A weary traveler wanders into a small, unfamiliar town late one cold evening, hoping to find cheap lodging for the night. He soon notices a modest house glowing warmly against the darkness, and something about it draws him closer. A friendly old woman opens the door and welcomes him inside with surprising warmth, almost as though she had been expecting him all along. She offers him a comfortable seat by the fire, along with hot tea and a biscuit, chatting pleasantly as he settles in. He notices an old picture hanging on the wall — two young men, smiling, their names strangely familiar though he can't recall why. A faint unease stirs in him, but the woman's kindness puts him at ease again. As he finishes his tea, a heavy drowsiness settles over him. Slowly, the light in the room begins to fade, and the house falls completely silent — and the traveler never leaves again.
The Strange House
Story Audio
Story Reading
Vocabulary Exercises
Match
Match the Words with Their Meanings 1. weary a. a feeling of worry or discomfort 2. unfamiliar b. very tired 3. lodging c. not known or recognized 4. modest d. a place to stay 5. warmly e. not large, expensive, or impressive 6. surprisingly f. in a kind and friendly way 7. unease g. in a way that is unexpected 8. recall h. to remember something 9. drowsiness i. a strong feeling of sleepiness 10. fade j. to become less bright
1. b |
2. c |
3. d |
4. e |
5. f |
6. g |
7. a |
8. h |
9. i |
10. j
Fill in the blanks
Fill in the blanks with the words below: weary - unfamiliar - warmly - unease - recall - kindness - drowsiness - fade - lodging - modest 1. The ______ traveler enters the town. 2. The town is small and ______ to him. 3. He is looking for cheap ______. 4. He notices a ______ house. 5. The old woman welcomes him ______. 6. A feeling of ______ begins to grow inside him. 7. He cannot ______ why the names seem familiar. 8. The woman's ______ makes him feel safe. 9. A heavy ______ settles over him. 10. The light begins to ______.
1. weary |
2. unfamiliar |
3. lodging |
4. modest |
5. warmly |
6. unease |
7. recall |
8. kindness |
9. drowsiness |
10. fade
Odd One Out
Odd One Out 1. weary - tired - exhausted - familiar 2. tea - biscuit - fire - lodging 3. drowsiness - sleepiness - tiredness - kindness 4. warmly - pleasantly - slowly - darkness
1. familiar |
2. lodging |
3. kindness |
4. darkness
Comprehension Exercises
True/False
Answer with True or False 1. The traveler arrives in a large, familiar city. 2. He is looking for cheap lodging. 3. He sees a modest house with a warm glow. 4. The old woman refuses to let him inside. 5. She welcomes him warmly. 6. She gives him hot tea and a biscuit. 7. The traveler recognizes the two young men immediately. 8. The names of the young men seem familiar to him. 9. The traveler feels a faint sense of unease. 10. The woman's kindness makes him feel more comfortable. 11. The traveler becomes very sleepy. 12. The traveler leaves the house before the light fades. 13. The house becomes completely silent. 14. The traveler never leaves the house again.
1. False |
2. True |
3. True |
4. False |
5. True |
6. True |
7. False |
8. True |
9. True |
10. True |
11. True |
12. False |
13. True |
14. True
Multiple Choice
1. Why does the traveler enter the town? a. He is looking for work. b. He is looking for cheap lodging. c. He is visiting a friend. d. He is looking for food. 2. What attracts him to the house? a. A loud noise b. A large sign c. Its warm glow d. A beautiful garden 3. Who opens the door? a. A young man b. A child c. An old woman d. A police officer 4. How does the woman welcome him? a. Coldly b. Warmly c. Angrily d. Nervously 5. What does she offer him? a. Coffee and bread b. Soup and water c. Hot tea and a biscuit d. Milk and cake 6. What does the traveler notice on the wall? a. A clock b. An old picture c. A map d. A mirror 7. Who is in the picture? a. Two old women b. Two young men c. Two children d. A family 8. Why do the names of the young men seem strange to him? a. They are very difficult names. b. They seem familiar, but he cannot remember why. c. He has never seen the names before. d. He cannot read them. 9. What feeling begins to grow inside the traveler? a. Anger b. Excitement c. Unease d. Happiness 10. What happens after he finishes his tea? a. He becomes angry. b. He becomes very sleepy. c. He leaves the house. d. He starts cooking. 11. What happens to the light? a. It becomes brighter. b. It changes color. c. It begins to fade. d. It goes out immediately. 12. What happens at the end? a. The traveler escapes. b. The woman leaves. c. The traveler never leaves the house. d. The traveler calls the police.
1. b |
2. c |
3. c |
4. b |
5. c |
6. b |
7. b |
8. b |
9. c |
10. b |
11. c |
12. c
Ordering
Put the Events in Order 1. ___ The traveler notices the picture. 2. ___ The woman welcomes him inside. 3. ___ The traveler walks into the town. 4. ___ The traveler sees the modest house. 5. ___ The woman gives him tea. 6. ___ He begins to feel uneasy. 7. ___ He becomes very drowsy. 8. ___ The light begins to fade. 9. ___ The house becomes silent. 10. ___ The traveler never leaves.
