Te e n Readers Stage 1

Eli Readers is a beautifully illustrated series of timeless classics

and specially-written stories for learners of English.

Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales
In 1387, a group of people went to Canterbury. On their way, they told
stories. The stories were exciting and interesting. They helped the

GEOFFREY CHAUCER

Stage 1
group to enjoy their time travelling. But these stories do not only tell
us about the past. They are stories that anybody can read and enjoy
today. And they are stories that can teach us many things, about love,
about friendship, and about life.

In this reader you will find:

- information about Geoffrey Chaucer
- a section focusing on background and context

The Canterbury Tales

- a glossary of difficult words
- comprehension activities
- an exit test

Tags
Friendship Stories

Stage 1 Elementary 600 headwords A1 Movers

Stage 2 Pre-Intermediate 800 headwords A2 Flyers/Ket
Stage 3 Intermediate 1000 headwords B1 Preliminary
Te e n E L I R e a d e r s

Classic

with
Audio CD
TE he 97
T BN
EN Ca 8-8
IS

EL LI R rbu 36-
E te 8-5
I s E ry 17
.r. AD Ta 43
n

Te e n Readers
l. E le -9

www.elireaders.com ELT
ELT A 1
RS s

A1
 Te e n Readers A1

The ELI Readers collection is a

complete range of books and plays
for readers of all ages, ranging from
captivating contemporary stories
to timeless classics. There are three
series, each catering for a different
age group; Young ELI Readers, Teen
ELI Readers and Young Adult ELI
Readers. The books are carefully
edited and beautifully illustrated
to capture the essence of the
stories and plots. The readers are
supplemented with ‘Focus on’ texts
packed with background cultural
information about the writers and
their lives and times.
The FSC certification For this series of ELI
guarantees that the paper graded readers, we
used in these publications have planted 5000
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The Canterbury Tales
By Geoffrey Chaucer
Retold and Activities by Michael Lacey Freeman
Language Level Consultants: Janet Borsbey and Ruth Swan
Illustrated by Simone Massoni

ELI Readers
Founder and Series Editors
Paola Accattoli, Grazia Ancillani, Daniele Garbuglia (Art Director)

Graphic Design
Airone Comunicazione - Sergio Elisei

Layout
Airone Comunicazione - Diletta Brutti

Production Manager
Francesco Capitano

Photo credits
Gettyimages, Shutterstock

© 2014 ELI s.r.l.

P.O. Box 6
62019 Recanati (MC)
Italy
T +39 071750701
F +39 071977851
info@elionline.com
www.elionline.com

Typeset in 13 / 18 pt Monotype Dante

Printed in Italy by Tecnostampa Recanati - ERT 114.O1

ISBN 978-88-536-1743-9
First edition: March 2014

www.elireaders.com
Contents

6 Characters
8 Before you read
10 Chapter 1 The Prologue
18 Activities
20 Chapter 2 The Knight’s Tale
28 Activities
30 Chapter 3 The Clerk’s Tale
38 Activities
40 Chapter 4 The Merchant’s Tale
48 Activities
50 Chapter 5 The Franklin’s Tale
60 Activities
62 Chapter 6 The Pardoner’s Tale
70 Activities
72 Focus on... Canterbury in the 1300s
74 Focus on... Geoffrey Chaucer
76 Focus on... Food
78 Test yourself
79 Syllabus

These icons indicate the parts of the story that are recorded
start stop
Retold and Activities by Michael Lacey Freeman
Illustrated by Simone Massoni

Te e n Readers
The Knight

6
The Clerk
 The Merchant

The Franklin

The Pardoner
7


Before you read

Grammar
1 Read a part of a letter. Complete the letter with the verbs
below.

am • are • is • know • tells • travel • want

I’m reading The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey

...........
Chaucer. Do you (1) ........... anything about this book?
Chaucer wrote this book in 1387. At this time, God was
very important for many people. And people often
went on pilgrimages. You go on a pilgrimage when
you (2) ........... to an important town or city. People go
on a pilgrimage because they (3) ........... to be near to
God. In Chaucer’s book, a group of people go on a
pilgrimage to Canterbury. Canterbury (4) ........... a town
in England. Everybody in this group (5) ........... a story.
And these stories (6) ........... the Canterbury Tales.

