EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• financial: relating to money
• inequality: a situation where some people have more rights, powers, or resources than other people
• journalist: someone who writes news articles
• pseudonym: a false name
• serial: a type of novel that is published in parts
• cliffhanger: a suspenseful ending that makes an audience want more of the story
• celebrity: a famous person

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:41 — 2.3MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. When Dickens was 12 years old, he worked
   a. on a farm
   b. at a printing house
   c. in a factory
   
2. Dickens began his writing career as
   a. a poet
   b. a short story writer
   c. a journalist
   
3. In his lifetime, Dickens was
   a. relatively unknown
   b. only known by other writers
   c. an international celebrity

Discussion/essay questions

1. Do you think serial novels would be successful today? Why or why not?
2. Dickens’s novels are often considered “classics.” What do you think makes a book a classic? What are some books that you consider classics, and why?

Transcript

Charles Dickens was an English author. He is famous for some of the most well-known English novels, including Great Expectations and Oliver Twist. Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812. When he was growing up, his family had financial difficulties. This forced him to take a job in a factory at age 12, which made him interested in writing about social inequality. Dickens began his writing career as a journalist when he was 17 years old. Later, he began to publish short stories in magazines, using the pseudonym “Boz.” Dickens’s novels were originally released as serials, which meant that newspapers would publish only a few chapters each month. For this reason, Dickens wrote cliffhangers to keep his readers interested. He also used readers’ reactions to edit future chapters. During his life, Dickens became an international celebrity. His stories are still admired for their memorable characters and themes.

Answers to comprehension questions

1c 2c 3c

Pre-listening vocabulary

• raise: to take care of someone as they grow up
• slaughter: to kill an animal for food
• weave: to make something using string or thread
• delay: to cause something to happen later than it’s supposed to
• critic: a person whose job is to analyze books or movies
• theme: a topic in a story that represents an important message or meaning

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11 — 1.1MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Comprehension questions

Discussion/essay questions

1. Do you know any other books that have been banned in schools or libraries? What were the reasons?

Transcript

Charlotte’s Web is a classic children’s novel written by American author E. B. White. The story begins when a girl named Fern decides to raise a young pig named Wilbur. When Wilbur grows up, Fern’s family sends him away to live on a farm. Once he arrives, Wilbur learns that he will be slaughtered one day. He befriends a spider named Charlotte who agrees to help him stay alive. She begins to weave messages into her spider webs to convince the farmers that Wilbur is special. But even though Charlotte succeeds at delaying Wilbur’s death, she can’t avoid her own. Critics have praised the story for explaining the theme of death in a way that children can understand. However, some people dislike the idea of death being a central theme in a children’s novel. The book has even been banned before for this reason. 

Pre-listening vocabulary

• protagonist: a story’s main character
• greedy: selfish, wanting more than you need
• charity: an organization that gives money to people who need it
• ominous: suggesting that something bad will happen
• vision: a type of dream caused by something supernatural
• Christmas spirit: feelings of happiness and generosity caused by the Christmas season

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:13 — 1.1MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Comprehension questions

Discussion/essay questions

1. The main lesson to take from this story is to be generous rather than greedy. Why do you think the author wanted to express this theme in a Christmas story?

Transcript

A Christmas Carol is a classic Christmas story written by English author Charles Dickens. The book’s protagonist is a man named Scrooge, who is bitter and greedy, and cares only about money. At the start of the story, Scrooge’s personality is evident in his actions. He insults the people around him, forces his assistant to work during the holidays, and refuses to give to charity. It is also clear that Scrooge dislikes Christmas, because he rudely declines his nephew’s invitation to a Christmas dinner. That night, when Scrooge is in bed, he is visited by three ghosts: the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.  The ghosts show him ominous visions that make him rethink the way he treats others. By the end of the story, he finds his Christmas spirit and lets go of his greed.

Image: Thanks to Andy Mabbett (adapted)

Pre-listening vocabulary

• fantasy: a fiction genre that involves magic
• protagonist: the main character of a story
• recruit: to convince someone to help with an important task
• quest: a journey to accomplish a specific goal
• defeat: to beat someone in a battle
• trilogy: a series made up of three books

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:20 — 1.2MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Comprehension questions

Discussion/essay questions

1. Many of the imaginary elements that Tolkien used in his books, such as wizards, dwarves, elves, and dragons, are common across the fantasy genre. Some fantasy books with similar elements (like the Harry Potter series) have been just as successful as Tolkien’s stories. Why do you think books with these themes are so popular?

