Florence Nightingale: She Walked With a Lamp at Night… and Changed Hospitals
Level A1 (Beginner) · Watch the video and do the online quiz at https://brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/florence-nightingale-lamp/
A Match the words to their meanings
- nurse (noun)
- hospital (noun)
- soldier (noun)
- clean (adjective)
- lamp (noun)
- bed (noun)
- care (verb)
- dirty (adjective)
- to look after someone (care for)
- a thing you sleep on
- a place where sick people get help
- a person in the army
- not dirty
- a thing that gives light
- a person who helps sick people, often in a hospital
- not clean
B Complete the sentences from the story
nurse · clean · lamp · dirty · hospital · care · beds · soldiers
- She wanted to be a .
- She had a little .
- The hospital was very .
- The was very dirty.
- They made the hospital .
- Nurses for sick people.
- There were long rows of .
- Many were sick.
C Did you understand?
- Her family wanted her to be a nurse.True / False
- What was her owl's name?
- Florence
- Italy
- Athena
- Lamp
- How many nurses went with her in 1854?
- 8
- 38
- 100
- 2
- She had a little lamp.True / False
D Put the words in order
- her / night / walked / she / Every / lamp / with
E Grammar: every day / every night
We use it for to say that something happens all the days or all the nights. Every night, she walked with her lamp.
Example from the story: Every night, she walked with her lamp.
- night, she walked with her lamp. (Every / Many / Lots)
- Every , I eat breakfast. (morning / mornings / the morning)
- Every night means . (all the nights / one night / no nights)
F Your turn
Retell Florence Nightingale's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Transcript
It is night.
A woman walks in a hospital with a little lamp.
Who is she?
This is the story of Florence Nightingale.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Nurse. A nurse helps sick people.
She wanted to be a nurse.
Hospital. Sick people go to a hospital.
The hospital was very dirty.
Soldier. A soldier is in the army.
Many soldiers were sick.
Clean. Clean means not dirty.
They made the hospital clean.
Lamp. A lamp gives light.
She had a little lamp.
Now, one pattern: every day, every night.
It means all the days, or all the nights.
Every night, she walked with her lamp.
Ready? Let's begin.
Florence was born in Italy in 1820.
Her family was English and rich.
She wanted to be a nurse.
Her family said no!
She learned to be a nurse in Germany.
She had a little owl, too.
Its name was Athena!
In 1854, there was a war.
She went to a hospital with 38 nurses.
The hospital was very dirty.
Many soldiers were sick.
What could she do?
She and other people worked hard.
They made the hospital clean.
She had a little lamp.
Every night, she walked with her lamp.
People called her "the Lady with the Lamp".
Then, fewer soldiers died.
Later, she opened a school for nurses in London.
Let's review. She wanted to be a nurse.
The hospital was very dirty.
Many soldiers were sick.
They made the hospital clean.
She had a little lamp.
And remember: every night, she walked with her lamp.
Florence Nightingale's story teaches us: a small light can help many people.
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Answer key
A. 1g 2c 3d 4e 5f 6b 7a 8h
B. 1 nurse · 2 lamp · 3 dirty · 4 hospital · 5 clean · 6 care · 7 beds · 8 soldiers
C. 1 False · 2 c · 3 b · 4 True
D. 1 Every night she walked with her lamp.
E. 1 Every · 2 morning · 3 all the nights