The Strange House

Match the Words with Their Meanings

1. weary                                  a. not making much noise
2. lodging                               b. very tired
3. cozy                                    c. a place to stay
4. gentle                                 d. making you feel physically relaxed
5. comfortable                       e. kind and soft in manner
6. strange                               f. needing sleep; ready to go to sleep
7. sleepy                                 g. unusual or unfamiliar
8. realize                                 h. to understand something clearly
9. slowly                                 i. at a low speed
10. quiet                                  j. without much noise

Fill in the blanks with the words below:

weary - sleepy - realize - slowly - quiet - lodging - cozy - gentle - comfortable - strange 

1. The traveler is ______ after walking through the cold town.
2. He is looking for cheap ______.
3. The room looks warm and ______.
4. The old woman has a ______ voice.
5. The chair is very ______.
6. The tea tastes ______.
7. The traveler feels very ______.
8. He begins to ______ that something is wrong.
9. He drinks the tea ______.
10. The house becomes very ______.

Odd One Out

1. weary - tired - exhausted - energetic

2. cozy - comfortable - warm - uncomfortable

3. gentle - kind - soft - angry

4. strange - unusual - unfamiliar - normal

5. sleepy - tired - drowsy - energetic

6. quiet - silent - peaceful - noisy

7. slowly - carefully - quickly - gently

8. chair - room - house - tea

Answer with True or False

1. The traveler walks through a warm town.

2. He is looking for a cheap room.

3. His feet hurt.

4. He wants to sleep soon.

5. He sees a large hotel.

6. The house has a warm light in the window.

7. He sees a fire inside the house.

8. The old woman is angry when she opens the door.

9. The woman has a gentle voice.

10. She gives the traveler tea and a biscuit.

11. The tea tastes strange.

12. The traveler refuses to drink the tea.

13. He sees two young men in a picture.

14. He remembers exactly who the young men are.

15. He feels too tired to speak.

16. The light slowly grows dark.

17. The house becomes noisy.

18. The traveler realizes that he will never leave.

1. What is the traveler looking for?

a. A job
b. A cheap room
c. A restaurant
d. A friend


2. Why does he want to sleep soon?

a. He is hungry.
b. He is bored.
c. He is tired.
d. He is angry.


3. What does he see in the window?

a. A television
b. A fire
c. A bed
d. A large table


4. How does the room look?

a. Cold and dark
b. Warm and cozy
c. Dirty and empty
d. Large and noisy


5. Who opens the door?

a. A young man
b. A young woman
c. An old woman
d. A child


6. What does the woman say?

a. "Go away."
b. "Come in, my dear."
c. "Where are you going?"
d. "You cannot stay."


7. What does the woman bring him?

a. Coffee and bread
b. Soup and cake
c. Tea and a biscuit
d. Water and fruit


8. How does the tea taste?

a. Sweet
b. Strange
c. Salty
d. Cold


9. What does the traveler see on the wall?

a. A map
b. A clock
c. A picture
d. A mirror


10. Who is in the picture?

a. Two young men
b. Two old women
c. A family
d. Three children


11. What does the traveler think about the young men?

a. He knows them very well.
b. He thinks he knows their names.
c. He has never seen them.
d. He knows exactly what happened to them.


12. Why does he not ask the woman about the picture?

a. He is angry.
b. He is afraid.
c. He feels too tired to speak.
d. He cannot see the picture.


13. What happens to the light?

a. It becomes brighter.
b. It grows dark.
c. It turns red.
d. It goes outside.


14. What happens to the house?

a. It becomes very quiet.
b. It becomes crowded.
c. It becomes noisy.
d. It disappears.


15. What does the traveler realize at the end?

a. He needs more tea.
b. He wants to leave.
c. He will never leave the house.
d. He is in the wrong town.

Put the Events in Order

1. ___ The traveler sees two young men in a picture.

2. ___ The woman gives him tea and a biscuit.

3. ___ The traveler walks through a cold town.

