Matilda by Roald Dahl

Introduction Read the introduction and choose the right words in italics Miss Trunchbull / Matilda is clever and unusual. Miss Honey / Miss Trunchbull will probably help Matilda. Roald dahls parents came from Wales / Norway. Roald Dahl wrote stories for children / children and adults. Chapter 1 Write the right names in the sentences. a .......... is a small, ratty-looking man. c .......... is an ordinary little boy. e .......... spends her time doing nothing. Answer these questions. What could Matilda do at the age of one and a half ? ........................................................................... What could Matilda do at the age of three ? ......................................................................................... What could Matilda do at the age of four ? ........................................................................................... Why doesnt Mr Wormwood want Matilda to read books ? ................................................................. Why does Mrs Phelps watch Matilda with surprise and excitement ? .................................................. What book by a famous writer does she read at the age of 4 ? ............................................................. What are the other 2 famous writers she reads ? ................................................................................... Are these sentences right () or wrong ()? Mr and Mrs Wormwood are good parents. Matildas brother is not as clever as Matilda. Matildas parents are busy doing things that arent important. There are lots of books in the Wormwoods house. A lot of small children go to the village library alone. Matilda loves the library. Matilda reads a book by a famous writer when she is 4 years old. Matilda doesnt look at the pictures in the books. Chapter 2 Vocabulary : Backwards : (adv) moving in the opposite way to the usual way Drill : (n) a machine that is used for making holes in something hard Gearbox : (n) the part of a car that has gears in it (gears make the carmove) Sawdust : (n) very, very small pieces of wood Are these sentences right () or wrong ()? Matildas father buys and sells cars. b .......... is a clever little girl. d .......... is a librarian.

Matildas father is an honest man. Matildas father puts sawdust in the gearboxes of cars. Matildas father drives cars backwards for thousands of miles. Matilda is angry with her father because he is not honest. Matilda wants to watch TV with her family. Tick () the things that Wormwood Cars does a buys god cars from careful owners. b buys cars with old gearboxes. d mixes sawdust into the oil in the gearbox. c buys cars with 150,000 miles on the clock.

e drives cars backwards for thousands of miles. f is very honest with his customers. g uses a drill to turn car clocks back to 10,000 miles. Chapter 3 Vocabulary : Ghost : (n) if a person dies, he/she may come back to earth as a ghost.People are frightened of ghosts Glue : (n) this is sticky and joins things together Parrot : (n) a coloured bird that can speak Are these sentences right () or wrong ()? Matilda puts glue around the inside of her fathers hat. Mr Wormwood cant take off his hat because his head is bigger than it was. Matilda cuts the hat off her fathers head. Mr Wormwood pulls the pages off Matildas book because Matilda is rude to him. When her father destroys the book, Matilda thinks of a new plan. Fred lives very close to Matilda. Matilda borrows a parrot from Fred. Freds parrot speaks like a ghost. Mr Wormwood says they must go into the dining-room together because he isnt very brave. Matilda says she has heard the ghost before. Matilda answers Mr Wormwoods money question most quickly. Mr Wormwood is not pleased because Matildas answer is wrong.

Lets recap ! Chapters 13

1 Who are the people in italics ? a Were too good to you already, my girl! b Shall I find you a nice one with lots of pictures in it? c You mean youve looked at the pictures. d I get it from the wood shop. e She was too angry. f Youll pull the skin off my head!

g Dont you ever stop reading? h My father gave it to me. i Hes always saying that. j I want to see if youre clever. 2 Choose the right words in italics. a Matilda is older / younger than Michael. b Matilda reads fourteen famous books in six / sixteen months. c Matildas father sells cars / houses. d Mr Wormwood has a thick / thin moustache. e Matilda and her family always eat dinner in the dining-room / living-room. f Matilda asks her father if his feet / head got bigger. g Mr Wormwoods first name is Harry / Michael. h The parrot is always saying, Dead mans dinner / supper !

