The Talking Grandfather

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. in a friendly and caring way
7. answered             g. replied to a question

Fill in the blanks with the words below:

granddaughter - empty - kindly - answered - grandson - grandmother - grandfather

1. Mr and Mrs Carter had a new ______.
2. They had two grandsons and one ______ at first.
3. The woman was a ______ with two granddaughters.
4. The old man said he was a ______.
5. There were three ______ places on the train.
6. Mr Carter spoke to the man ______.
7. The man ______ that he was not a grandfather.

Odd One Out

1. granddaughter - grandson - grandmother - train

2. grandfather - grandmother - father - window

3. happy - pleased - joyful - empty

4. train - station - carriage - granddaughter

5. daughter - son - child - grandfather

6. kindly - nicely - gently - angrily

7. empty - vacant - free - crowded

Answer with True or False

1. Mr and Mrs Carter had four children.
2. Both the daughters and sons got married.
3. Mrs Carter went to help with the new granddaughter.
4. Mr Carter stayed at home because he was closer to his job.
5. Mr Carter traveled by train on Friday evening.
6. The woman on the train had two granddaughters and two grandsons.
7. The last man was also a grandfather.

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

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

2. What did Mr Carter and his wife have after their children married?

a. Two daughters
b. Grandchildren
c. A new house
d. A new job

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

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

4. When did Mr Carter travel?

a. Monday morning
b. Wednesday evening
c. Friday evening
d. Sunday afternoon

5. How many empty places were there on the train?

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

6. How many grandchildren did the woman say she had?

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

7. What did Mr Carter want to do after sitting down?

a. Sleep
b. Read a book
c. Tell the man about his grandchildren
d. Leave the train

Put the Events in Order

1. ___ Mr Carter gets on a train.
2. ___ Mrs Carter goes to help her daughter.
3. ___ Mr Carter speaks to an old man.
4. ___ Mr and Mrs Carter have grandchildren.
5. ___ Mr Carter speaks to a woman.
6. ___ Mr Carter asks the third man if he is a grandfather.
7. ___ Mr Carter sits down and starts talking about his grandchildren.

Find a phrase from the story that supports each statement.

1. Mr and Mrs Carter had four children.
2. Their children all got married.
3. Mr Carter was happy about seeing his new granddaughter.
4. Mr Carter traveled by train.
5. The old man was a grandfather.
6. The woman had four grandchildren.
7. The last man was not a grandfather.

Fill in the Blanks with the Correct Verb

Past Simple

1. Mr and Mrs Carter ______ two daughters and two sons. (have)
2. Both the daughters ______. (marry)
3. Mrs Carter ______ quickly to help her daughter. (go)
4. Mr Carter ______ at home. (stay)
5. He ______ into a train on Friday evening. (get)
6. He ______ to the old man. (speak)
7. The man ______ that he was not a grandfather. (answer)

Choose A, AN, or THE

1. Mr Carter had ___ granddaughter.
2. Mrs Carter went to help with ___ new granddaughter.
3. Mr Carter got into ___ train.
4. There was ___ old man beside one place.
5. There was ___ nice woman beside another place.
6. He asked ___ man if he was a grandfather.
7. ___ woman had two granddaughters and two grandsons.

Change to the Past Tense

1. Mr and Mrs Carter have two daughters and two sons.
2. Their daughters marry.
3. Mrs Carter goes to help her daughter.
4. Mr Carter stays at home.
5. He gets into a train.
6. He asks the old man a question.
7. The man answers him.

Make the Sentences Negative

1. Mr Carter stayed at home on Friday evening.
2. Mrs Carter went to help her daughter.
3. Mr Carter was happy.
4. The old man had three granddaughters.
5. The woman had two grandsons.
6. The third man was a grandfather.
7. Mr Carter sat down in the empty place.

Turn the Sentences into Questions

1. Mr Carter was happy.
2. Mrs Carter went to help her daughter.
3. Mr Carter traveled by train.
4. The old man was a grandfather.
5. The woman was a grandmother.
6. The woman had two grandsons.
7. The third man was a grandfather.

Find the adjectives in each phrase.

1. new granddaughter
2. empty places
3. old man
4. nice woman
5. happy grandfather
6. three empty places
7. young grandchildren

Find the adverb in each sentence.

1. Mrs Carter went quickly to help her daughter.
2. Mr Carter smiled happily.
3. He spoke nicely to the old man.
4. The woman answered politely.
5. Mr Carter sat down kindly.
6. He traveled happily to see his granddaughter.
7. He spoke gently to the man.

Why do you think Mr Carter asked the other passengers if they were grandparents?

Why did Mr Carter say "That's good" when the third man said he was not a grandfather?

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. 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

Write a new ending for the story. Imagine that the third man says he has five grandchildren. What happens next?

Write a dialogue between Mr Carter and the woman after he learns that she is a grandmother.