4. ___ He sees a small house with a warm light.

5. ___ He looks inside and sees a fire.

6. ___ The old woman opens the door.

7. ___ He sits in a comfortable chair.

8. ___ He drinks the tea.

9. ___ He feels very sleepy.

10. ___ The light grows dark.

11. ___ The traveler realizes he will never leave.

1. Find a phrase that shows the traveler is tired.

2. Find a phrase that shows he wants to sleep.

3. Find a phrase that shows the room is comfortable.

4. Find a phrase that shows the woman is kind.

5. Find a phrase that shows the tea is unusual.

6. Find a phrase that shows the traveler is sleepy.

7. Find a phrase that shows the young men are mysterious.

8. Find a phrase that shows the traveler cannot speak.

9. Find a phrase that shows the house becomes silent.

10. Find a phrase that shows the traveler will never leave.

Fill in the Blanks with the Correct Verb

1. The travelers ______ through the town. (walk)

2. His feet ______. (hurt)

3. He ______ to sleep soon. (want)

4. He ______ a small house. (see)

5. The woman ______ the door. (open)

6. She ______ a soft smile. (have)

7. She ______ him hot tea. (bring)

8. He ______ the tea slowly. (drink)

9. Two young men ______ in the picture. (be)

10. The house ______ very quiet. (become)

Choose the Correct Preposition

1. The traveler walks (through / under / between) the town.

2. He is looking (for / at / from) a cheap room.

3. He looks (inside / from / under) the house.

4. There is a fire (in / on / from) the room.

5. He sits (by / under / from) the fire.

6. She asks him to sit (in / at / from) the chair.

7. He looks (at / under / from) a picture.

8. The picture is (on / in / from) the wall.

9. He feels too tired (to / at / from) speak.

10. He never leaves (from / the / at) house.

Choose A, AN, or THE

1. He is looking for ___ cheap room.

2. He sees ___ small house.

3. ___ house has a warm light.

4. ___ kind old woman opens the door.

5. She has ___ soft smile.

6. She gives him ___ biscuit.

7. He sees ___ picture on the wall.

8. ___ picture shows two young men.

9. He drinks ___ tea.

10. ___ traveler closes his eyes.

Change to the Past Tense

1. The traveler walks through the town.

2. He sees a small house.

3. He looks inside.

4. The woman opens the door.

5. She gives him tea.

6. He drinks the tea slowly.

7. He sees a picture.

8. He thinks he knows their names.

9. He feels too tired to speak.

10. The house becomes very quiet.

Make the Sentences Negative

1. The traveler feels warm.

2. He remembers the young men.

3. The woman leaves the house.

4. The traveler refuses the tea.

5. He feels tired.

6. The house becomes noisy.

Find the Adjectives

1. cold town

2. dark town

3. cheap room

4. small house

5. warm light

6. nice room

7. warm room

8. cozy room

9. kind old woman

10. soft smile

11. gentle voice

12. hot tea

13. strange taste

14. young men

15. quiet house

Find the Adverbs

1. He wants to sleep soon.

2. He drinks the tea slowly.

3. She speaks gently.

4. Slowly, the light grows dark.

5. He never leaves the house.

6. He feels very sleepy.

Do you think the house is safe or dangerous?

What makes the house seem safe?

What makes the house seem dangerous?

What happened to the previous visitors?

Why does the traveler become sleepy after drinking the tea?

Would you drink tea from a stranger in a strange house?

1. Would you enter the house?

2. Would you drink the tea?

3. Would you ask the woman about the picture?

4. Would you stay after seeing the two young men?

1. How mysterious is the story?

1 = Not mysterious
5 = Extremely mysterious

2. How frightening is the story?

1 = Not frightening
5 = Extremely frightening

3. How suspicious is the woman?

1 = Not suspicious
5 = Extremely suspicious

Write a new ending for the story. Keep the story the same until the traveler realizes that he will never leave, but change what happens next.

Write a dialogue between the traveler and the old woman after he notices the picture.