The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
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This week’s Thinking in English book of the week is The Turn of the Screw. The book is also available as a graded reader (a book designed to help English learners practice and develop reading skills)
This book is one of the most famous ghost stories in the English language, and the author Henry James is considered one of the greatest ever horror story writers.
The Turn of the Screw traces the story of young and inexperienced governess who must look after two young orphaned children. The governess sees an unknown man and women around the house, but it turns out they may already be dead!
In traditional Gothic horror stories, ghosts appear as frightening monsters, bound in chains, and with horrific features. But in The Turn of the Screw the ghosts appear as themselves.
The graded reader version of the Turn of the Screw is a Level 6 which is a B1+ in the CEFR framework. This is perfect for intermediate readers. This is the longest reader I have recommended so far, with sentences up to four clauses and difficult grammar including future continuous, reported questions, third conditional, was going to and ellipsis.
If this is too easy for you, then definitely give the original version a go! I’ll leave links to both.
You Can Buy The Turn of the Screw by Henry James Here!!! (And Help Support Thinking in English…)
The Turn of the Screw – https://amzn.to/3fAJcQQ
The Turn of the Screw (Penguin Readers) – https://amzn.to/3CmfyaH
Enjoy Listening to Audiobooks? Sign Up to Audible Now! – https://amzn.to/3CyFmRg
Are you going to read the book? What books do you recommend for English learners? Let us know in the comments!
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