The Canterville Ghost
The same text at three levels
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Mr Hiram Otis is an American. He works for his country. He buys an old English house, Canterville Chase. Everyone says the house has a ghost.
When Mr Hiram Otis, the American Minister, bought Canterville Chase, everyone told him he was making a mistake, because the house was haunted.
When Mr Hiram B. Otis, the American Minister, bought Canterville Chase, every one told him he was doing a very foolish thing. There was no doubt at all that the place was haunted. Indeed, Lord Canterville himself, who was a man of the most punctilious honour, had felt it his duty to mention the fact to Mr Otis.
Words for the text
- ghost
- A dead person who comes back.
- haunted
- Visited by a ghost.
- stain
- A dirty mark.
- chains
- Metal rings in a line.
- corridor
- A long passage between rooms.
- prophecy
- Old words about the future.
- twins
- Two children born together.
- skeleton
- The bones of a dead body.
The opening of the text
A house with a ghost
When Mr Hiram Otis, the American Minister, bought Canterville Chase, everyone told him he was making a mistake, because the house was haunted.
Lord Canterville was a man of strict honour, and he felt it was his duty to warn the buyer. 'The ghost has been seen by several members of my family,' he said. 'It has been here since 1584.'
Mr Otis only smiled. 'We have everything that money can buy in America,' he said. 'If there were a ghost in Europe, we would soon have it in a museum. The laws of Nature are not going to be suspended for the British aristocracy.'
In July the family came down to the house: Mrs Otis, once a New York beauty; Washington, her eldest son; Virginia, fifteen, who rode horses very well; and the twins, who were always in trouble. Old Mrs Umney, the housekeeper, waited on the steps in black silk. As they reached the house, the sky grew dark.
In a few words
An American family buys an old English house with a ghost. The family is not afraid of the ghost. The ghost becomes sad and tired. Then a young girl tries to help him.
Author
Oscar Wilde (1887)
Original from 1887, in the public domain. The adaptation was checked against the full text. gutenberg.org
Levels
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