The War of the Worlds - grammarmancomic.comgrammarmancomic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/wotwreader.pdf · The Red Weed (part 1) ... The War of the Worlds has been made into films

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The War of the Worlds H.G. Wells

text adaptation by Brian Boyd

A Grammarman graded reader

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The War of the Worlds H.G. Wells

Intermediate LeveL

Text adaptation by Brian Boyd

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Contents

Introduction ………………………………….…………………. 7

The Eve of the War ……………………………………………. 9

Horsell Common and the Heat Ray ……………..……. 14

The Artilleryman and the Fighting Machine ………… 18

Forever Autumn ……………………………….………………… 22

Thunderchild ……..............................…………………… 26

The Red Weed (part 1) ………………………………………. 30

The Spirit of Man …………………………………….………… 34

The Red Weed (part 2) .……………………………………… 38

Brave New World ……..……………………………………… 42

Dead London …..………………………………………………… 46

Answer Key ………………………………………………………. 50

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“This isn't a war," said the artilleryman.

"It never was a war, any more than there's war between man and ants.”

The War of the Worlds was written by H.G. Wells in 1897. It was one of the earliest stories to describe a fight between humans and an alien race. Set in the late 1800s, The War of the Worlds is told from the viewpoint of an unnamed English journalist as Earth is invaded by murderous Martians.

The War of the Worlds has been made into films multiple times. The story has also been told through various radio dramas, comic-book adaptations, video games, a television series, and, more recently, a video comic series. Although based on HG Wells’ book, the narrative presented here closely follows the lyrics of Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.

This book has ten chapters, each corresponding to one of the chapters in the video comic series: http://grammarmancomic.com/comics/other/warworlds/

The chapters are accompanied by activities for generating discussion, practising grammar and vocabulary, and checking comprehension. The activities are suitable for classroom use or home study.

I hope you enjoy this graded reader and find it useful.

Best wishes!

Brian Boyd

http://grammarmancomic.com/comics/other/warworlds/

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Chapter 1: The Eve of the War

Before you read

Discuss these questions with a partner or write your ideas in a notebook:

Is it possible that intelligent life exists in other parts of the universe?

Do you think aliens have already visited Earth? How sure do you feel about your answer?

If aliens existed, what reasons would they have for coming to our planet?

If alien spacecraft arrived in Earth’s skies tomorrow, how would people around the planet react? What do you think things would be like where you live?

Vocabulary

Match these words to the correct definitions.

affairs (n) above the average

to scrutinize (v) a feeling of discontent caused by wanting what others have

microscope (n) a wide separation, a big space or distance

swarm(v) examine in detail

to consider (v) matters, things, business, activities

a gulf (n) look at, observe

immeasurable (adj) an instrument for inspecting very small objects

superior (adj) believe something is possible

to regard (v) not possible to measure, limitless

envy (n) move about in great numbers

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No one would have believed in the last years of the 19th century that human

affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space. No one could

have dreamed that we were being scrutinized, as someone with a microscope

studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. Few men even

considered the possibility of life on other planets. And yet, across the gulf of

space, minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded this Earth with envious

eyes, and slowly and surely they drew their plans against us.

At midnight on the 12th of August an enormous cloud of glowing gas exploded

from the surface of the planet Mars and sped towards Earth. It travelled

through space incredibly fast. From hundreds of millions of miles away, came

the first of the missiles that would cause so much death and destruction.

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As I watched there was another jet of gas. It was another missile beginning its

journey to our planet.

More and more followed during the next ten nights: a flash of light from Mars,

bright green, drawing a green mist behind it. It was beautiful to see, but at the

same time, something about it worried me. My friend, Ogilvy, the well-known

astronomer, invited me to join him in his observatory one evening to view the

Martian comets through a powerful telescope. He promised me that we

weren’t in any danger. He felt certain that there could be no life on that cold

planet so far away.

“How can you be sure,” I asked, still not convinced.

“The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one,” he said.

