The emperor's nightingale

THE
EMPEROR'S
NIGHTINGALE

BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

Look at the title of the story and the
pictures. Guess what the story is about.

Emperor Palace

Nightingale Mechanical
Nightingale

Diamond ill

The emperor of China lives in a
beautiful palace with a large
forest all around it.

He likes to read books people
write about his palace.

One day, the Emperor of China
gets a new book about his
palace and he reads it. 'What's
this? A nightingale? In my
forest?' said the emperor.

The emperor is angry because
he didn't know about it.

He tells his men to go into the
forest to find the nightingale.

As you say
Your

Highness

As they are walking in the
forest , they suddenly hear a
beautiful song.

'There it is! It is sitting in the
tree,' said one of the men.

They take the nightingale to the
emperor and it sings for him.

He loves the nightingale's song
and asks it to stay and sing for
him every day.

One day, he gets a mechanical
nightingale from the Emperor
of Japan.

Everyone loves the new
nightingale because it can
sing and it's got diamonds on
it, too.

The real nightingale hasn't got
diamonds on it. It is sad and
leaves.

Many years go by. The emperor
is happy with the mechanical
nightingale but one day it stops
singing.

The emperor is very sad and
becomes ill.

The real nightingale hears about
the emperor and goes to the
palace to sing to him.

The emperor is very happy to
see the nightingale again. The
emperor looks much better
than before.

~THE END~

EXERCISES

A. This nightingale isn't real, but it is
beautiful.
B. Oh, you came back to me! Thank
you, nightingale!
C. Thank you, nightingale. Your song
is very sweet.
D. Oh, no! What's wrong with it?
E. Bring me the nightingale now!
F. Oh, where is my nightingale?

EC

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A. This nightingale isn't real, but it is
beautiful.
B. Oh, you came back to me! Thank
you, nightingale!
C. Thank you, nightingale. Your song
is very sweet.
D. Oh, no! What's wrong with it?
E. Bring me the nightingale now!
F. Oh, where is my nightingale?

Read again and circle the correct answer.

1.People write books about the
emperor/ emperor's palace.

2.The emperor knows/ doesn't
know there is a nightingale in
the forest.

3.The emperor learns about the
nightingale from a book/ his
men.

4.The emperor finds/
emperor's men find the
nightingale in the forest.

5.The real nightingale is angry/
sad and goes back to the
forest.

ANSWERS

1.People write books about the
emperor/ emperor's palace.

2.The emperor knows/ doesn't
know there is a nightingale in
the forest.

3.The emperor learns about the
nightingale from a book/ his
men.

4.The emperor finds/
emperor's men find the
nightingale in the forest.

5.The real nightingale is angry/
sad and goes back to the
forest.

COMPREHENSION

1.Where does the emperor
live?

2.What books does he like to
read?

3.What does the emperor get
from the emperor of Japan?

4.How does the emperor feel
to see the real nightingale?

ANSWERS

1.In a beautiful palace with a
large forest all around it.

2.Books that people write
about his palace.

3.A mechanical nightingale
4.Very happy.