Transcript

The Hobbit is a classic fantasy children’s novel written by English author J.R.R. Tolkien. The novel was published in 1937, and over 100 million copies have been sold since then. The protagonist of the book is named Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo is a hobbit – a small, human-like creature that lives underground. One day, a wizard called Gandalf recruits Bilbo to go on a quest to find some valuable treasure. This treasure once belonged to a group of dwarves, who are determined to get it back. Together, Bilbo and Gandalf set out to help the dwarves find their treasure – but first they have to defeat Smaug, the powerful dragon who guards it. Tolkien originally wrote this story for his own children, but it quickly became a huge success. This inspired Tolkien to write a sequel trilogy: the famous Lord of the Rings series, which takes place 60 years after the events of The Hobbit.

Pre-listening vocabulary

• protagonist: the main character of a story
• cyclone: a type of tropical storm
• fantastical: strange and unrealistic; something out of a story
• request: something that is asked for
• quality: a trait or feature that someone has

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:34 — 1.4MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Comprehension questions

Discussion/essay questions

1. What do you think the most important message is in this story? Why is that message important to have in a children’s book?

Transcript

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a classic children’s novel written by American author L. Frank Baum. The story’s protagonist is a girl named Dorothy who lives in Kansas with her aunt, her uncle, and her dog. One day, a cyclone carries Dorothy’s house off to a magical land known as Oz – a place populated by witches, flying monkeys, and other fantastical creatures. Dorothy seeks the advice of a witch, who informs her that Oz is ruled by an all-powerful wizard who can send her back to Kansas. Eager to return home, Dorothy begins a journey to meet the wizard. On the way, she makes a few unusual friends: a scarecrow, a tin man, and a lion. Each one has a different request for the wizard – the scarecrow wishes for a brain, the tin man wishes for a heart, and the lion wishes for courage. The wizard, however, is not what they expected, and each character must gain the quality they wish for by finding it within themselves. Dorothy’s request is more complicated, but with the help of a witch, she is eventually able to return home.

Pre-listening vocabulary

• classify: to put something into a certain category
• fictional: created for the purpose of a story; not real
• adopt: to take in and raise someone else’s child
• imaginative: creative; having a big imagination
• orphan: a child whose parents have died
• inspire: to influence the creation of something

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:32 — 1.4MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Comprehension questions

Discussion/essay questions

1. Anne Shirley has been called “the dearest, most moving and delightful child since the immortal Alice” by author Mark Twain. If you’ve read “Anne of Green Gables”, what do you think makes Anne so lovable?

Transcript

Anne of Green Gables is a classic novel written by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. The novel was published in 1908, and is classified as children’s literature, though it is enjoyed by people of all ages. The story is set on a farm in the fictional town of Avonlea, where siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert live. The siblings are hoping to adopt a young boy to help them out on the farm. Instead, they are given an imaginative orphan girl named Anne Shirley, who has never had a real home. After learning how Anne grew up, Matthew and Marilla feel sorry for her and decide to keep her. The story continues to follow Anne as she gets older and forms friendships with other children in Avonlea. The book has sold over 50 million copies and has been translated into 36 languages. After writing Anne of Green Gables, Montgomery published seven additional books about Anne’s life. These novels have inspired several film and television adaptations, and Anne’s story is still loved by children and adults alike.

Pre-listening vocabulary

• publish: to release and sell a book to the public
• volume: a book that is part of a series
• accomplish: to achieve; to complete
• expectations: beliefs about what certain people should and should not do
• oppose: to be against a certain idea
• independent: not controlled or told what to do, free to make one’s own decisions
• adaptation: a film or book that is based on another original work

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:17 — 1.2MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Comprehension questions

Discussion/essay questions

1. Books like Little Women are considered “classics” because they were published a long time ago, but the themes are still interesting and relevant today. Have you read any books that are considered “classics”? What did you think of them?

Transcript

Little Women is a classic novel by author Louisa May Alcott. It was originally published in two volumes – the first in 1868, and the second in 1869. The story follows the lives of four sisters growing up in a poor house during the time of the American Civil War. The main character is Jo, the second-oldest sister. She wants to become a writer, which is difficult for her to accomplish because of the expectations for women at the time. She spends most of the story opposed to the idea of love, as she wants to be independent and put her own career first. The character of Jo is based on Louisa May Alcott herself. This book is still loved by many today, and a recent movie adaptation won several awards for the script, acting, costumes, and music.