Listen&Learn: Dracula
Posted by: Jaksyn PeacockPre-listening vocabulary
- horror: a genre of fiction that is scary and unsettling
- nobleman: a man of high rank or status in a country
- vampire: a monster that drinks human blood
- victim: someone who has been hurt or killed by someone else
- undead: mythical monsters that start as dead humans, such as vampires and zombies
- debate: discussion and disagreement
- preface: a piece of writing that introduces a story
Listening activity
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Gapfill exercise
Comprehension questions
See answers below
- The novel Dracula is narrated by
a. the nobleman Count Dracula himself
b. a historian studying Romanian legends about the undead
c. Dracula’s hunters and victims, through letters and diary entries - Vlad the Impaler’s last name Drâculea came from the Romanian word for
a. dragon
b. bat
c. castle - In the original preface, Stoker wrote that
a. Count Dracula was based on Vlad the Impaler
b. the story was inspired by a local vampire legend
c. the events of the story were true
Discussion/essay questions
- Why do you think an author might pretend a fictional story is true?
- Dracula has inspired many books, movies, and TV shows about vampires. Which ones have you seen? Do you like horror stories? Why or why not?
Transcript
Dracula is an 1897 horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. It is about a Transylvanian nobleman named Count Dracula, who is also a vampire. The story is made up of letters and diary entries from Dracula’s victims and hunters. Many details come from Romanian legends about the undead. There is a lot of debate about whether Count Dracula is based on a historical figure. Many people believe that a 15th-century Romanian ruler known as Vlad the Impaler was Stoker’s inspiration. Vlad the Impaler used the last name Drâculea, which comes from the Romanian word for “dragon”. In the original preface to Dracula, Stoker wrote that it was a true story, and that the characters were real people from his life. His publisher thought this preface made the story too scary, so Stoker removed it, along with 101 pages of the book. These pages have never been found.
Answers to comprehension questions
1c 2a 3c
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11 comments
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K says:
The speed of your audio is simply offensive. Foreigners are not idiots.
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Laila says:
letters
details
historical
characters
removed1c 2a 3c
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Jaqueline Aldana says:
This History is fantastic!
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pepita says:
1. Authors may pretend that their fictional story is true to make it more exciting to read, or it could be inspired by a true event that happened a long time ago, so people don’t have enough details about it.
2. I did watch the Dracula film, but it scared me. Honestly, I’m not a fan of horror movies because they make me feel nervous and scared.
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Martha terzich says:
Is berry good studying with you tanks
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Vladimira says:
Thank you it’s very helpful.
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Joe says:
Horror movies are good to watch if you are with some people watching. But if you’re alone, it’s terrific!
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Lucky says:
They could pretend the story is real because it’s true or because to they want to appeal more readers, since people like real stories.
I’ve watched several horror movies, for example, Dracula, the Adams Family or Frankestein. -
abdenasser says:
Thank you for the effort you are doing. I benefit a lot
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Marcelo says:
nice way to study
thanks -
Liliana says:
Thank you very much, it is an excellent tool to continue learning.