1. 3 |
2. 5 |
3. 1 |
4. 2 |
5. 4 |
6. 6 |
7. 7 |
8. 8 |
9. 9 |
10. 10
Find the Evidence
1. Find a phrase that shows the traveler is very tired. 2. Find a phrase that shows the town is unknown to him. 3. Find a phrase that shows the house is not large or luxurious. 4. Find a phrase that shows the woman is friendly. 5. Find a phrase that shows the traveler feels slightly worried. 6. Find a phrase that shows the names seem familiar. 7. Find a phrase that shows the traveler becomes sleepy. 8. Find a phrase that shows the light becomes weaker. 9. Find a phrase that shows the house becomes completely quiet. 10. Find a phrase that shows the traveler never escapes.
1. "weary traveler" |
2. "unfamiliar town" |
3. "modest house" |
4. "welcomes him inside with surprising warmth" |
5. "A faint unease stirs in him" |
6. "their names strangely familiar" |
7. "a heavy drowsiness settles over him" |
8. "the light in the room begins to fade" |
9. "the house falls completely silent" |
10. "the traveler never leaves again"
Grammar Exercises
Fill in the blanks
Fill in the Blanks with the Correct Verb 1. The travelers ______ into the town. (wander) 2. He ______ to find cheap lodging. (hope) 3. He ______ a modest house. (notice) 4. The house ______ warmly. (glow) 5. The woman ______ the door. (open) 6. They ______ him inside. (welcome) 7. She ______ him hot tea. (offer) 8. He ______ an old picture. (notice) 9. The names ______ familiar. (seem) 10. The light ______ to fade. (begin)
1. wander |
2. hopes |
3. notices |
4. glows |
5. opens |
6. welcome |
7. offers |
8. notices |
9. seem |
10. begins
Multiple Choice
Choose the Correct Preposition 1. The traveler wanders (into / at / under) the town. 2. He is looking (for / at / from) cheap lodging. 3. The house glows (against / between / under) the darkness. 4. The woman welcomes him (inside / from / between) the house. 5. He sits (by / from / at) the fire. 6. She offers tea (to / under / between) him. 7. He notices a picture (on / at / from) the wall. 8. He settles (into / under / from) the house. 9. A feeling of unease stirs (in / at / from) him. 10. Drowsiness settles (over / at / from) him.
1. into |
2. for |
3. against |
4. inside |
5. by |
6. to |
7. on |
8. into |
9. in |
10. over
Transformation
Make the Sentences Negative 1. The traveler enters the house. 2. The woman welcomes him. 3. She offers him tea. 4. He notices the picture. 5. The names seem familiar. 6. The light begins to fade.
1. The traveler does not enter the house. |
2. The woman does not welcome him. |
3. She does not offer him tea. |
4. He does not notice the picture. |
5. The names do not seem familiar. |
6. The light does not begin to fade.
Find the Adjectives
Find the Adjectives 1. weary traveler 2. small town 3. unfamiliar town 4. cold evening 5. modest house 6. warm glow 7. friendly old woman 8. surprising warmth 9. comfortable seat 10. hot tea 11. old picture 12. young men 13. faint unease 14. heavy drowsiness
1. weary |
2. small |
3. unfamiliar |
4. cold |
5. modest |
6. warm |
7. friendly, old |
8. surprising |
9. comfortable |
10. hot |
11. old |
12. young |
13. faint |
14. heavy
Find the Adverbs
Find the Adverbs 1. The house glows warmly against the darkness. 2. The woman welcomes him surprisingly warmly. 3. She chats pleasantly as he settles in. 4. The traveler slowly drinks his tea. 5. The light slowly begins to fade. 6. The woman smiles gently at him. 7. He sits quietly by the fire. 8. The traveler eventually closes his eyes.
1. warmly |
2. surprisingly, warmly |
3. pleasantly |
4. slowly |
5. slowly |
6. gently |
7. quietly |
8. eventually
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 fire, comfortable seat, hot tea, and friendly woman make it seem safe.
What details make you suspicious?
Possible answer: The strange picture, the familiar names, the feeling of unease, and the traveler's sudden drowsiness make it suspicious.
Why might she have been expecting the traveler?
Possible answer: She may have known that another traveler would arrive.
Do you think the tea is safe?
Possible answer: No
Do you think the traveler is dead, asleep, or trapped?
Answers will vary.
What Would You Do?
1. Would you enter the house? 2. Would you accept the tea? 3. Would you ask the woman about the picture? 4. Would you leave if you felt uneasy?
Answers will vary.
Writing Exercise
Change the Ending
Write a new ending for the story.
The traveler feels his eyes becoming heavy, but suddenly he remembers the two young men in the picture. He jumps out of the chair and looks at the old woman. "Who are they?" he asks. The woman stops smiling. "You shouldn't have asked," she whispers. The traveler runs toward the door, but it is locked. He grabs a heavy chair and breaks the window. Cold air rushes into the room. He climbs through the window and runs into the dark street. Behind him, the old woman watches silently. The traveler never returns to the house again.
Dialogue
Write a dialogue between the traveler and the old woman after he notices the picture of the two young men.
Example Answer:
Traveler: Excuse me, who are the two young men in that picture? |
Woman: They were guests here a long time ago. |
Traveler: Why do their names seem familiar to me? |
Woman: Perhaps you have seen them before. |
Traveler: What happened to them? |
Woman: They stayed here. |
Traveler: Did they ever leave? |
Woman: No. |
Traveler: Why not? |
Woman: They became very tired, just like you. |
Traveler: What do you mean? |
Woman: Finish your tea, my dear. You will understand soon. |
Traveler: I don't think I want to stay anymore. |
Woman: I'm afraid you have already stayed too long.