Agent of the International Express Company had doubt how to collect a shipment to Mr. Morehouse.
Mr. Morehouse was sending two guinea pigs shipped from Franklin to Westecote but, Agent Flannery had doubts about of if guinea pigs were considered pig, domestic animals or pets. Mr. Morehouse had read the book of transportation rates and he considered only to pay twenty-five cents for every each of them.
In relation to this issue is unchained a series of event that lead to the born of more than four thousand guinea pigs. When the President of the Company take action over the matter, he sent a letter to Agent Flannery asking to send the claims of Mr. Morehouse to the Tariff Department for overcharges and after that Agent Flannery send a wire to Mr. Morehouse collecting the four thousand two hundred seventy guinea pigs and, additonally sixty dollars that he had used to buy cabbages for the animals, later he received a wired saying that there was an Error in the shipment bill, that he would only pay fifty cents of the two Guinea pigs, For that moment, the Warehouse was full of them, the President to the company asked him to send it to another offices and he did so, until he send it all.
Thank you so much,
Dear teacher,
The title story is “ Pigs is pig”
Mike Flannery the Agent of the International Express Company had doubt how to collect a shipment to Mr. Morehouse.
Mr. Morehouse was sending two guinea pigs shipped from Franklin to Westecote but, Agent Flannery had doubts about of if guinea pigs were considered pig, domestic animals or pets, and he considered only to pay twenty-five cents for every each of them. He quickly wrote a latter to the president of transportation express company for claiming fee overcharged. president answered, informing Mr. Morehouse that all claims for overcharge
should be sent to the Claims Department. Mr. Morehouse wrote to the Claims
Department. One week later he received answer that it was not involved with my company, please contact to Tariff department.
Mr. Morehouse wrote to the Tariff
Department. He stated his case clearly. The head of the Tariff Department read Mr. Morehouse’s letter. “Huh! Guinea
pigs,” he said.
“Probably starved to death by this time.” He wrote to the agent asking why the shipment was held. The president then told the head of the Tariff Department that guinea pigs are
not pigs and must be charged only
twenty-five cents as domestic pets.