Vocabulary Vault

Discuss these questions with a partner before reading.

1
Have you ever moved to a new place where nobody knew you? How did it feel?
2
What makes someone seem 'mysterious' or 'strange' to you?
3
If a stranger moved into your neighbourhood and opened a shop, what questions would you want to ask them?
4
What do you think the phrase 'everyone has a secret' means? Do you agree?

—Meet the Characters

Get to know the people in the story before you begin.

Dave Slatin

The mysterious shopkeeper

Anna

Dave's shop assistant

Greta Gordon

A famous film star

Peter

Anna's friend

Mike Bailey

A famous footballer

Arthur Riseman

A businessman

Peter

Anna's friend

A young man from Woodend who sometimes helps at the shop.

Mike Bailey

Village resident

A young man who lives in the village of Woodend.

Arthur Riseman

Village elder

An older man with a hat and beard, a long-standing member of the community.

Look at the four scenes from the story. Put them in the correct order (1–4) by dragging or clicking.

1

The Corner Shop opens and Anna serves the first customers.

2

A famous film star arrives in the village in a large car.

3

Dave renovates the old house and paints the shop sign.

4

A stranger knocks on a door in Woodend on a cold October night.

Each character has 3 words that describe them. Click a word from the bank to select it, then click one of the character’s empty slots to assign it. Click a placed word to remove it. Check all answers at once when every slot is filled.

Word Bank — click to select:

Dave Slatin

The mysterious shopkeeper

Anna

Dave's shop assistant

Greta Gordon

A famous film star

Peter

Anna's friend

Mike Bailey

A famous footballer

Arthur Riseman

A businessman

Vocabulary Definitions

mysteriousdifficult to explain or understand; strange and secretive

proprietorthe owner of a business, hotel, or shop

renovateto repair and improve a building so it looks new again

assistanta person who helps someone else in their work

wagesmoney paid regularly to an employee for their work

suspiciousfeeling that something is wrong or that someone cannot be trusted

luxuriousvery comfortable, expensive, and elegant

nervousanxious or worried about something

diamonda very hard, precious stone that sparkles; worn as jewellery

helpfulwilling to give assistance; useful to others

curiouseager to know or learn about something

loyalgiving firm support to a person; faithful

famousknown and recognised by many people

footballa popular sport played with a round ball between two teams of eleven players

injuryphysical harm or damage to part of the body

briefcasea flat rectangular bag used to carry documents and papers

wealthyhaving a large amount of money and possessions; rich

specialdifferent from what is ordinary; set apart for a particular purpose

Complete the story summary with the correct form of the verb in brackets. Use Past Simple, Past Continuous, or Past Perfect.

The verb in brackets is in its base form. Use the correct past tense.

It 1. a cold October evening in 1964 when a tall, dark stranger 2. in the village of Woodend. He 3. somewhere to stay when he 4. on Mrs Harrison's door. She 5. him a room for the night. A few weeks later, Dave 6. and 7. the old house that 8. to Mr Smith, who 9. the previous summer. Dave 10. the whole building and 11. a shop called The Corner Shop. He 12. a young woman called Anna as his assistant. The shop 13. a great success, but there 14. one mysterious locked room that Anna 15.. Then, one spring day, a famous film star called Greta Gordon 16. in a large car. She 17. an expensive fur coat and diamond rings. She 18. nervous — as if she 19. Dave before.

Complete the gaps with in, at or on.

inmonths, years, seasons, parts of day

atclock times, night, the weekend

ondays, dates, named mornings/evenings

1.Dave first appeared in Woodend Saturday 31st October, 1964.
2.Anna got back from London late the evening.
3.Dave arrived in the village night.
4.He came back the first Sunday December.
5.He moved into the house the middle of December.
6. the morning of Monday 21st December the villagers noticed a big sign outside the house.
7.The shop opened nine o'clock the morning.

Click a word on the left to select it, then click its matching definition on the right. Click a matched word to remove the match.

Words

Definitions

Complete the gaps with the correct verb form from the brackets.

Anna got back from London in the evening but she ¹ that night. She ² about Dave Slatin and the Special Orders. What ³ they? What ⁴ Dave Slatin ⁵ in that room?

She ⁶ to work, as usual, the next morning. At eleven o'clock Dave ⁷ the shop. He ⁸ in his car and ⁹ off.

That morning, the Special Orders room ¹⁰. Anna ¹¹ the door and ¹² inside.

She ¹³ ¹⁴ through boxes. She ¹⁵ money, lots of money. There ¹⁶ also a doll and a model aeroplane. They ¹⁷.

Suddenly Dave Slatin ¹⁸ into the room. ‘Now you ¹⁹,’ he ²⁰.

‘I ²¹ strange powers. I ²² these powers ²³ my special customers. And I ²⁴ them ²⁵ you too.’

Discuss these questions with your partner or group.

1
Why do you think the villagers were curious about Dave Slatin? Would you be curious too?
2
What do you think is in the locked room? Give reasons for your answer.
3
Why do you think Greta Gordon seemed nervous when she arrived? What might she know about Dave?
4
Have you ever met someone who seemed mysterious? What made them seem that way?
5
Do you think it is important to know your neighbours? Why or why not?
6
Would you like to read the rest of the story? What do you think happens next?

The Stranger