A weary traveler wanders into a small, unfamiliar town late one cold evening, hoping to find a cheap place to stay. He notices a modest house glowing warmly against the darkness, and something about it draws him closer. He looks through the window and sees a cozy room with a bright fire. A friendly old woman opens the door and welcomes him inside with surprising warmth, almost as though she had been expecting him. She offers him a comfortable seat by the fire and brings him hot tea and a biscuit, chatting pleasantly as he settles in. The tea tastes a little odd, but he doesn't think much of it. He notices an old picture on the wall — two young men, smiling, their names strangely familiar though he can't recall why. A faint unease stirs in him, but her kindness puts him at ease again. As he finishes his tea, a heavy drowsiness settles over him. Slowly, the light begins to fade, and the house falls silent. 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. cozy e. not very large, expensive, important, etc 6. pleasantly f. warm, comfortable, and pleasant 7. recall g. in a way that gives pleasure 8. unease h. to remember something 9. drowsiness i. a feeling of being very sleepy 10. fade j. to become less bright
1. b |
2. c |
3. d |
4. e |
5. f |
6. g |
7. h |
8. a |
9. i |
10. j
Fill in the blanks
Fill in the blanks with the words below: weary - unfamiliar - odd - recall - unease - drowsiness - fade - modest - cozy - pleasantly 1. The ______ traveler enters the town late at night. 2. The town is small and ______ to him. 3. He notices a ______ house. 4. He sees a ______ room with a fire. 5. The woman chats ______ as he sits down. 6. The tea tastes a little ______. 7. He cannot ______ why the names seem familiar. 8. A faint feeling of ______ begins to grow. 9. A heavy ______ settles over him. 10. The light begins to ______.
1. weary |
2. unfamiliar |
3. modest |
4. cozy |
5. pleasantly |
6. odd |
7. recall |
8. unease |
9. drowsiness |
10. fade
Odd One Out
Odd One Out 1. weary - tired - exhausted - energetic 2. unfamiliar - unknown - strange - familiar 3. cozy - comfortable - warm - uncomfortable 4. odd - strange - unusual - normal 5. drowsiness - sleepiness - tiredness - energy 6. pleasantly - kindly - warmly - angrily 7. fade - dim - darken - brighten 8. unease - worry - discomfort - happiness
1. energetic |
2. familiar |
3. uncomfortable |
4. normal |
5. energy |
6. angrily |
7. brighten |
8. happiness
Comprehension Exercises
True/False
Answer with True or False 1. The traveler enters a large city. 2. He arrives late on a cold evening. 3. He is looking for an expensive hotel. 4. He sees a modest house with a warm glow. 5. He looks through the window. 6. He sees a cozy room with a fire. 7. A friendly old woman welcomes him. 8. The woman gives him cold water. 9. The tea tastes a little odd. 10. The traveler immediately becomes suspicious. 11. He sees a picture of two young men. 12. The names of the young men seem familiar. 13. The traveler feels a faint sense of unease. 14. He becomes very sleepy after finishing his tea. 15. The traveler leaves the house at the end.
1. False |
2. True |
3. False |
4. True |
5. True |
6. True |
7. True |
8. False |
9. True |
10. False |
11. True |
12. True |
13. True |
14. True |
15. False
Multiple Choice
1. Where does the traveler arrive? a. A large city b. A small, unfamiliar town c. A busy village d. A coastal city 2. What is he looking for? a. A job b. A friend c. A cheap place to stay d. A restaurant 3. What attracts him to the house? a. Its large garden b. Its warm glow c. Its loud music d. Its sign 4. What does he see through the window? a. A bedroom b. A kitchen c. A cozy room with a fire d. An empty room 5. Who opens the door? a. A young woman b. A man c. An old woman d. A child 6. What does the woman offer him? a. Coffee and cake b. Tea and a biscuit c. Soup and bread d. Milk and fruit 7. How does the tea taste? a. Very sweet b. A little odd c. Very cold d. Delicious 8. What does the traveler see on the wall? a. A painting of the house b. An old picture c. A map d. A clock 9. Who is in the picture? a. Two old women b. Two young men c. Three children d. A family 10. Why do the names seem strange to the traveler? a. They are difficult to pronounce. b. He cannot read them. c. They seem familiar, but he cannot remember why. d. They are written in another language. 11. What feeling begins to appear in the traveler? a. Anger b. Excitement c. Unease d. Joy 12. What happens after he finishes his tea? a. He leaves. b. He becomes very sleepy. c. He becomes angry. d. He asks for food. 13. What happens to the light? a. It becomes brighter. b. It changes color. c. It begins to fade. d. It suddenly explodes. 14. 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. b |
4. c |
5. c |
6. b |
7. b |
8. b |
9. b |
10. c |
11. c |
12. b |
13. c |
14. c
Ordering
Put the Events in Order 1. ___ The traveler notices an old picture. 2. ___ The woman welcomes the traveler. 3. ___ The traveler enters the unfamiliar town. 4. ___ He sees a cozy room through the window. 5. ___ She gives him tea and a biscuit. 6. ___ He notices that the tea tastes odd. 7. ___ He feels a faint unease. 8. ___ He becomes very drowsy. 9. ___ The light begins to fade. 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 tired. 2. Find a phrase that shows the town is unfamiliar. 3. Find a phrase that shows the house is comfortable. 4. Find a phrase that shows the woman is friendly. 5. Find a phrase that shows the tea tastes unusual. 6. Find a phrase that shows the names seem familiar. 7. Find a phrase that shows the traveler feels worried. 8. Find a phrase that shows he becomes sleepy. 9. Find a phrase that shows the light becomes weaker. 10. Find a phrase that shows the traveler never leaves.
