4000 Essential English Words 3 » Unit 21: The Old Man with a Bump

Word List
  • accustomed [əˈkʌstəmd] adj.
    When you become accustomed to something, you are in the habit of it.
    → Grandfather is accustomed to reading the newspaper every morning.
  • affirm [əˈfəːrm] v.
    To affirm is to say that something is true.
    → Using a graph, Malcolm affirmed the success o f the company.
  • astonished [əstɒnɪʃt] adj.
    If someone is astonished, they are very surprised or shocked.
    → I was astonished when he pulled the live rabbit out of his hat.
  • bang [æŋ] v.
    To bang is to hit something to make a noise.
    → The drummer banged on his drum as he marched in the parade.
  • clan [klæn] n.
    A clan is a group of relatives or friends.
    → The Lee clan meets every year to celebrate the New Year.
  • dim [dɪm] adj.
    When something is dim, it does not give out much light.
    → Working in a dim room is bad for your eyes.
  • emphasis
    Emphasis is special attention or importance.
    → The students put special emphasis on chapter 4 because it will be on the test.
  • fable [ˈfeibəl] n.
    A fable is a short story that teaches a lesson.
    → In the fable about the tortoise and the hare, the lesson is consistency.
  • feast [fiːst] n.
    A feast is a large meal for many people.
    → At Thanksgiving, I enjoy a wonderful feast with my family.
  • glow [glou] v.
    To glow is to make a soft light.
    → The small flame glowed softly.
  • hollow [ˈhɒlou] adj.
    When something is hollow, it has an empty space inside.
    → Straws are hollow, so liquid can flow through them.
  • instinct [ɪnstɪŋkt] n.
    Instinct is the natural way that people behave without thinking about it.
    → Cats hunt mice because of instinct.
  • joint [dʒɔɪnt] n.
    A joint is a place of the body where the bones meet, such as the knee.
    → Two important bones in your leg meet at a join t in your knee.
  • leak [liːk] v.
    To leak is to let a liquid or gas pass through a flaw.
    → The pipe leaks from many places.
  • physician [fɪzɪʃən] n.
    A physician is a doctor.
    → The physician said I would feel better if I took my medicine.
  • sacrifice [ˈsækrəfaɪs] v.
    To sacrifice something valuable is to give it up to get something else.
    → Her parents sacrificed a lot of money in order for her to go to college.
  • stiff [stɪf] adj.
    When something is stiff, it is hard to move.
    → The bird was standing on the tree’s s tiff branch.
  • stroke [strouk] v.
    To stroke is to move a hand over something or someone.
    → She stroked her cheek to see if there was something on it.
  • tragic [ˈtrædʒɪk] adj.
    When something is tragic, it is connected with death and suffering.
    → The airplane crashed in a tragic accident.
  • tune [tjuːn] n.
    A tune is a song.
    → The students played a familiar tune for the audience.
Exercise 1

Choose the right definition for the given word.

  1. stroke
    • a. to surprise
    • b. to move a hand
    • c. a light
    • d. to speak
  2. sacrifice
    • a. to give up
    • b. to allow
    • c. to cry
    • d. to say
  3. joint
    • a. very sad
    • b. a large meal
    • c. a short story
    • d. where two bones meet
  4. emphasis
    • a. family
    • b. a song
    • c. a doctor
    • d. special attention
  5. hollow
    • a. natural
    • b. cannot move
    • c. to connect
    • d. empty
Exercise 2

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

  1. She avoided walking in low-light areas.
    _____________
  2. Since she’s lived in hot places all her life, she’s used to warm weather.
    _____________
  3. The holes in the old pipes let water pass through onto the bathroom floor.
    _____________
  4. Her back felt hard to move after she slept on the floor.
    _____________
  5. He was happy to go home and see the group of family and friends.
    _____________
  6. The very shocked crowd watched as the magician performed his tricks.
    _____________
  7. The school served a large meal in honor of the new principal.
    _____________
  8. The only thing that I could see in the dark night was my flashlight making light.
    _____________
  9. It was a very sad event when his parents passed away in the accident.
    _____________
  10. Her natural behavior told her to leave the room as soon as possible.
    _____________
Exercise 3

Choose the word that is a better fit for each blank.

