A young traveler stands on a path facing a small countryside house with an open door

The Strange House

A1
250 Words - 2 min 30 sec

Story Audio

Story Reading

A traveler walks in a cold, dark town at night. He is looking for a cheap room. He is tired and cold. His feet hurt. He wants to sleep soon. The wind is strong and cold on his face.

He sees a small house with a warm light in the window. He walks closer and looks inside. He sees a nice room with a fire. The room looks warm and cozy. There are soft chairs and a small table. He feels happy when he sees this.

A kind old woman opens the door. She has a soft smile. "Come in, my dear," she says. Her voice is gentle and sweet. He goes inside the house. It is warm and quiet inside. It is very quiet, too quiet maybe, but he does not think about that.

There is a big chair by the fire. She asks him to sit down. He sits in the chair. It is very comfortable. She brings him hot tea and a biscuit. He says thank you. He drinks the tea slowly. It tastes strange, but he does not mind. He feels happy but very sleepy.

He looks at a picture on the wall. Two young men are in the picture. They are smiling. He thinks he knows their names. But he cannot remember why. He wants to ask her about it. But he feels too tired to speak. His eyes feel heavy.

Slowly, the light in the room grows dark. The house becomes very quiet. He closes his eyes. He never leaves the house again.

Vocabulary Exercises

Match

Match the Words with Their Meanings

1. cozy                a. feeling like you want to sleep
2. gentle              b. warm, comfortable, and pleasant
3. slowly             c. kind and soft in manner
4. strange            d. not familiar or usual
5. sleepy             e. not quickly
6. heavy              f. difficult to move
1. b | 2. c | 3. e | 4. d | 5. a | 6. f

Fill in the blanks

Fill in the blanks with the words below:

 cozy - gentle - quiet - cold - cheap - strange - sleepy

1. The traveler walks through a ______ town at night.
2. He is looking for a ______ room.
3. The room looks warm and ______.
4. The woman's voice is ______ and sweet.
5. The house is warm and ______.
6. The tea tastes ______.
7. The traveler feels very ______ after drinking the tea.
1. cold | 2. cheap | 3. cozy | 4. gentle | 5. quiet | 6. strange | 7. sleepy

Odd One Out

Odd One Out

1. cold - dark - warm - windy

2. tea - biscuit - fire - picture

3. tired - sleepy - heavy - energetic

4. gentle - sweet - kind - angry

5. chair - table - fire - traveler

6. quiet - silent - peaceful - noisy

7. strange - unusual - unfamiliar - normal
1. warm | 2. picture | 3. energetic | 4. angry | 5. traveler | 6. noisy | 7. normal

Comprehension Exercises

True/False

Answer with True or False

1. The traveler walks through the town during the day.

2. He is looking for a cheap room.

3. His feet hurt from walking.

4. The wind is strong and cold.

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

6. The woman is young.

7. The traveler feels sleepy after drinking the tea.
1. False | 2. True | 3. True | 4. True | 5. True | 6. False | 7. True

Multiple Choice

1. What is the traveler looking for?

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

2. What does he see in the house?

a. A swimming pool
b. A fire and soft chairs
c. A large kitchen
d. A television

3. Who opens the door?

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

4. What does the woman give the traveler?

a. Coffee and cake
b. Hot tea and a biscuit
c. Soup and bread
d. Milk and fruit

5. How does the tea taste?

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

6. What does the traveler see on the wall?

a. A clock
b. A picture of two young men
c. A map
d. A mirror

7. What happens at the end?

a. The traveler leaves.
b. The woman leaves.
c. The traveler never leaves.
d. The traveler calls for help.
1. b | 2. b | 3. c | 4. b | 5. c | 6. b | 7. c

Ordering

Put the Events in Order

1. ___ The traveler drinks the tea.

2. ___ The traveler walks through the cold town.

3. ___ The woman opens the door.

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

5. ___ He sees a picture of two young men.

6. ___ He feels very sleepy.

7. ___ The light grows dark.
1. 4 | 2. 1 | 3. 3 | 4. 2 | 5. 5 | 6. 6 | 7. 7

Find the Evidence

Find a phrase from the story that supports each statement.

1. The traveler is tired.

2. The weather is cold.

3. The house looks comfortable.

4. The woman is kind.

5. The tea tastes unusual.

6. The traveler becomes sleepy.

7. The traveler never leaves.
1. "He is tired and cold." | 2. "The wind is strong and cold on his face." | 3. "The room looks warm and cozy." | 4. "A kind old woman opens the door." | 5. "It tastes strange." | 6. "He feels happy but very sleepy." | 7. "He never leaves the house again."

