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CATEGORY
Adventure Ambition Art Breakups Career Childhood Coming of Age Confidence Courage Crime Customer Service Determination Drama Emotional Empathy Everyday Life Family Fantasy Fate Fear Feel-Good First Job Food Freedom Friendship Gratitude Grief Healing Hope Horror Identity Independence Inspirational Job Hunting Justice Kindness Life Lessons Loss Love Marriage Mindfulness Miscommunication Mystery Nature New Beginnings Ocean life Parenthood Patience Personal Growth Relationships Responsibility Romance School Secrets Self-Discovery Siblings Social Issues Suspense Technology Tragedy Transformation Travel Wisdom Work comedy horror
LEVEL
A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2
ABOUT
WRITE
Hand-drawn ink sketch of an elderly grandfather talking animatedly to a younger man seated beside him on a train, with both men facing each other on their seats.

The Talking Grandfather

comedy Family Parenthood Feel-Good Everyday Life
A2
200 Words - 2 min

Story Audio

Story Reading

Mr and Mrs Carter had two daughters and two sons. All four children grew up and got married. Soon they had a granddaughter, and then two grandsons. They were happy grandparents.

One day, another daughter had a new baby girl. She called her mother and said, "Please come and help with the baby." Mrs Carter went at once. Mr Carter stayed home for his job, but he said, "I will come Friday evening and stay until Monday."

After work, Mr Carter got on a train. He felt very happy. "I am going to see my new granddaughter," he said to himself.

There were three empty seats on the train. Next to the first sat an old man. Mr Carter asked kindly, "Are you a grandfather?"
"Yes," the man said. "I have three granddaughters."

Next to the second seat sat a friendly woman. Mr Carter asked, "Are you a grandmother?"
"Yes," she answered. "I have two granddaughters and two grandsons."

Next to the third seat sat another man. Mr Carter asked, "Are you a grandfather?"
"No, I am not," the man replied.

Mr Carter smiled and said, "That's good." He sat down and began, "Let me tell you about my grandchildren!"

Vocabulary Exercises

Match 

Match the Words with Their Meanings

1. granddaughter       a. a male who has grandchildren
2. grandson             b. a female child of your child
3. grandmother          c. a male child of your child
4. grandfather          d. a female who has grandchildren
5. empty                e. having nothing or nobody inside
6. kindly               f. replied to a question 
7. answered             g. in a friendly and caring way
1. b | 2. c | 3. d | 4. a | 5. e | 6. g | 7. f

Fill in the blanks 

Fill in the blanks with the words below:

granddaughter - friendly - replied - grandchildren - grandparents - empty - kindly

1. Mr. and Mrs. Carter were happy ______.
2. They had a new ______ in the family.
3. There were three ______ seats on the train.
4. Mr. Carter asked the old man ______ if he was a grandfather.
5. The woman was very ______.
6. The man ______ that he was not a grandfather.
7. Mr. Carter wanted to talk about his ______.
1. grandparents | 2. granddaughter | 3. empty | 4. kindly | 5. friendly | 6. replied | 7. grandchildren

Odd One Out 

Odd One Out

1. granddaughter - grandson - daughter - grandfather

2. happy - pleased - joyful - angry

3. empty - vacant - clear - crowded

4. kindly - politely - gently - rudely

5. friendly - kind - pleasant - unfriendly

6. grandfather - grandmother - parent - train

7. train - seat - station - granddaughter
1. grandfather | 2. angry | 3. crowded | 4. rudely | 5. unfriendly | 6. train | 7. granddaughter

Comprehension Exercises

True/False 

Answer with True or False

1. Mr. and Mrs. Carter had four children.
2. All four children got married.
3. The Carters already had three grandchildren before the new baby was born.
4. Mrs. Carter went to help her daughter with the baby.
5. Mr. Carter planned to stay with his daughter from Friday to Monday.
6. The woman on the train had two granddaughters and two grandsons.
7. The third man on the train was a grandfather.
1. True | 2. True | 3. True | 4. True | 5. True | 6. True | 7. False

Multiple Choice 

1. How many children did Mr. and Mrs. Carter have?

a. Two
b. Three
c. Four
d. Five

2. What did the Carters have before the new baby was born?

a. One granddaughter
b. One grandson
c. One granddaughter and two grandsons
d. Two granddaughters

