Charles Dickens: At 12 He Worked in a Factory… Then Wrote About Poor Children
At about twelve, Charles Dickens stuck labels on pots of shoe polish while his father was in prison for debt. He kept it a secret. Later, his novels made people think about poor children. Learn five B1 words and how to use make + someone + verb with the true story of Charles Dickens.
Coming 10 December 2026, 3:00 pm New York time
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
At twelve, he stuck on pots of , all day long.
He kept it a secret for most of his life.
This is the story of Charles Dickens.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. A is money that you owe to someone.
His father could not pay his .
. A is a paper sticker on something, with information on it.
He stuck on pots of .
. A is a building where people are kept as a punishment.
His father was sent to for .
. A is a long story in a book.
His "Oliver Twist" came out month by month.
. An is a child whose parents have died.
Oliver is an in a .
Now, one pattern: make, plus a person, plus a verb.
It means to cause someone to do something.
His made people think.
Ready? Let's begin.
Charles Dickens was born in England in 1812.
His family moved to London when he was a boy.
His father was a friendly man, but he spent too much.
His father could not pay his .
When Charles was about twelve, he was sent to work in a factory by the river.
It was an old, falling-down building, full of rats.
For about ten hours a day, he covered pots of with paper.
He stuck on pots of .
He earned six shillings a week.
Then his father was sent to for .
His mother and the younger children went to live in the , too.
Charles lived alone and visited them.
He felt ashamed and alone.
He later wrote that he was a shabby child who worked from morning to night.
He never forgot that time.
After about a year, he went back to school.
He grew up and became a reporter, and then a writer.
But he told almost no one about the factory.
Would anyone ever know his secret?
In 1837, readers met a poor boy called Oliver.
His "Oliver Twist" came out month by month.
Oliver is an in a .
One day, hungry, he held up his bowl and said, "Please, sir, I want some more."
Readers were shocked to see how poor children lived.
His made people think.
They made people worry about children with no one to help them.
He wrote quickly, and he walked a lot.
Some nights, he walked 15 or 20 miles through the dark streets of London.
In 1843, he wrote "A Christmas Carol" in about six weeks.
He told his secret to only one friend, John Forster.
Dickens died in 1870.
Two years later, Forster wrote his life story, and the world finally learned the truth.
Today, his are still read all over the world.
Let's review. His father could not pay his .
He stuck on pots of .
His father was sent to for .
His "Oliver Twist" came out month by month.
Oliver is an in a .
And remember: his made people think.
Charles Dickens's story teaches us: hard times can become stories that help others.
Want more interesting lessons?
Go to brightlivesenglish.com.
Please subscribe and learn with us.
Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
debt noun
money that you owe to someone
“His father could not pay his debts.”
label noun
a paper sticker on something, with information on it
“He stuck labels on pots of shoe polish.”
prison noun
a building where people are kept as a punishment
“His father was sent to prison for debt.”
novel noun
a long story in a book
“His novel Oliver Twist came out month by month.”
orphan noun
a child whose parents have died
“Oliver is an orphan in a workhouse.”
shoe polish noun
a cream that makes shoes clean and shiny
“He worked in a shoe polish factory.”
workhouse noun
in the past, a place where very poor people lived and worked
“Oliver was born in a workhouse.”
serial noun
a story that comes out in parts, one part at a time
“Oliver Twist first came out as a serial.”
Grammar in the story
make + someone + verb (no to)
We use it for: to say that something causes a person to do or feel something
- His novels made people think.
- They made people worry about children.
From the story
- His novels made people think.
- The film made me cry.
Find it in the story 4 times
Your turn
His novels made people .
The sad story me cry.
My teacher made us the poem again.
Step 4
Story Challenge
7 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
Well done!
Look at these again
This week's top 10
Resets every MondayNo scores yet this week. Be the first!
Lesson complete!
- 0/4steps
- 0/8words learned
- 0/3stars
Up next
Loading your next story…
Take it further
Before you watch: Do you know any stories by Charles Dickens? Have you seen A Christmas Carol?
After you watch: Write three sentences with make + someone + verb. For example: Sad films make me cry. My friend always makes me laugh. My mother made me clean my room.
Think about it: Dickens kept his hard childhood a secret, but he used it in his stories. How can hard times help us understand other people?