2 Put in the right verb.

buy • look • study • talk • work • pay

Look at the men in the picture on

The Knight: .................
page 27. That’s my job. Don’t worry! The group will be
safe with me.
1 The Clerk: I’m a student and I ................. all the time.
2 The Merchant: I have a business. I ................. things, and
then the people ................. for the things I buy.
3 The Franklin: I have a big farm. A lot of people .................
on my farm.
4 The Pardoner: I ................. to people about God. I help
them to be near to God.

8
3 Read about some people from the stories. Complete the
sentences with is, do, does or doesn’t

Emily ...... is in the Knight’s Tale. She (1) ........... young and
very beautiful. Who will be her husband?
1 Walter is in the Clerk’s Tale. Everybody (2) ........... what he
says. But will his wife (3) ........... what he says?
2 Damien is in the Merchant’s Tale. He works for a man
who has a lot of money. But does he (4) ........... a good
job?
3 Dorigen is in The Franklin’s Tale. She lives near the sea.
But she (5) ........... like something about the sea.
4 Ames is in The Pardoner’s Tale. He likes to have fun. But
(6) ........... he a good person?

4 Read these sentences about Chapter 1. Put in the right

preposition.

about • at • in • in • to • to

In Chapter 1:
We meet the people who tell the stories before
to
they go .............. Canterbury.
1 They meet ............... London.
2 They have dinner ............... the evening.
3 ............... dinner they eat together.
4 After dinner, they talk ............... what stories they
will tell.
5 Then, they go ............... bed.

9
 Chapter 1

The Prologue

2 It’s a beautiful day! The weather is good. The

birds are singing. The grass is green, and there
are flowers everywhere. Now, my story can
begin. My name’s Geoffrey. And today, I’m going
on a pilgrimage* to Canterbury. I’m going to
Canterbury with a group of people. We’re going
there together. I met these people yesterday, at an
inn*, in London.
I arrived* at the inn in the afternoon. I was
very tired, and hungry. ‘Good afternoon!’ I said
to the man who worked at the inn. He was the
innkeeper. ‘I’d like a room for the night. I’m going
to Canterbury tomorrow. The road to Canterbury
is long. I need to sleep well before I start.’
‘Good afternoon,’ said the innkeeper. ‘Do
you know that some other people are going to
Canterbury tomorrow? They’re staying here
tonight.’
‘I’d like to meet them,’ I said to the Innkeeper.

pilgrimage when you go to a special place to arrive to travel and then find the place
to be near to God that you want to go to
inn a place to sleep, and to eat and drink

10
 The Canterbury Tales

In the evening, I met the other people. The

inn was big and there was a lot of good food
and drink. Everybody had dinner together. And
the innkeeper gave good food to everybody. The
innkeeper was a nice person. He was a very big
man and he enjoyed speaking to people. He was
very good at his job. Everybody enjoyed their
dinner.
After dinner, the innkeeper spoke to the group.
‘You’re a very nice group of people,’ he said. ‘I
know that God will listen to your prayers*. You’re
all going to the same place. So, you must go to
Canterbury together. What do you think?’
‘Yes, we can go together!’ I said.
‘And I want to go to Canterbury with you,’ said
the innkeeper. ‘Now, we have to travel for a long
time. And I think we can do something interesting*.
We can play a game. What do you think?’
‘Yes!’ said everybody in the group. ‘Tell us
about this game.’
‘Now, listen to what I have to say,’ said the
innkeeper. ‘We’ll go to Canterbury together. And

