1.
Legend – a traditional story passed down through generations, often believed to be
historical but not proven.
2. Devotes – gives time or attention to something.
3. Frightening – causing fear or alarm; scary.
4. Vicious – very cruel or violent..
5. Corpse – a dead body, especially of a person.
6. Supernaturally – in a way that cannot be explained by science; involving magic or
spirits.
7. Reanimate – to bring back to life or give life again.
8. Impaling – piercing or stabbing with a sharp object.
9. Ghastly – very shocking, horrible, or frightening.
10. Offending – causing trouble or breaking rules; in this case, the corpse causing horror.
11. Widespread – Common in many places
12. Gruesome – Very horrible or shocking, often involving blood
13. Rabid – A wild animal infected with a deadly disease (rabies), acting aggressive
14. Over-excited imaginations – Minds that are too full of wild, unrealistic thoughts
15. Lurid – Shocking or disturbing, often in a way meant to excite
16. Nightmare – A frightening dream
17. Groundless – Without any real reason or truth
18. Rumour – A story spread by people, often untrue
19. Morbid – Unhealthy interest in death or scary things
20. Accounts – Stories or reports about something
21. Convinced – Believing something is true
22. Mildly entertaining – A little bit interesting or amusing
23. Solitary – Alone; done by oneself
24. Sultry – Hot and humid
25. Brilliance – Brightness or shining light
26. Flickered – Shined or moved unsteadily, like a weak or trembling light
27. Belt (of trees) – A line or group of trees forming a strip
28. Ghastly – Horrible or terrifying
29. Seized with horror – Suddenly felt very afraid
30. Latch – A small metal bar used to fasten a door or window
31. Unpicking the lead – Removing the soft metal (lead) holding the glass in place
32. Pane – A sheet of glass in a window
33. Fled – Ran away quickly
34. Dragged – Pulled forcefully
35. Bit violently – Bit hard with great force
36. Unconscious – Unable to move, speak, or feel anything, usually after fainting
37. In vain – Without success
38. Gigantic strides – Very big steps
39. Churchyard – A graveyard next to a church
40. Fearfully wounded – Badly injured
41. Recovered – Got better after being hurt or sick
42. Insisted – Strongly demanded or said firmly
43. Mental and physical change – A complete change to help the mind and body heal
44. Restored – Brought back to good condition or health
45. Escaped lunatic – A mentally ill person who has run away from care
46. Leased – Rented for a fixed time
47. Shrivelled – Shrunken and dry-looking
48. Scudding – Running quickly
49. Scrambled – Climbed or moved quickly with difficulty
50. Vault – An underground tomb for burying bodies
51. Extinct – No longer existing
52. Tenants – People who rent and live on someone else’s land
53. Mangled – Damaged or torn badly
54. Entire – Whole; complete
55. Lay (a vampire) – To destroy or stop a vampire forever (usually by burning)
A. Comprehension Questions & Answers
1. According to legend, what are the only two ways of getting rid of a vampire?
By staking the vampire through the heart or by burning it.
2. What is the one thing that vampires have in common with ordinary ghosts?
People believe in them and are haunted by the thought of them.
3. Find one of the ways the author thinks a vampire story might get started.
It might begin with gruesome murders or attacks by rabid animals.
4. In the account of the vampire at Croglin Grange, find and copy the phrases that
describe the vampire.
"a hideous brown face with flaming eyes"
"long bony finger"
"the same hideous brown shrivelled face"
"brown and withered but quite entire"
"the same frightful figure"
5. What two reasons does the sister give for wanting to return to England?
She believed the creature was just an escaped lunatic and not likely to return.
Only one of the seven years for which they had leased the house had passed.
1. Explain the author's attitude to vampires and find evidence in the text to support
your view.
Point:
The author does not believe in vampires and views them as fictional rather than
real.
Evidence:
He says, "I cannot say I take them very seriously myself. They belong to horror
fiction, not to real life."
Explanation:
This shows that the author thinks vampires are imaginary creatures meant for
stories and not something to be believed in. He treats vampire tales as
entertainment, not as fact.
2. What does the author mean when he says that vampires 'belong to horror
fiction'?
Point:
The author means that vampires are not real, but are part of made-up scary stories.
Evidence:
He says, "They belong to horror fiction, not to real life."
Explanation:
This means he believes vampires are invented for books or films to frighten people
and do not exist in reality. He places them in the same category as other fictional
monsters
3. In the account of the vampire at Croglin Grange, what are 'the two lights which
flickered in and out of the belt of trees'?
Point:
The two flickering lights were the eyes of the vampire approaching the house.
Evidence:
The text says, "she saw them emerge, fixed in a dark substance, a definite ghastly something,
which seemed every moment to come nearer."
Explanation:
This suggests the lights were part of a terrifying figure ( the vampire ) and as it came closer, the
lights became more clearly its glowing eyes.
4. Why do you think the coffins in the vault had been 'broken open ... and their
mangled contents scattered over the floor'?
Point:
The coffins were likely destroyed by the vampire when it rose from its grave or fed on the other
corpses.
Evidence:
The text says, "a scene of horror presented itself, the coffins... were all broken open save one,
and their mangled contents scattered over the floor."
Explanation:
This shows that the vampire may have been disturbing the other graves, possibly to hide, to feed,
or because it had unnatural strength and no respect for the dead.
5. Augustus Hare wrote the account of the happenings at Croglin Grange in his
book In My Solitary Life. Judging by the way he has written his account, do you
think he believes or does not believe what happened? Find evidence in the text to
support your view.
Point:
Augustus Hare does not fully believe in the story of the vampire at Croglin Grange.
Evidence:
He says, "have found a few , and been convinced by none. But some are mildly entertaining..."
Explanation:
This shows he is skeptical of the truth behind vampire stories. While he finds them interesting or
worth recording, he doesn't accept them as real events.