Then came the night the first missile approached Earth. Many people thought

it was an ordinary falling star, but the next day there was a giant hole in the

middle of Horsell Common. Ogilvy came to see what lay in the hole: a cylinder

as big as a house. The metal was so hot it glowed. The people standing nearest

the enormous cylinder could here sounds of movement coming from inside.

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Suddenly the top began moving, turning and unscrewing.

“There’s someone in there!” shouted Ogilvy. “We must help!”

He rushed to the cylinder, but the heat was too powerful and he had to stop

before he even got close enough to touch the burning metal.

As the sun went down, people began to leave the common and return to their

homes. Ogilvy and I walked along in silence, each of us thinking about the

Martian cylinder and wondering what would come next.

Whenever I think back to how it began, it seems completely incredible to me

that everyone behaved as though it were just a normal evening. From the

railway station I could hear the sound of slowly-moving trains, ringing and

rumbling.

Everything seemed so safe and peaceful.

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After you read

Quick check – mark these sentences as true (T), false (F) or doesn’t say (DS):

a) The Martians had been studying Earth with a microscope.

b) In the late eighteenth century, many people worried about aliens

coming to Earth.

c) The Martians were much more intelligent than humans.

d) Thousands of people saw the first missile leave Mars.

e) The journalist had mixed feelings about the green shooting stars.

f) The missiles took more than a week to travel from Mars to Earth.

g) There were people inside the cylinder.

h) The journalist’s home was near to Horsell Common.

i) The arrival of the Martian cylinder caused a lot of panic.

Try to guess what happens next:

1. The next morning, the cylinder …

a) has disappeared b) opens c) is still hot

2. The Martians …

a) are bigger than humans b) speak English c) need help

3. Most of the people at Horsell Common …

a) take lots of photos b) are captured c) die horribly

4. The journalist …

a) is killed b) fights a Martian c) writes a story about the cylinder

5. The army arrives and the soldiers …

a) attack the Martians b) surround Horsell Common c) talk to the aliens

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Chapter 2: Horsell Common and the Heat Ray

Before you read

Check the meanings of these words:

a) hypnotized

b) visible

c) sweep

d) repulsive

e) quiver

f) writhe

g) restless

h) spot

Which are verbs and which are adjectives?

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Next morning, a crowd gathered on the Common. When I arrived, there were

already around three hundred people. Young children laughed and played in

the crowd, but most of the adults were hypnotized by the activity in the pit.

Ogilvy the astronomer and a group of men were using spades and pickaxes to

dig away the earth from around the enormous cylinder. The gigantic lid slowly

turned, a few feet of shining screw visible.

Ogilvy called to me, “Can’t you keep those idiots back from the edge of the pit?

We don’t know what’s inside this thing!”

Suddenly, the lid fell off and crashed to the ground!

A woman behind me screamed as two glowing eyes, shaped like discs,

appeared above the rim of the cylinder. A huge, body, larger than a bear, rose

up slowly and painfully, shining like wet leather. The creature’s quivering

mouth had no lips, and tentacles writhed. I had an uncontrollable feeling of

disgust and fear. At the same time, I wanted to see more.

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A few young men moved carefully closer to the pit. The man at the front was

waving a white flag. Clearly the Martians, although repulsive, were intelligent

and this signal of peace was to show them that we were intelligent too.

A tall funnel rose up from the pit, and then an invisible ray of heat and a bright

flash turned each man to fire in a second. Every tree and bush became a ball of

flames at the touch of this deadly heat ray.

People ran from the Common, and I ran too. I felt a terrible panic and ran

without looking back. I was sure that the Martians were playing with me, that

when I was almost safe, this mysterious death would strike me down.

At last I reached Maybury Hill and, in the dim coolness of my home, I wrote

about the events for my newspaper before I fell into a restless sleep, filled with

nightmares.

When I finally woke up, I could hear the sounds of hammering from the pit,

and I hurried to the railway station to buy a newspaper. Around me, the daily

routine of life - working, eating, sleeping - was continuing peacefully as it had

for many years.