prayer when you talk to God, you say a prayer interesting something you enjoy

11
 Geoffrey Chaucer

every person will tell a story*. I’ll listen to every

story. Then I’ll tell you which story is the best.’
Everybody in the group wanted to play this game.
‘Very well,’ said the innkeeper. ‘And I will give
something to the person who tells the best story.
That person will have dinner at my inn. And I’ll
pay for the dinner.’
The people in the group were very happy. And
they began to think of what story to tell. In the
group there was a Knight. Everybody liked him.
And he was always happy to help people. He was
an important man, but his clothes were cheap. His
horse was fast, but it was small.
‘I’m a Knight, and my life is very exciting,’
said the Knight. ‘And my story is also going to
be exciting. It’s about two brothers who love the
same woman.’
There was also a Clerk in the group. He was a
nice man, but he didn’t speak very much. He liked
reading and studying. That’s all he wanted to do.
He was very slim and he didn’t eat very much.
And he liked books more than food.

story when you tell someone about something that happened in the past

12
 Geoffrey Chaucer

‘I read a lot of books,’ said the Clerk. ‘I don’t

want nice clothes or good food. I don’t have much
money. And I use the money I have to buy books.
That’s why I read a lot of stories. My story is very
easy to understand. But, it’s not boring. I think
everybody will enjoy it. It’s about a king* who has
many secrets*.’
Another* person in the group was a Merchant.
He had a lot of money. But he wasn’t a happy
man. He always had a sad face. He was different
from the Knight. His clothes were very expensive.
Everything he had was expensive, his clothes, his
hat, and his horse.
‘I have an important business,’ said the
Merchant. ‘And I have a lot of things to do. But
I’m not very happy with my life. And that’s why
my story will be sad. It’ll be about an old man
who can’t see.’
I also have to tell you about another man. He
was a Franklin. He was different from the Clerk.
He was very rich* and important, but he didn’t
have a business. He had a big house in the country.

king another one more

secret something that you don’t want rich a person who has a lot of money
other people to know

14
 The Canterbury Tales

And he often invited people there. He liked good

food.
‘I’m very old. And my house is big. And I like
inviting people there,’ said the Franklin. ‘In my
house, I often tell stories. I enjoy it. My story
will be very interesting. It’s about a woman who
doesn’t like the sea. Why doesn’t she like the sea?
Well, you’ll have to listen to my story.’
There is another person I want to tell you
about. He was a Pardoner. He also liked reading.
And he liked to sing songs and say prayers. He had
a strange* face.
‘I travel a lot and I always say prayers for people,’
said the Pardoner. ‘There are a lot of bad people
in the world. I’ll say a prayer for them, but they
have to give me some money. My story will be
about three people who do something very bad.’
Everybody was very tired. It was late in the
evening, and the Knight said, ‘We can go to bed
now. Then we can leave early in the morning.’ We
all went to bed. We were tired, but happy.
Early next morning, we got up. And then we

strange something that you don’t often see or hear is strange

15
 Geoffrey Chaucer

left for Canterbury on our horses. We were slow.

And after many hours we came to a place called
Saint Thomas. And we stopped there.
We sat down. And then we had something to
eat. After eating, the innkeeper said, ‘Listen, do
you remember what we said last night?’
‘Of course,’ said the Knight.
‘Well,’ said the innkeeper, ‘who wants to begin?
Who wants to tell the first story?’
‘I’m happy to tell you my story,’ said the Knight.
‘I think you’ll enjoy it. It’s very exciting.’
And then the Knight began to tell his story.

16


After-reading Activities

Reading
1 Match the descriptions of each story.

b The Pardoner’s story will be about three men

■
1 ■ The Franklin’s story will be about a woman
2 ■ The Knight’s story will be about two brothers
3 ■ The Merchant’s story will be about an old man
4 ■ The Clerk’s story will be about a king

a who doesn’t like the sea

b who do something very bad
c who love the same woman
d who has many secrets
e who can’t see

Writing
2 Complete the sentences, using some of the adjectives
from Chapter 1

bad • big • expensive • fast • hungry • old • slim

hungry .
Geoffrey was very tired and ................
1 The Knight’s horse was ................ .
2 The Clerk didn’t eat very much, and he was very
................ .
3 The Merchant’s horse was very ................ .
4 The Franklin was an ................ man.
5 The Franklin had a ................ house.
6 The Pardoner said that there are a lot of ................ people
in the world.

