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
transient(s) – n. a person who does not have a permanent home and who stays in a place for only a short time before going somewhere else
garden(s) – n. an area of ground where plants such as flowers or vegetables are grown
doorbell – n. a hollow usually cup-shaped metal object that makes a ringing sound when it is hit inside a house or building that is rung usually by pushing a button beside an outside door
ragged – adj. in bad condition especially because of being torn
chair(s) – n. a seat for one person that has a back and usually four legs
looking-glass – n. a piece of glass that reflects images
wall-paper – n. thick decorative paper used to cover the walls of a room
fireplace – n. a specially built place in a room where a fire can be built
finger – n. one of the five long parts of the hand that are used for holding things
weep(ing) – v. to cry because you are very sad or are feeling some other strong emotion
corner(s) – n. the point or area where two lines, edges, or sides of something meet
gaslight – n. a device that uses gas as fuel to produce light
- Listen to the story.
- Watch the video and read along.
- Take the short story quiz.
Take the quiz: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/3437474/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.