  1. fable / astonished
    • The ____________ was about a young boy with magic powers. At first nobody believed him, but everyone was ____________ when he made a cat disappear.
  2. instincts / banged
    • After hearing the bad news, she ____________ her fist on the table in anger. Things would go wrong, her ____________ told her.
  3. accustomed / feast
    • Though the food was good, he felt sick after the ____________. He just wasn’t ____________ to eating so much at one time.
  4. joint / physician
    • The ____________ tretched out my arm, looking at my elbow. He wanted to make sure that my pain wasn’t a problem with the ____________ .
  5. affirm / emphasis
    • The university placed a special ____________ on student safety. They wanted to ____________ that they were interested in protecting students.
  6. stiff / hollow
    • He wanted to find out where his sister went after school, so he hid in a ____________ tree in the schoolyard. However, when he came out, he felt ____________ all over.
  7. clan / tunes
    • The entire ____________ was excited about her wedding. While they drove to the church, they sang happy ____________.
  8. dim / stroked
    • In the ____________ light, it was hard to find the earring she’d dropped on the floor. She ____________ he ground until she finally felt it.
  9. tragic / sacrifices
    • The boy suffered from a ____________ illness. Still, his family made ____________ to make sure he was always comfortable.
  10. leak / glowing
    • He shut the door to make sure that no light could ____________ into the room. However, he could still see the moon ____________ outside of his window.
Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. b
  2. a
  3. d
  4. d
  5. d
Exercise 2
  1. dim
  2. accustomed
  3. leak
  4. stiff
  5. clan
  6. astonished
  7. feast
  8. glowing
  9. tragic
  10. instincts
Exercise 3
  1. fable, astonished
  2. banged, instincts
  3. feast, accustomed
  4. physician, joint
  5. emphasis, affirm
  6. hollow, stiff
  7. clan, tunes
  8. dim, stroked
  9. tragic, sacrifices
  10. leak, glowing
Answer Key
The Old Man with a Bump

An old man had a large bump on his face. He went to the best physician in town. He gave the old man tragic news: “ I can’t do anything. You’ll have to get accustomed to it.”

One day, the old man went into the forest. Suddenly, the light became dim. It was going to rain. So he found a hollow tree to sit under. It leaked a little, but there was no other place he could wait.

When the rain stopped, his joints felt stiff from sitting. Suddenly, he heard a tune coming from far away. Many fables said monsters lived in the forest. No one could affirm that the stories were true, though. Still, his instincts told him that there was something out there. He walked farther into the forest. Then he saw a fire glowing. He was astonished to see a clan of monsters. They were having a great feast and banging on drums.

He stood behind a tree, spying on them. Then the leader asked, “ Who’s the best dancer here?”

“ Me!” the man yelled, coming from behind the tree. He started to dance. When he was finished, the leader said, “ I want you to dance every night. In order to make sure you return, I’m going to keep something you love.”

“ Please don’t take my bump,” he begged. “ I can’t sacrifice it. It’s good luck!” He exclaimed, pointing at it for emphasis.

The monsters agreed that they had to take his bump. After they did, the man stroked his face to make sure it was gone. He had tricked them! He never went back, and he never had to worry about his bump again.

Reading Comprehension

Part A: Mark each statement T for true or F for false. Rewrite the false statements to make them true.

  1. _____ The physician told the old man there was nothing he could do.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ The old man waited in the hollow tree even though it leaked a little.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ The old man’s joints were stiff from walking in the forest.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ The old man’s instincts told him to return home immediately.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ The man danced for the clan of monsters.
    • _____________________________________________________
  6. _____ The monsters took away the man’s tragic bump.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. What advice did the doctor give the old man?
    • a. To bang
    • b. To make
    • c. To sacrifice
    • d. To get
  2. Why did the man have to wait inside a hollow tree?
    • a. The light became dim.
    • b. It began to rain.
    • c. He was hiding from monsters.
    • d. His joints hurt.
  3. Why did the old man come out from behind the tree?
    • a. To run away
    • b. To eat
    • c. To dance
    • d. To play music
  4. Why does the old man stroke his face at the end of the story?
    • a. To astonish the monsters
    • b. To make sure the bump is gone
    • c. For emphasis
    • d. To affirm that the bump is there
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. T
  2. T
  3. F / The old man’s joints were stiff from sitting under a tree for a long time.
  4. F / The old man’s instincts told him there was something in the forest.
  5. T
  6. T
Part B
  1. d
  2. b
  3. c
  4. b
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