Chapter 4 Vocabulary : Argue : (v) to disagree with someone and shout angrily Multiply : (v) 2 x 2 = 4: two multiplied by two is four Spell : (v) to form a word by putting the right letters in the right order Answer these questions. a How old is Matilda when she goes to school for the first time ? b How many children does Crunchem Hall have ? c How many other children are in Matildas group ? d How old is Miss Honey ? e What is fourteen multiplied by nineteen ? f How many children in the group can spell the word cat ? Match the questions with the answers. a Why does Matilda start going to school later than other children ? b Why does Miss Honey try to stay calm when Matilda multiplies twelve sevens ? c Why does Matilda surprise Miss Honey a lot ? ... d Why is it so important not to make Miss Trunchbull angry ? ... 1 Because she is very clever. 2 Because her parents forgot to send her. 3 Because she will break them into little pieces. 4 Because she doesnt want to show that she is very surprised. Who says what ? a Shouldnt Matilda be at school, Harry ? .......................... b We must work very hard, children, so that Miss Trunchbull doesnt get angry with us....................... c 974 ..........................

d C-A-T .......................... Chapter 5 Match the questions with the answers. a Why does Miss Honey go to see Miss Trunchbull? b Why does Miss Trunchbull like Mr Wormwood? c Why does Miss Trunchbull think Matilda is a bad girl? dWhy does Miss Honey go to see Matildas parents? e Why doesnt Mr Wormwood want to see Miss Honey? 1 Because she wants to make them understand that Matilda is very special. 2 Because she wants to tell her about Matilda. 3 Because he is watching TV. 4 Because she believes that he sold her a good car. 5 Because Mr Wormwood told her this. Who says what ? a You wont find a better car its cheap and its only got 10,000 miles on the clock. ......................... b My class is too easy for her. .......................... c Try these science books. .......................... d Im pretty, and you like boks, Miss Hoey. One of us has a clever, rich husband. And its not you ! .......................... e Shes got some stupid ideas books ! university ! Huh ! ..........................

Which words go with which person ? Calm Frightening Strong Kind Rude Angry Dangerous Never shouts Always right

Miss Honey

Miss Trunchbull

Chapter 6 Vocabulary : Newt : (n) a small animal that has a long body, four legs and a tail, and lives in water Answer these questions. a How old is Hortensia? b How many times was Hortensia in The Chokey in her first year? c How old is Bruce Bogtrotter? Match the questions with the answers. a Why does Miss Trunchbull put children in The Chokey?

b Why doesnt Miss Trunchbull like Amandas hair? c Why does Miss Trunchbull make Bruce Bogtrotter eat a cake? d Why isnt Bruce Bogtrotter hurt when Miss Trunchbull hits him with a plate? e Why does Lavender put a newt in Miss Trunchbulls glass of water? 1 Because she wants to be as brave as Matilda. 2 Because she thinks he ate her cake. 3 Because she wants to punish them. 4 Because he is too full of cake. 5 Because it is very long. Put these sentences in the right order. ...... Bruce Bogtrotter eats a large chocolate cake in front of all the children in the school. ...... Lavender puts a newt in a glass of water. ...... B r u c e B o gt r o t t e r g o e s i n t o t h e s c h o o l k i t c h e n and steals Miss Trunchbulls special chocolate cake. ...... Miss Trunchbull throws Amanda Thripp into the sky. ...... Miss Trunchbull crashes a plate down on Bruce Bogtrotters head. ...... La v e n d e r g o e s d o w n t o t h e r i v e r a t t h e b o t t o m o f her garden. Write these words in the sentences : brings / water / hair / newt / piece / plan / sick / six / steals a Hortensia went in the Chokey ................... times in her first year. b Miss Truchbull doesnt like long .................... c Bruce Bogtrotter ......................... a piece of cake. d Miss Trunchbull thinks Bruce will be ......................... before he finishes the chocolate cake. e Bruce eats every ....................... of cake. f Lavender has a ......................... g She catches a ....................... at the bottom of her garden. h She ......................... the newt to school in her pencil box. i She puts the newt into Miss Trunchbulls .......................... Join the halves to complete Miss Trunchbulls school rules a You must not have a glass of water on her table. b You must not eat c You must not speak d You must stand up e You must put Lets recap ! Chapters 46 What are the things in italics ?
a Nigel spelled it.

until she speaks to you. when you answer her questions. her chocolate cake. long hair.

b Mrs Phelps at the library helps me to choose them. c I was in there yesterday. d Its only got ten thousand miles on the clock. e We dont keep them in the house. f Its a very tall, narrow cupboard in Trunchbulls room. g M-my m-m-mummy likes it long. h And this selfish little snake ate it ! i But Miss Trunchbull picked up the empty plate and crashed it down on his head. j She never gives a lesson without one.