On Horsell Common, the Martians continued hammering and working on the

machines they were making. Now and again a light, like the beam of a

warship's searchlight, swept the Common, and the Heat Ray was ready to

follow.

In the afternoon, a group of soldiers arrived and positioned themselves along

the edge of the Common.

That evening, there was a violent crash and I realized with horror that my

home was now within range of the Martian's Heat Ray.

At dawn the next day, a falling star with a trail of green mist landed with a flash

like summer lightning. A second cylinder had landed!

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After you read

Put these events in the correct order. Then scan the text to check.

___ the journalist has bad dreams

___ another Martian cylinder arrives

___ everybody runs away

___ the cylinder opens

___ the military arrive

___ some young men approach the Martians

___the journalist buys a newspaper

___ the journalist writes a news story

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Chapter 3: The Artilleryman and the Fighting Machine

Before you read

Try to identify these words from their definitions. Use a dictionary to help you.

1. To destroy completely, demolish ( w _ _ _ o_ _ )

2. Large and heavy-looking ( m_ _ _ _ _ _ )

3. Hopelessness ( d _ _ _ _ _ _ )

4. A friend, one who travels with you ( c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ )

5. To rise and fall with a swelling motion ( h _ _ _ _ )

6. To break into pieces ( s _ _ _ _ _ _ )

7. To reflect light, to sparkle with reflected light ( g _ _ _ _ _ _ )

8. To walk, move, or stand unsteadily ( s _ _ _ _ _ _ )

9. A wonder or marvel ( m _ _ _ _ _ _ )

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Chapter 3: The Artilleryman and the Fighting Machine

The hammering from the pit and the pounding of guns grew louder. The

Martians worked away inside their cylinder, building some kind of machines.

The soldiers’ cannon shells seemed to do nothing to slow their progress.

Suddenly, I heard a sound at the door and I was gripped with fear; someone or

something was creeping into the house! Then I saw it was a young

artilleryman, weary, streaked with blood and dirt.

“Anyone here?” he said.

“Come in,” I replied. “Here, drink this.” I handed him a cup of hot, sweet tea.

“Thank you.”

“What’s happened?”

“They wiped us out,” he explained sadly. “Hundreds dead. Maybe thousands.”

“The Heat Ray?”

“The Martians. They were inside the hoods of machines they’d made. Massive

metal things on legs. Giant machines that walked. They attacked us. They

wiped us out.”

I found it difficult to imagine. “Machines?”

“Fighting machines,” the artilleryman explained, “picking up men and bashing

them against trees. Just hunks of metal, but they knew exactly what they were

doing.”

“Hmm.” I was suddenly reminded: “Another cylinder came last night.”

“Yes. Yes I think it was heading for London.”

London! Carrie! My sweet love! I hadn’t dreamed that there could be danger

to my beloved Carrie and her father, so many miles away.

“I must go to London at once!” I told the artilleryman.

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“I’ve got to report to head quarters,” he replied “If there’s anything left of it,”

he added in a voice filled with exhaustion and despair.

We left my home together, the artilleryman and I, and hurried along the road

towards London. Before long, we came to the small town of Byfleet. The local

inn was empty and no answer came when I called out.

“Is everyone dead?” asked my companion.

“Not everyone,” I said, pointing, “look.”

There was a row of six cannons with uniformed gunners standing by.

“Bows and arrows against the lightning,” said the artilleryman in a sad voice.

“Hmm … “ I knew he was right.

“They haven’t seen the Heat Ray yet,” he added grimly. “We should get out of

here. Keep moving. This road will take us to Weybridge.”

Suddenly, there was a heavy explosion. The ground heaved, windows

shattered and gusts of smoke erupted in the air.

“Look! There they are! What did I tell you?” cried the artilleryman.

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Quickly, one after the other, four of the fighting machines appeared;

monstrous tripods, higher than the tallest steeple, striding over the pine trees

and smashing them, walking tripods of glittering metal. Each carried a huge

funnel and I realized with horror that I'd seen this awful thing before.