3. Why did Mrs. Carter go to her daughter's house?

a. To visit a friend
b. To help with the new baby
c. To find a new job
d. To take a train

4. When did Mr. Carter plan to arrive?

a. Monday morning
b. Friday evening
c. Saturday morning
d. Sunday evening

5. How many granddaughters did the old man have?

a. One
b. Two
c. Three
d. Four

6. How many grandchildren did the friendly woman have?

a. Two
b. Three
c. Four
d. Five

7. What did Mr. Carter begin talking about at the end?

a. His job
b. His train journey
c. His grandchildren
d. His new granddaughter
1. c | 2. c | 3. b | 4. b | 5. c | 6. c | 7. c

Ordering 

Put the Events in Order

1. ___ Mrs. Carter goes to help with the new baby.
2. ___ Mr. Carter gets on a train after work.
3. ___ Mr. and Mrs. Carter have four children.
4. ___ Mr. Carter talks to an old man.
5. ___ Mr. Carter talks to a friendly woman.
6. ___ Mr. Carter talks to another man.
7. ___ Mr. Carter begins talking about his grandchildren.
1. 3 | 2. 1 | 3. 2 | 4. 4 | 5. 5 | 6. 6 | 7. 7

Find the Evidence 

Find a phrase from the story that supports each statement.

1. Mr. and Mrs. Carter had four children.
2. The Carters were happy grandparents.
3. Mrs. Carter went to help her daughter.
4. Mr. Carter traveled by train.
5. The old man was a grandfather.
6. The woman had four grandchildren.
7. The third man was not a grandfather.
1. "All four children grew up and got married." 2. "They were happy grandparents." 3. "Please come and help with the baby." 4. "After work, Mr. Carter got on a train." 5. "Yes," the man said. "I have three granddaughters." 6. "I have two granddaughters and two grandsons." 7. "No, I am not," the man replied.

Grammar Exercises

Fill in the blanks 

Fill in the Blanks with the Correct Verb

Past Simple

1. Mr. and Mrs. Carter ______ four children. (have)
2. All four children ______ married. (get)
3. They ______ happy grandparents. (be)
4. Mrs. Carter ______ to help with the baby. (go)
5. Mr. Carter ______ on a train. (get)
6. He ______ the old man a question. (ask)
7. The man ______ that he was a grandfather. (reply)
1. had | 2. got | 3. were | 4. went | 5. got | 6. asked | 7. replied

Choose one 

Choose the Correct Preposition

1. Mr. Carter got (on / under / between) a train.
2. He traveled (to / under / between) see his granddaughter.
3. The old man sat (next to / above / into) the first seat.
4. The woman sat (next to / under / from) the second seat.
5. Mr. Carter talked (about / under / between) his grandchildren.
6. Mrs. Carter went (to / under / between) help her daughter.
7. Mr. Carter stayed home (for / between / under) his job.
1. on | 2. to | 3. next to | 4. next to | 5. about | 6. to | 7. for 
Choose A, AN, or THE

1. Mr. and Mrs. Carter had ___ granddaughter.
2. They also had ___ two grandsons.
3. Mr. Carter got on ___ train.
4. He wanted to see ___ new granddaughter.
5. He talked to ___ old man.
6. He spoke to ___ friendly woman.
7. He sat in ___ empty seat.
1. a | 2. — | 3. a | 4. the | 5. an | 6. a | 7. an

Transformation 

Change to the Past Tense

1. Mr. and Mrs. Carter have four children.
2. Their children get married.
3. Mrs. Carter goes to help her daughter.
4. Mr. Carter gets on a train.
5. He asks the old man a question.
6. The woman answers his question.
7. Mr. Carter talks about his grandchildren.
1. Mr. and Mrs. Carter had four children. 2. Their children got married. 3. Mrs. Carter went to help her daughter. 4. Mr. Carter got on a train. 5. He asked the old man a question. 6. The woman answered his question. 7. Mr. Carter talked about his grandchildren. 
Make the Sentences Negative