1. "A weary traveler" |
2. "an unfamiliar town" |
3. "a cozy room" |
4. "A friendly old woman" |
5. "The tea tastes a little odd" |
6. "their names strangely familiar" |
7. "A faint unease stirs in him" |
8. "a heavy drowsiness settles over him" |
9. "the light begins to fade" |
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 a cheap place. (hope) 3. He ______ a modest house. (notice) 4. He ______ through the window. (look) 5. The woman ______ the door. (open) 6. She ______ him a seat. (offer) 7. She ______ him tea. (bring) 8. We ______ the tea. (drink) 9. The names ______ familiar. (seem) 10. The light ______ to fade. (begin)
1. wander |
2. hopes |
3. notices |
4. looks |
5. opens |
6. offers |
7. brings |
8. drink |
9. seem |
10. begins
Choose one
Choose the Correct Preposition 1. The traveler wanders (into / under / between) the town. 2. He is looking (for / at / from) a cheap place. 3. He looks (through / between / under) the window. 4. He walks (toward / from / under) the house. 5. He sits (by / from / between) the fire. 6. She brings tea (to / under / between) him. 7. The picture is (on / at / from) the wall. 8. A feeling of unease stirs (in / at / from) him. 9. He puts himself (at / on / from) ease. 10. Drowsiness settles (over / at / from) him.
1. into |
2. for |
3. through |
4. toward |
5. by |
6. to |
7. on |
8. in |
9. at |
10. over
Choose A, AN, or THE 1. He enters ___ unfamiliar town. 2. He sees ___ modest house. 3. ___ house has a warm glow. 4. ___ old woman opens the door. 5. She offers him ___ comfortable seat. 6. She gives him ___ biscuit. 7. He sees ___ old picture. 8. ___ picture shows two young men. 9. ___ tea tastes odd. 10. ___ traveler never leaves.
1. an |
2. a |
3. the |
4. an |
5. a |
6. a |
7. an |
8. the |
9. the |
10. the
Transformation
Change to the Past Tense 1. The traveler wanders into the town. 2. He notices a modest house. 3. He looks through the window. 4. The woman opens the door. 5. She welcomes him inside. 6. She offers him a comfortable seat. 7. She brings him hot tea. 8. He notices an old picture. 9. He feels a faint unease. 10. The light begins to fade.
1. The traveler wandered into the town.
2. He noticed a modest house.
3. He looked through the window.
4. The woman opened the door.
5. She welcomed him inside.
6. She offered him a comfortable seat.
7. She brought him hot tea.
8. He noticed an old picture.
9. He felt a faint unease.
10. The light began to fade.
Make the Sentences Negative 1. The traveler enters the house. 2. The woman welcomes him. 3. She offers him tea. 4. He drinks the tea. 5. He remembers the names. 6. The traveler leaves the house.
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 drink the tea.
5. He does not remember the names.
6. The traveler does not leave the house.
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. cozy room 8. bright fire 9. friendly old woman 10. surprising warmth 11. comfortable seat 12. hot tea 13. old picture 14. young men 15. faint unease 16. heavy drowsiness
1. weary |
2. small |
3. unfamiliar |
4. cold |
5. modest |
6. warm |
7. cozy |
8. bright |
9. friendly, old |
10. surprising |
11. comfortable |
12. hot |
13. old |
14. young |
15. faint |
16. 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. He slowly drinks his tea. 5. He cannot recall why the names are strangely familiar. 6. Slowly, the light begins to fade. 7. The house falls completely silent.
1. warmly |
2. surprisingly, warmly |
3. pleasantly |
4. slowly |
5. strangely |
6. slowly |
7. completely
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.
Would you drink tea from a stranger in a strange house?
Answers will vary.
What Would You Do?
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?
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 woman? 1 = Not suspicious 5 = Extremely suspicious
Answers will vary.
Writing Exercise
Change the Ending
Write a new ending for the story. Keep the story the same until the traveler becomes drowsy, but change what happens next.
Example Answer:
The traveler feels his eyes becoming heavy, but suddenly he remembers the two young men in the picture. He looks at the cup in his hand and realizes that something is wrong. He quickly puts the tea down and stands up. "I need to leave," he says. The old woman's smile disappears. She moves toward the door, but the traveler reaches it first. He opens it and runs into the cold night. He does not stop until he reaches the main road. The next morning, he tells the police about the strange house.
Dialogue
Write a dialogue between the traveler and the old woman after he notices the picture.
Example Answer:
Traveler: Excuse me, who are the two young men in that picture? |
Woman: They were guests here. |
Traveler: Why do their names seem familiar to me? |
Woman: Perhaps you have heard their names before. |
Traveler: What happened to them? |
Woman: They stayed here. |
Traveler: Did they ever leave? |
Woman: No, my dear. |
Traveler: Why do I feel so sleepy? |
Woman: You have had a long journey. |
Traveler: The tea tastes strange. |
Woman: You should rest now. |
Traveler: I think I want to leave. |
Woman: I'm afraid you cannot leave anymore.