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Students' Level: Pre-Intermediate

Charles Dickens was one of the greatest English novelists of the 19th century. He wrote about the lives of the poor and working classes in Victorian England. As a child, Dickens experienced hardship when his father was imprisoned for debt, forcing the young Charles to work in a factory. This experience influenced his later novels which highlighted the struggles of the poor, such as Oliver Twist. Dickens went on to become a successful journalist and author, writing many popular novels, but he had an unhappy family life, with his wife eventually leaving him.

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46 views1 page

Students' Level: Pre-Intermediate

Charles Dickens was one of the greatest English novelists of the 19th century. He wrote about the lives of the poor and working classes in Victorian England. As a child, Dickens experienced hardship when his father was imprisoned for debt, forcing the young Charles to work in a factory. This experience influenced his later novels which highlighted the struggles of the poor, such as Oliver Twist. Dickens went on to become a successful journalist and author, writing many popular novels, but he had an unhappy family life, with his wife eventually leaving him.

Uploaded by

Thị Hương Bùi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Handout 3

Read the text about Charles Dickens and design 10 multiple choice items (4 options) to
check Ss' reading comprehension. Remember to include the instruction and the
answer keys.
Students’ level: Pre- intermediate
CHARLES DICKENS
(1812 - 1870)
Charles Dickens is one of the great novelists in the English language. He wrote about the
real world of Victorian England and many of his characters were not rich, middle-class
ladies and gentlemen, but poor and hungry people.

Dickens the child


His family lived in London. His father was a clerk in an office. It was a good job, but he
always spent more money than he earned and he was often in debt. There were eight
children in the family, so life was hard.
Charles went to school and his teachers thought he was very clever. But suddenly, when he
was only eleven, his father went to prison for his debts and the family went, too. Only
Charles didn't go to prison. He went to work in a factory, where he washed bottles. He
worked ten hours a day and earned six shillings (30 p) a week. Every night, after work, he
walked four miles back to his room. Charles hated it and never forgot the experience. He
used it in many novels, especially David Copperfield and Oliver Twist.

Dickens the writer


When he was sixteen, he started work for a newspaper. He visited law courts and the
Houses of Parliament. Soon he was one of the Morning Chronicle's best journalists. He also
wrote short stories for magazines. These were funny descriptions of people that he met.
Dickens' characters were full of colour and life- good people were very, very good and bad
people were horrible. His books became popular in many countries and he spent a lot of
time abroad, in America, Italy, and Switzerland.

Dickens the man


Dickens had ten children, but he didn't have a happy family life. He was successful in his
work but not at home, and his wife left him. He never stopped writing and travelling, and
he died very suddenly in 1870.

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