1. Mr. Carter stayed home on Friday evening.
2. Mrs. Carter stayed at home with her husband.
3. The old man had three granddaughters.
4. The woman had two granddaughters.
5. The woman had two grandsons.
6. The third man was a grandfather.
7. Mr. Carter felt unhappy on the train.
1. Mr. Carter did not stay home on Friday evening. 2. Mrs. Carter did not stay at home with her husband. 3. The old man did not have three granddaughters. 4. The woman did not have two granddaughters. 5. The woman did not have two grandsons. 6. The third man was not a grandfather. 7. Mr. Carter did not feel unhappy on the train. 
Turn the Sentences into Questions

1. Mr. and Mrs. Carter had four children.
2. Their children got married.
3. Mrs. Carter went to help her daughter.
4. Mr. Carter got on a train.
5. The old man had three granddaughters.
6. The woman had two grandsons.
7. The third man was a grandfather.
1. Did Mr. and Mrs. Carter have four children? 2. Did their children get married? 3. Did Mrs. Carter go to help her daughter? 4. Did Mr. Carter get on a train? 5. Did the old man have three granddaughters? 6. Did the woman have two grandsons? 7. Was the third man a grandfather?

Find the Adjectives 

Find the adjectives in each phrase.

1. happy grandparents
2. new baby
3. empty seats
4. old man
5. friendly woman
6. three granddaughters
7. new granddaughter
1. happy | 2. new | 3. empty | 4. old | 5. friendly | 6. three | 7. new

Find the Adverbs 

Find the adverb in each sentence.


1. Mr. Carter felt very happy.
2. He asked kindly about the old man.
3. The woman answered politely.
4. Mr. Carter smiled happily.
5. He began talking excitedly about his grandchildren.
6. The train moved slowly through the town.
1. very | 2. kindly | 3. politely | 4. happily | 5. excitedly | 6. slowly

Speaking Activities

Discussion 

Why do you think Mr Carter asked the other passengers if they were grandparents?
He wanted to talk about his grandchildren with those who are not grandparents 
Why did Mr Carter say "That's good" when the third man said he was not a grandfather?
Because Carter will talk to about his grandchildren with him.

What Would You Do? 

1. Would you talk to another passenger on a train?

2. Would you ask a stranger if they were a grandparent?

3. Would you tell a stranger about your family?

4. Would you sit beside someone who wanted to talk?

5. Would you enjoy meeting Mr Carter?

6. Would you tell Mr Carter about your own family?

7. Would you prefer to travel alone or talk to other passengers?
1. Yes, I would talk to another passenger if they seemed friendly. 2. Yes, I might ask if we were already having a friendly conversation. 3. Yes, I would share a little about my family. 4. Yes, I would sit beside them and listen. 5. Yes, I would enjoy meeting Mr Carter. 6. Yes, I would tell him a little about my family. 7. I would prefer to talk to other passengers because it can make a journey more enjoyable.

Rate the Story 

1. How funny is the story?

1 = Not funny
5 = Extremely funny

2. How friendly is Mr Carter?

1 = Not friendly
5 = Extremely friendly

3. How happy is Mr Carter?

1 = Not happy
5 = Extremely happy

4. How interesting is the train conversation?

1 = Not interesting
5 = Extremely interesting

5. How enjoyable is the ending?

1 = Not enjoyable
5 = Extremely enjoyable

Writing Exercise

Change the Ending 

Write a new ending for the story. Imagine that the third man becomes interested in Mr. Carter's grandchildren.
Mr. Carter smiled and began telling the man about his family. He talked about his two grandsons, his granddaughter, and the new baby. The man listened carefully and smiled. After a few minutes, he said, "Your family sounds very happy." Mr. Carter nodded and continued telling funny stories about his grandchildren. Soon, both men were laughing together. The train continued through the night, and Mr. Carter felt that the journey was much shorter than he expected.

Dialogue 

Write a dialogue between Mr. Carter and the friendly woman about their grandchildren.
Mr. Carter: Are you a grandmother? Woman: Yes, I am. Mr. Carter: How many grandchildren do you have? Woman: I have two granddaughters and two grandsons. Mr. Carter: That's wonderful! I have three grandchildren and a new granddaughter. Woman: A new granddaughter? Mr. Carter: Yes. She was born recently. Woman: You must be very happy. Mr. Carter: I am. I am going to see her this weekend. Woman: That is very nice. I hope you enjoy your visit. Mr. Carter: Thank you. I am very excited to meet her.