Write the right words in the sentences : angry / car / dark / eggs / happen / orange / school / shaking
a Most children begin when they are five years old. b Matilda has hair. c Miss Honeys voice is when she asks Matilda about the books she is reading. d Miss Trunchbull sounds like an dog. e Miss Trunchbull buys a from Matildas father. f Someone puts bad under Miss Trunchbulls desk. g Lavender thinks that bad people need to have something bad to them. h Newts have stomachs.

Chapter 7 Vocabulary : blow up : (v) to break into small pieces Answer these questions. a What question does Miss Trunchbull ask Rupert ? .............................................................................. b What word does she ask Eric to spell ? ................................................................................................ c What two questions does she ask Matilda ? ......................................................................................... d What does she call Matildas father ? .................................................................................................. e What questions does she ask the class after the glass breaks ? ............................................................ Underline the mistakes and write the right words : a Miss Trunchbull lifts Rupert up by his toes because he cant multiply two by seven. ....................... b She lifts Eric up by his nose because he cant spell what. ....................... c Miss Trunchbull thinks Mr Wormwood is a nice man. ....................... d When Miss Trunchbull ses the newt in her glass, she laughs. ....................... e Miss Trunchbull thinks that Lavender put the newt in the glass. ....................... f Matilda pushes the glass over with her hands. ....................... g The children say that Mss Trunchbull pushed the desk over. ....................... Who are these people ? a He screams like a frightened pig. ....................... b Miss Trunchbull drops him like a rubber ball. .......................

c Hes very brave. ....................... d Miss Trunchbull calls him a little snake. ....................... e Hes a robber. ....................... f Miss Trunchbull calls her a dirty little rat. ....................... g Miss Trunchbull calls her an ugly little spider. ....................... Chapter 8 Vocabulary : will : (n) an important letter which says who will receive your money after you die Answer these questions. a What does Matilda show Miss Honey that she can do ? ...................................................................... b How old was Miss Honey when her father died ? ............................................................................... c How did Miss Honeys father die ? ...................................................................................................... d What did Miss Honey have to do after school ? .................................................................................. e How much does Miss Honey pay to live in the little house ? .............................................................. f Who is Miss Honeys aunt ? ................................................................................................................. Tick () the things that are true about Miss Honeys life : a Miss Honeys mother died when she was two. ....... b Her aunt came to live with her and her father. ....... c She was very kind to Miss Honey. ....... d Miss Honeys father died suddenly when she was five. ....... e Her aunt murdered him. ....... f Her aunt was kinder than before. ....... g Miss Honey had to do all the work in the house. ....... h Her aunt gave her money for food and clothes. ....... i She pays ten pence a week for the little house. ....... j She spends ninety pounds a week on food. ....... Chapter 9 Vocabulary : Blackboard : (n) a large, black, smooth piece of wood that teachers write on chalk : (n) teachers write on a blackboard with this Answer these questions. a What does Matilda do with the piece of chalk ? .................................................................................. b Why does Miss Trunchbull leave the village ? .................................................................................... c What arrives at the office ? ................................................................................................................... d Where are Mr and Mrs Wormwood going ? .............................................................. e Why isnt Miss Honey surprised ? ...................................................................................................... f What happens to Matilda at the end of the story ? ................................................................................

Choose the right words in italics a The chalk starts writing on the floor / blackboard. b Miss Trunchbull drops / kicks Wilfred on / in his head. c The chalk has a message for Jenny / Agatha from Magnus. d Nigel throws cold water / orange juice over Miss Trunchbull. e Miss Honey moves into her old house / fathers office. f Matilda can / cant move things with her eyes now. g The Wormwoods are running away to / coming back from spain. h They are happy / worried about leaving Matilda in England. Lets recap ! Chapters 79 What happens first? What happens next? Write the numbers, 15.
a Matilda moves the piece of chalk across the blackboard. b Mr and Mrs Wormwood drive away. c Miss Trunchbull leaves the school. d Matilda pushes the glass over with her eyes. e Matilda asks her parents if she can live with Miss Honey.

Finish these sentences.

a says, What are two sevens? b says, I didnt do it! c says, I want to talk to you. d says, It cant be Magnus! e says, Were leaving.

Look at these names : Wormwood, Trunchbull, Honey. Look up worm, bull and honey in your dictionary. Why do you think Roald Dahl chose these names? ............................................................................