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Bright Lives English
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Charlie Chaplin: He Was Five When His Mother's Voice Stopped… So He Sang

Level A1 (Beginner) · Watch the video and do the online quiz at https://brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/charlie-chaplin-made-the-world-laugh/

A Match the words to their meanings

  1. laugh (verb)
  2. hat (noun)
  3. shoe (noun)
  4. film (noun)
  5. funny (adjective)
  6. walking stick (noun)
  7. actor (noun)
  8. moustache (noun)
  1. to make a happy sound because something is funny (past: laughed)
  2. a story you watch at the cinema (US: movie)
  3. a thin stick that helps you walk
  4. hair that grows above a man's mouth
  5. you wear it on your foot
  6. you wear it on your head
  7. it makes you laugh
  8. a person who plays a character in a film or on a stage

B Complete the sentences from the story

funny · films · laughed · actor · moustache · walking stick · shoes · hat

  1. His were very big.
  2. Charlie Chaplin was a famous .
  3. The Tramp had a small .
  4. The Tramp had a .
  5. The Tramp was very .
  6. The people .
  7. He had a small black .
  8. He made many .

C Did you understand?

  1. Charlie Chaplin's family was rich.True / False
  2. Why did little Charlie sing on the stage?
    1. He wanted money for a hat
    2. His teacher told him to
    3. His mother's voice stopped
    4. It was his birthday
  3. What was the name of his famous character?
    1. The Clown
    2. The Tramp
    3. The Soldier
    4. The King
  4. His films had a lot of words.True / False
  5. What happened in 1972?
    1. He made his first film
    2. He sailed to America
    3. He sang on a stage for the first time
    4. People clapped for him for twelve minutes

D Put the words in order

  1. didn't / words / films / His / have

E Grammar: didn't + verb

We use it for to say no about the past. His films didn't have words. · He didn't give up. · They didn't need words to laugh.

Example from the story: His films didn't have words.

  1. His films have sound. (didn't / don't / wasn't)
  2. Life was hard, but he didn't up. (give / gave / gives)
  3. People didn't words to laugh. (need / needed / needs)

F Your turn

Retell Charlie Chaplin's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.

Transcript

A little boy stood on a stage.

His mother could not sing.

So the boy sang, and the people laughed.

This is the story of Charlie Chaplin.

Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.

Laugh. When something is funny, you laugh.

The past is laughed.

The people laughed.

Hat. You wear a hat on your head.

He had a small black hat.

Shoe. You wear a shoe on your foot.

His shoes were very big.

Film. A film is a story you watch at the cinema.

He made many films.

Funny. Something funny makes you laugh.

The Tramp was very funny.

Now, one pattern: didn't.

We use didn't to say no in the past.

His films had words?

No. His films didn't have words.

Ready? Let's begin.

Charlie Chaplin was born in London in 1889.

His family was very poor.

His mother was often ill.

When he was five, his mother sang on a stage.

Her voice stopped.

So little Charlie sang!

People threw money.

He picked it up, and the people laughed.

At seven, he went to a school for poor children.

Life was hard, but he didn't give up.

In 1910, he sailed to America.

Could he make the whole world laugh?

In 1914, he made a new funny man, the Tramp.

He had a small black hat and a walking stick.

His shoes were very big!

The Tramp was very funny.

Films didn't have sound then.

His films didn't have words.

But people everywhere understood them.

They didn't need words to laugh.

He made many films.

He wrote the music too.

In 1972, people clapped for him for twelve minutes!

He died in 1977.

Let's review. The people laughed.

He had a small black hat.

His shoes were very big.

He made many films.

The Tramp was very funny.

And remember: his films didn't have words.

Charlie Chaplin's story teaches us: everyone in the world can laugh together.

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Answer key

A. 1a 2f 3e 4b 5g 6c 7h 8d

B. 1 shoes · 2 actor · 3 moustache · 4 walking stick · 5 funny · 6 laughed · 7 hat · 8 films

C. 1 False · 2 c · 3 b · 4 False · 5 d

D. 1 His films didn't have words.

E. 1 didn't · 2 give · 3 need