The Ghost, a short story by Catherine Wells

Worksheet

Attention : il semble essentiel de distribuer les worksheets et les extraits en les séparant, partie par partie, afin de préserver le suspense.

Le texte est tiré de English Short Stories, éditions Livre de Poche, dans la collection Lire en anglais.

The Ghost 1

From the beginning down to “he went on, half to himself...”

1. Title : ……………………………………     author : ………………………………………..

2. Type of document : a play                a newspaper article                  a short-story

Justify: ..............................................................................................................................

3. characters (tick the main character)

□ name: ....................................    age: ......................      condition: .............................

    male / female

□ name: ....................................    age: ......................      role (what does he do?): ............................

□ other characters:

□friends of main character      □a ghost            □a cat              □a housekeeper           □an actor

4. Right or wrong: always justify from the text:

-         the main character is sick:

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-         the other characters are bored and sad:

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-         the main character is very sad:

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-         the main character has nothing to eat:

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-         the main character is a great admirer of Percival East:

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-         the main character is afraid she might not meet him today:

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-         the main character is going to meet the actor today:

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5. Find equivalents of the following sentences in the text:

-         Uncle Timothy tried to comfort the girl:

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-         The girl tried very hard not to cry:

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-         She thinks the room is too dark:

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6. Find elements in the text showing that this story is going to be scary:

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7. Keep in mind the title of the story. Imagine the sequel (la suite) to this first part. (5 lines)    ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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The Ghost 2

Worksheet

From « The panelling creaked » down to « He went out of the room, shutting the door ».

The first passage (l.1 to 28) focuses on two types of sounds. Classify them:

Scary – terrifying - surprising

comforting - reassuring

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Right or wrong? Justify from the text:

1. She doesn’t believe in ghosts but she is afraid of seeing one.

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2. She thinks the servants are far from her.

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3. She prevents herself from crying.

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4. Uncle Timothy visits her. He is with a doctor.

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5. The cousins are happy because Mr. East is going to terrify them.

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6. The girl pretends she feels better because she wants to go downstairs.

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7. Mr. East is going to frighten the girl alone before he goes downstairs.

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8. He wants to be sure she won’t be too terrified.

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The house may be haunted. Find one clue (indice) in the text to prove it:

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Vocabulary:

Find three words in the text meaning scary: ........................   ............................  .................

Find one phrase in the text meaning scared: ..........................................................................

Find one phrase in the text meaning to scare someone: .........................................................

Do you think the main character will be very scared? Find clues in the passage to justify your answer.

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The Ghost 3

Worksheet

From « Rum-ti-tum, ti-tum, ti-ty » down to « imperceptibly wider, and stop ».

I.                    Find two words in the text to show that the girl is happy : …………….  ................................        Why is she happy (The Ghost 2)? .......................................................................................................................................................

II.                 “She couldn’t imagine him gruesome, she thought” (l.10). Gruesome means:                                             ugly                       funny                tall

III.               She thinks Percival East can’t frighten her. Find quotations in the text to prove it:   ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

IV.              How many times does she repeat this idea? What does it reveal? ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

V.                 “Uncle Timothy would be there too, she supposed. Would he?”(l. 14-15). What does she prefer? Why? ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

VI.              From line 21 to line 28, this passage is:                                                                                                  -scary and sinister            -peaceful and comforting          -funny and lively.                                                  Justify your choice with words from the text: ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

VII.            Line 29 to 33: this passage shows that she is more lonely than in the Ghost 1 and the Ghost 2. Justify: ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

VIII.         There are many questions in this text. Who asks them? What does it reveal about the character’s feelings? ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

IX.              The door has an important role in this short story. Read The Ghost 1 and The Ghost 2 and explain the role of the door. ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

X.                 Can you imagine why the door is opening in the end of the text? Who is coming in the bedroom? ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Do you sometimes experience the main character’s feeling? Explain it with one example. .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The Ghost 4

From “He could never come through that?” down to the end.

Right or wrong ? Answer and always justify.

1. At the beginning, she can’t see who is at the door:

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2. The little figure sees her as soon as it gets in the room.

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3. The dwarf realizes her presence when she laughs nervously.

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4. She doesn’t think that the dwarf is Percival East.

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5. The dwarf is afraid of her and he runs away.

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6. She hides in her bed.

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Underline in red 7 elements in the text that prove she is afraid.

“I’m ready now,” he said. “Shall I come in, and begin?”. What do we understand now?

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Did we have clues before? Underline them in green.