18
 Grammar
3 Put the words in brackets ( ) into the contracted form.
’m going on a pilgrimage.’ (am going)
‘I..................
1 ‘They .................. here tonight.’ (are staying)
2 ‘I.................. to meet them.’ (would like)
3 ‘You .................. a very nice group of people.’ (are)
4 ‘We................... to Canterbury together.’ (will go)
5 He .................. very much. (did not speak)
6 ‘I.................. happy to tell you a story.’ (am)

Before-reading Activities

The Knight’s Tale

‘My story is going to be exciting. It’s about two brothers

who love the same woman.’

4 Look at the picture on page 23. Complete the sentences

with the words can, or can’t.

The man is in a place where he (1) ................... go out.

He (2) ................... see the woman, but he (3) ................... go into
the garden.

Listening
3 5 Listen to the first part of Chapter 2. Cross out the
incorrect option.

The knight / the merchant told the first story.

1 The two brothers were clerks / knights.
2 They were from Thebes / Athens.
3 They were happy / sad.
4 They lived in Thebes / Athens.

19
Focus on...

Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer is very important
for the English language. This is
because he wrote in English.
Before him, people in
England wrote books in
French or Latin.
We don’t know very
much about Geoffrey
Chaucer’s early life. We
only know that he lived
between about 1340 and
1400. People think that
Chaucer died in the year
1400. This is because we
don’t know anything about
him after this year.
We know more about when
Chaucer was an adult. In 1357, he
started working. Chaucer had many
jobs. He worked for the English kings, King
Edward III and King Richard II.
He travelled to France and Italy for his work. Italy was very important for Chaucer,
because he could read the work of the writers Dante and Boccaccio.

In 1366, Chaucer married a woman called Philippa

Roet. They had three or four children. Philippa
Roet worked for the king’s wife, the Queen. This
helped Chaucer to get important jobs.
Chaucer’s first book was The Book of the
Duchess. Then he wrote Parlement of Fowles,
The Legend of Good Women and Troilus and
Criseyde. In 1387, Chaucer began his famous
book, The Canterbury Tales.

74
 Te e n Readers

Stage 1
Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist
Maureen Simpson, In Search of a Missing Friend
Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King
Arthur’s Court
Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
Janet Borsbey - Ruth Swan, The Boat Race Mistery

Stage 2
Maria Luisa Banfi, A Faraway World
Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
Mary Flagan, The Egyptian Souvenir
Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Liz Ferretti, Dear Diary...
Angela Tomkinson, Loving London

Stage 3
Charles Dickens, David Copperfield
Anonymous, Robin Hood
Mary Flagan, Val’s Diary
Maureen Simpson, Destination Karminia
Jack London, The Call of the Wild
Anna Claudia Ramos, Expedition Brazil
 Te e n Readers Stage 1

Eli Readers is a beautifully illustrated series of timeless classics

and specially-written stories for learners of English.

Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales
In 1387, a group of people went to Canterbury. On their way, they told
stories. The stories were exciting and interesting. They helped the

GEOFFREY CHAUCER

Stage 1
group to enjoy their time travelling. But these stories do not only tell
us about the past. They are stories that anybody can read and enjoy
today. And they are stories that can teach us many things, about love,
about friendship, and about life.

In this reader you will find:

- information about Geoffrey Chaucer
- a section focusing on background and context

The Canterbury Tales

- a glossary of difficult words
- comprehension activities
- an exit test

Tags
Friendship Stories

Stage 1 Elementary 600 headwords A1 Movers

Stage 2 Pre-Intermediate 800 headwords A2 Flyers/Ket
Stage 3 Intermediate 1000 headwords B1 Preliminary
Te e n E L I R e a d e r s

Classic

with
Audio CD
TE he 97
T BN
EN Ca 8-8
IS

EL LI R rbu 36-
E te 8-5
I s E ry 17
.r. AD Ta 43
n

Te e n Readers
l. E le -9

www.elireaders.com ELT
ELT A 1
RS s

A1