Walt Whitman
Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2012
- Member Type
- English Teacher
- Native Language
- Italian
- Home Country
- Italy
- Current Location
- Italy
English teacher
This time I’m going to give my middle school students (aged 12) a simplified version of the second chapter from “Oliver Twist”. Once again, it’s basic English (even more basic than my previous post about “Of Mice and Men”). I’ve used the present simple (narrative present) all through the passage and I’d like to know if it sounds fine to you.
The room in the workhouse where the boys eat is a big stone hall. There is a large pot at one end. When it is time for meals, the master serves the soup. The boys have one small bowl of soup three times a day. On Sundays they receive a small piece of bread. They eat everything. They never wash their plates because they are always so hungry that they clean them with their spoons.
Oliver Twist and his friends are always very hungry and very unhappy. They never ask for a second bowl of soup. They are afraid. But after three months they are terribly hungry. So they talk together and, after a long discussion, they choose a boy to go to the master after supper that evening and ask for more. The boy is Oliver Twist.
The evening arrives and the master serves the soup. The bowls are empty again in a few seconds. Oliver is a very small child and he is frightened, but also very, very hungry. He goes to the master with his bowl and spoon in his hand and says, "Please, sir, I want some more."
The master is a fat, healthy man, but he turns very white. He looks with surprise at the small boy in front of him. The boys are silent with fear.
"What?" shouts the master.
"Please, sir," says Oliver, "I want some more."
The master hits Oliver on the head with his big spoon. Then he calls Mr Bumble who is an important officer of the town. Mr Bumble comes quickly into the room, hears the dreadful news, and immediately runs to tell the directors of the workhouse.
"He wants more food!" they cry in horror. “Bumble – is this really true?”.
They lock Oliver in a dark room and the next morning a notice appears on the gate of the workhouse. They want to sell Oliver.
Corrections and suggestions would be very much appreciated.
Thank you.
WW
This time I’m going to give my middle school students (aged 12) a simplified version of the second chapter from “Oliver Twist”. Once again, it’s basic English (even more basic than my previous post about “Of Mice and Men”). I’ve used the present simple (narrative present) all through the passage and I’d like to know if it sounds fine to you.
The room in the workhouse where the boys eat is a big stone hall. There is a large pot at one end. When it is time for meals, the master serves the soup. The boys have one small bowl of soup three times a day. On Sundays they receive a small piece of bread. They eat everything. They never wash their plates because they are always so hungry that they clean them with their spoons.
Oliver Twist and his friends are always very hungry and very unhappy. They never ask for a second bowl of soup. They are afraid. But after three months they are terribly hungry. So they talk together and, after a long discussion, they choose a boy to go to the master after supper that evening and ask for more. The boy is Oliver Twist.
The evening arrives and the master serves the soup. The bowls are empty again in a few seconds. Oliver is a very small child and he is frightened, but also very, very hungry. He goes to the master with his bowl and spoon in his hand and says, "Please, sir, I want some more."
The master is a fat, healthy man, but he turns very white. He looks with surprise at the small boy in front of him. The boys are silent with fear.
"What?" shouts the master.
"Please, sir," says Oliver, "I want some more."
The master hits Oliver on the head with his big spoon. Then he calls Mr Bumble who is an important officer of the town. Mr Bumble comes quickly into the room, hears the dreadful news, and immediately runs to tell the directors of the workhouse.
"He wants more food!" they cry in horror. “Bumble – is this really true?”.
They lock Oliver in a dark room and the next morning a notice appears on the gate of the workhouse. They want to sell Oliver.
Corrections and suggestions would be very much appreciated.
Thank you.
WW