Grammar Exercises

Fill in the blanks

Fill in the Blanks with the Correct Verb

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

2. His feet ______. (hurt)

3. He ______ a small house. (see)

4. The woman ______ the door. (open)

5. She ______ him hot tea. (bring)

6. He ______ the tea slowly. (drink)

7. His eyes ______ heavy. (feel)
1. walks | 2. hurt | 3. sees | 4. opens | 5. brings | 6. drinks | 7. feel

Choose one

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 / under / between) the house.

4. He sits (by / from / between) the fire.

5. She brings tea (to / under / between) him.

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

7. The picture is (on / from / between) the wall.
1. through | 2. for | 3. inside | 4. by | 5. to | 6. at | 7. on
Choose A, AN, or THE

1. He is looking for ___ cheap room.

2. He sees ___ small house.

3. ___ house has a warm light.

4. She has ___ soft smile.

5. She brings him ___ hot tea.

6. He sees ___ picture on the wall.

7. ___ traveler closes his eyes.
1. a | 2. a | 3. the | 4. a | 5. a | 6. a | 7. the

Transformation

Change to the Past Tense

1. The traveler walks through the town.

2. His feet hurt.

3. He sees a small house.

4. The woman opens the door.

5. She brings him tea.

6. He drinks the tea slowly.

7. His eyes feel heavy.
1. The traveler walked through the town. | 2. His feet hurt. | 3. He saw a small house. | 4. The woman opened the door. | 5. She brought him tea. | 6. He drank the tea slowly. | 7. His eyes felt heavy.
Make the Sentences Negative

1. The traveler feels energetic.

2. The house is noisy.

3. The woman ignores him.

4. The tea tastes normal.

5. He remembers the men's names.

6. The traveler leaves the house.
1. The traveler does not feel energetic. | 2. The house is not noisy. | 3. The woman does not ignore him. | 4. The tea does not taste normal. | 5. He does not remember the men's names. | 6. The traveler does not leave the house.
Turn the sentences into questions.

1. The traveler is tired.

2. He sees a small house.

3. The woman opens the door.

4. She gives him tea.

5. The tea tastes strange.

6. He sees two young men.

7. His eyes feel heavy.
1. Is the traveler tired? | 2. Does he see a small house? | 3. Does the woman open the door? | 4. Does she give him tea? | 5. Does the tea taste strange? | 6. Does he see two young men? | 7. Do his eyes feel heavy?

Find the Adjectives

Find the adjectives in each phrase.

1. cold town

2. cheap room

3. small house

4. warm light

5. kind old woman

6. soft smile

7. comfortable chair
1. cold | 2. cheap | 3. small | 4. warm | 5. kind, old | 6. soft | 7. comfortable

Find the Adverbs

Find the adverb in each sentence.

1. He drinks the tea slowly.

2. She speaks gently.

3. The traveler walks closer.

4. He feels too tired to speak.

5. Slowly, the light grows dark.

6. He never leaves the house.

7. He wants to sleep soon.
1. slowly | 2. gently | 3. closer | 4. too | 5. Slowly | 6. never | 7. soon

Speaking Activities

Discussion

Do you think the house is safe or dangerous?
Possible answer: The house seems dangerous.
What makes the house seem safe?
Possible answer: The warm light, fire, soft chair, and kind woman make it seem safe.
What makes the house seem dangerous?
Possible answer: The strange picture, the traveler's missing memories, his sleepiness, and the fact that he never leaves suggest danger.
What happened to the previous visitors?
Possible answer: They may have disappeared and never left the house.
Why does the traveler become sleepy after drinking the tea?
Possible answer: The tea may contain something that makes him sleepy.

What Would You Do?

1. Would you enter the house?

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

3. Would you ask the woman about the picture?

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

Rate the Story

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 elderly woman?

1 = Not suspicious
5 = Extremely suspicious

4. How dangerous does the house seem?

1 = Not dangerous
5 = Extremely dangerous

5. How interesting is the ending?

1 = Not interesting
5 = Extremely interesting
Answers will vary.

Writing Exercise

Change the Ending

Write a new ending for the story. Keep the story the same until the traveler closes his eyes, but change what happens next.
Example Answer: The traveler suddenly opens his eyes and realizes that something is wrong. He remembers the strange taste of the tea and looks at the picture again. He becomes frightened and runs toward the door. The old woman tries to stop him, but he escapes into the cold night. He never returns to the house.

Dialogue

Write a dialogue between the traveler and the old woman after he sees the picture of the two young men.
Example Answer: Traveler: Who are those two young men? | Woman: They were guests who stayed here. | Traveler: I think I know their names. | Woman: Do you? | Traveler: I don't know why, but their faces seem familiar. | Woman: Perhaps you remember them. | Traveler: What happened to them? | Woman: They never left this house. | Traveler: What do you mean? | Woman: You will understand soon.