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Joy English · Level B2 · Short storiesjoy-english.com

Doctor Heidegger’s Experiment

Name:Date:

Understand formal narration with passive and inverted sentences.

Listen to each sentence and write what you hear.

Audio and answer checking: https://joy-english.com/listening-lessons/doctor-heideggers-experiment

Words to know

experiment
A test to find out what happens.
unfortunate
Unlucky.
vase
A container for flowers.

Answer key

  1. They were all sad old creatures who had been unfortunate in life.“Had been unfortunate” is the past perfect. “Creatures” here means people.
  2. It was said to be a book of magic.“It was said to be” reports what people believed.
  3. On it was a beautiful cut-glass vase.The place comes first, then the verb “was”, then the subject.
  4. The doctor picked up his black leather book of magic.“Picked up” means lifted. Adjectives come before the noun: “black leather book”.
  5. I was to wear it at our wedding.“Was to wear” means was planned to wear.

Joy English · free English practice · https://joy-english.com/listening-lessons/doctor-heideggers-experiment