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Back The Elephant Man Save as PDF
Chapters (13)
  1. Cubierta
  2. The Elephant Man
  3. Chapter 1: The creature in the shop
  4. Chapter 2: The card
  5. Chapter 3: A letter to 'The Times'
  6. Chapter 4: Merrick's first home
  7. Chapter 5: An important visitor
  8. Chapter 6: Outside the hospital
  9. Chapter 7: The last letter
  10. Glossary
  11. Activities
  12. Before reading
  13. Autor

shake hands (past tense shook) to hold somebody's hand and move it up and down as a greeting

shopkeeper a person who has a small shop

side the part of something that is not the top, bottom, front or back

skin you have skin all over your body; people have different skin colours

smell (past tense smelt) you see with your eyes; you smell with your nose

step a place to put your foot when you go up or down

stick (n) a long piece of wood; Merrick walks with a stick

strange different

stream a small river

tears water from your eyes when you cry

theatre a building where you go to see plays

touch (v) to feel something with your hand

ugly not beautiful

voice you talk with your voice

Activities

Before reading

  1. Read the story introduction on the first page of the book, and the back cover. How much do you know now about the Elephant Man? Yes or No
    1. People laugh at him.
    2. He is very old.
    3. His mother leaves him.
    4. People put him in a cage, like an animal.
    5. Children like him.
    6. A doctor wants to study him.
    7. His name is Joseph Merrick.
  2. What is going to happen in the story? Can you guess? Tick one box for each sentence. Yes, no or perhaps.
    1. The doctor helps the Elephant Man.
    2. The Elephant Man kills somebody.
    3. The Elephant Man lives to be a very old man.
    4. The Elephant Man finds a home.
    5. The Elephant Man finds a wife.
    6. The Elephant Man makes some friends.
    7. Somebody kills the Elephant Man.

While reading

Read Chapters 1 and 2, and answer these questions.

  1. What did Dr Treves see in the window of the shop?
  2. Who did Dr Treves give twelve pence to?
  3. How did Dr Treves feel when he saw the Elephant Man?
  4. Why couldn't the Elephant Man walk well?
  5. How did Dr Treves and Merrick get to the hospital?
  6. What did Dr Treves give Merrick?

Dr Treves wrote about Merrick in a little book. Use these words to complete his sentences. (Use each word once.) Then draw a picture of the Elephant Man.

bag, big, enormous, fingers, hair, man's, nose, skin, tooth

  1. His head is very __ , and it looks like an enormous with a lot of books in it.
  2. There is not much __ on his head, and the __ on his face cannot move.
  3. An enormous red __ comes out of his mouth, under his __
  4. The right arm is __ and the right hand is like a __ foot, but the __ of the left hand are long and beautiful.

Read Chapters 3 and 4. Choose the best question-word for these questions, and then answer them.

Why / Who / What

  1. … did the police bring Merrick to the hospital?
  2. … did Mr Carr Gomm write to The Times newspaper?
  3. … did the readers of The Times do?
  4. … did Merrick have a picture of?
  5. … did the nurse do when she saw Merrick?
  6. … did Merrick want to live in a lighthouse?