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
calico – n. a light, printed cotton cloth
from the bottom of my heart – idiom. sincerely, honestly
recover – v. to apply a new fabric to a used piece of furniture
Turkey red – n. a color that was widely used to dye cotton in the 18th and 19th century
goods – n. products that are made or grown in order to be sold; things for sale
upholster v. to put a covering of cloth, leather, etc., on (a piece of furniture, such as a couch or chair)
uphostery n. the cloth, leather, etc., that covers a couch, chair, etc.
- Listen to the story.
- Watch the video and read along.
- Take the short story quiz.
Take the quiz: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/piece-red-calico-frank-stockton/2470361/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.