4000 Essential English Words 1 » Unit 6: The Friendly Ghost

Word List
  • advantage [ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ] n.
    An advantage is something that helps you.
    → Being tall is an advantage to a basketball player.
  • cause [kɔːz] v.
    To cause is to make something happen.
    → The cold weather caused her to get sick.
  • choice [tʃɔɪs] n.
    A choice is the act or possibility of picking something.
    → I had my choice of five doors to open.
  • community [kəˈmjuːnɪti] n.
    A community is a group of people who live together.
    → The kids from my community usually play together.
  • dead [dɛd] adj.
    To be dead is to not be alive.
    → A dead person is usually buried in the ground.
  • distance [ˈdɪst(ə)ns] n.
    The distance between two things is how far it is between them.
    → The distance between the Earth and the Moon is 384,400 kilometers.
  • escape [ɪˈskeɪp] v.
    To escape is to run away from something bad.
    → The butterfly could not escape from the cage.
  • face [feɪs] v.
    If you face a problem, you deal with it.
    → My sister and I have to find a better way to face our differences.
  • follow [ˈfɒləʊ] v.
    To follow means to go behind someone and go where they go.
    → The little boy followed his mother home.
  • fright [frʌɪt] n.
    Fright is the feeling of being scared.
    → She was filled with fright.
  • ghost [ɡəʊst] n.
    A ghost is the spirit of a dead person.
    → Many people are afraid of ghosts.
  • individual [ɪndɪˈvɪdjʊ(ə)l] n.
    An individual is one person.
    → Only one individual could win the bicycle race.
  • pet [pɛt] n.
    A pet is an animal that lives with people.
    → Out of all my pets, the dog is my favorite.
  • reach [riːtʃ] v.
    To reach means to arrive at a place.
    → I was happy to finally reach my destination.
  • return [rɪˈtəːn] v.
    To return is to go back to a place.
    → I was happy to return home to my mom after school.
  • survive [səˈvʌɪv] v.
    To survive is to stay alive.
    → My dog survived her fall into the water.
  • upset [ʌpsɛt] adj.
    To be upset is to be unhappy about something.
    → She was upset because she broke her toy.
  • voice [vɔɪs] n.
    A voice is the sound a person makes when they talk or sing.
    → He used a microphone, so everyone could hear his voice.
  • weather [ˈwɛðə:r] n.
    The weather is the condition of the air: hot, rainy, windy, etc.
    → The weather can be sunny, rainy, or cold.
  • wise [wʌɪz] adj.
    To be wise is to use experience and intelligence to make good choices.
    → Many people believe that owls are very wise animals.
Exercise 1

Part A: Write a word that is similar in meaning to the underlined part.

  1. Sam was happy to go back to his house.
    re_ _ _n
  2. Her grandfather is a smart old man.
    wi_ _
  3. William wanted an animal to live with.
    p_ _
  4. He studies what the condition of the air is like.
    we_ _ _ _ _
  5. I have to deal with my rising credit card bill.
    f_ _ _

Part B: Choose the word that is a better fit for each sentence.

  1. fright/ghost
    • The_______________lives in the old house.
    • A scary place might cause_______________.
  2. dead / upset
    • The tree fell down because it was_______________.
    • I was_______________when I got a bad grade on the test.
  3. advantage / reached
    • After 10 hours of driving, I finally_______________California.
    • He is smart and has a(n)_______________in class.
  4. escape / distance
    • He wanted to_______________from the room.
    • He lived a long_______________from the school.
  5. community / individual
    • The man is a nice_______________.
    • The town is a small_______________.
Exercise 2

Check (V) the one that suits the blank naturally.

  1. It rained for two days,__________.
    • ____ a. and caused the river to rise
    • ____ b. it was dead
  2. As I was walking home from school today,_________ .
    • ____ a. I was a ghost
    • ____ b. I hardly noticed that a dog was following me
  3. After my vacation,__________ .
    • ____ a. I returned to work
    • ____ b. I was an advantage
  4. Many people like him__________ .
    • ____ a. because they make him upset
    • ____ b. because he is a wise man
  5. They are afraid of the king because___________ .
    • ____ a. he has too much power
    • ____ b. he has a quiet voice
  6. I love my dog.__________ .
    • ____ a. He’s my favorite pet
    • ____ b. He causes fright
  7. I like living here because__________ .
    • ____ a. I make many choices
    • ____ b. it is a nice community
  8. I want to live in Hawaii because___________ .
    • ____ a. it has good weather
    • ____ b. smoking causes lung cancer
  9. The storm was very bad, but__________.
    • ____ a. all of the people survived
    • ____ b. it went a very long distance
  10. We closed the door, but___________.
    • ____ a. the dog escaped
    • ____ b. it was an individual
Answer Key
Exercise 1
Part A
  1. return
  2. wise
  3. pet
  4. weather
  5. face
Part B
  1. ghost / fright
  2. dead / upset
  3. reached / advantage
  4. escape / distance
  5. individual / community
Exercise 2
  1. a
  2. b
  3. a
  4. b
  5. a
  6. a
  7. b
  8. a
  9. a
  10. a
Answer Key
The Friendly Ghost

A nice woman lived by a large river. She loved children. She wanted to help them in any way. She loved her community, and everyone in the community loved her. She lived a very long time and became very wise.

When she died, she became a ghost. She was dead, but every night she returned to her community. She wanted to help children and not to cause them fright. But she had a scary voice. Children were afraid of her, but the ghost was a good one. She only scared them to help them.

One night, some children and a dog were playing by the river. They were having fun with their pet. But they were far from home. Then the weather became bad. It rained and rained. The river was rising. It was very dark. The children knew they were lost. They needed to go north, but they didn’t know which direction it was. When the moon came out, they saw a ghost by the river. The ghost said, “Go away!”

The children felt great fright. They knew it was a ghost. Then the ghost moved closer. She yelled again, “Go away!” The children became very upset. Some of them began to cry. The children knew they had a choice: they could escape, or they could stay and face this scary individual in the dark.

The children ran a long distance away. The ghost followed them all the way. Finally, the children reached home. The ghost was very happy. Soon the river rose higher and higher. It was very dangerous. The ghost had helped the children survive! She had saved them from the rising water. She also used her power to lead them home. Sometimes, meeting a ghost has advantages. A ghost can save your life!

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

  1. What is this story about?
    • a. How a ghost returns to help her community
    • b. How a wise pet helps children escape a ghost
    • c. Why an individual has a job in the north
    • d. How some children escaped bad weather
  2. What caused fright in the children?
    • a. The power of the moon at night
    • b. The bad weather near the river
    • c. The voice of the ghost
    • d. Their dead pet
  3. What was true of the children in the story?
    • a. Their home was a short distance from the river.
    • b. They had the advantage of being ghosts.
    • c. They didn’t like to play near the river.
    • d. They were upset when they saw the ghost.
  4. Why did the ghost scare the children?
    • a. She wanted to help them.
    • b. She had no other choice.
    • c. She was afraid of their pet.
    • d. She didn’t want them to see her.
  5. Where did the woman live?
    _____________
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
  1. a
  2. c
  3. d
  4. a
  5. She lived by a large river.
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