A fifth machine appeared on the far bank of a river. It raised itself to full

height, waved the funnel high in the air, and the ghostly terrible Heat Ray

struck the town. At the same time, all five fighting machines cried out with

roars like thunder:

“Uuuuuuu-lllaaaaahhhhh!”

The six cannons we had seen now fired at the same time, cutting one of the

alien fighting machines in half. The Martian inside the hood was killed instantly

and the ruined tripod fell to destruction. As the other monsters

advanced, people ran away blindly, the artilleryman among them,

but I jumped into the water and hid until forced up to breathe.

Now the guns fired again, but this time the Heat Ray sent them to oblivion.

With a white flash it swept across the river. Half-blinded and in terrible pain, I

staggered through leaping, hissing water towards the river bank.

I fell in full sight of the Martians, expecting nothing but death. The foot of a

fighting machine came down close to my head, then lifted again as the four

Martians carried away the twisted metal remains of their fallen friend, and I

realized that by a miracle, I had escaped.

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Chapter 4: Forever Autumn

Before you read

Read these song lyrics. Which words could replace the four words in bold? Use

a dictionary or thesaurus to find suitable synonyms. Guess the missing words.

FOREVER AUTUMN

The summer sun is fading as the year grows old

And darker days are drawing near

The winter winds will be much ___________

Now you're not here.

I watch the _________ fly south across the autumn sky

And one by one they disappear

I _________ that I was flying with them

Now you're not here.

Like the sun through the trees you came to love me

Like a leaf on a breeze you ________ away

Through autumn's golden gown we used to kick our way

You always loved this time of year

Those fallen leaves lie undisturbed now

'cause you're not here

Like the sun through the trees you came to love me

Like a leaf on a breeze you __________ away

A gentle rain falls softly on my weary eyes

As if to hide a lonely tear

My life will be forever Autumn

'cause you're not here

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For the next three days I made my way along roads crowded with refugees, the homeless, carrying boxes and bags containing their valuables. Miserable men, women and children, dirty, hungry and tired, trudged along like herded animals.

The only thing of value to me, the only thing I cared about, was in London, but by the time I reached their little red-brick house, Carrie and her father were gone.

As I stood there, wondering what to do next, fire suddenly jumped from house to house and I heard a woman scream in terror. More Martian fighting machines had appeared. People all around me panicked and ran screaming. I was pulled along by the crowd, and felt no reason to resist. I was aimless and lost without Carrie.

Finally, I decided to head eastward. I would keep going until I reached the ocean. I felt certain that my only hope of survival was to get aboard a boat out of England.

As I hurried through the streets of London, I passed through Covent Garden,

Blackfriars and Billingsgate. There were more and more people around me, all

heading for the coast. Sad, weary women, their children stumbling and

streaked with tears, their men bitter and angry, the rich rubbing shoulders with

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beggars and outcasts. Dogs snarled and whined; the horses' bits were covered

with foam... and here and there were wounded soldiers, as helpless as the

rest.

We saw tripods walking up the River Thames, cutting through bridges as

though they were paper - Waterloo Bridge, Westminster Bridge... One

appeared above Big Ben and let out its ghostly battle cry: “Uuuuuuu-

lllaaaaahhhhh!”

Never before in the history of the world had such a huge number of human

beings moved and suffered together. This was no well-organized march - it

was a stampede, without order and without a goal, six million people without

protection or food, driving headlong. It was the beginning of the retreat of

civilization, of the destruction of the human race.

The people on all sides pushed me towards a steamer boat. It looked

dangerously overcrowded already and soldiers were shouting at the people on

the river bank to get back. I looked up enviously at those safely on board –

straight into the eyes of my beloved Carrie!

I couldn’t believe it! As soon as Carrie saw me, she began to push her way

along the packed deck, trying to get off the boat. But at that same moment,

the gangplank was raised, and I caught one last glimpse of her despairing face

as the boat pulled away from shore and the crowd swept me in the opposite

direction.

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After you read

Complete this summary of Forever Autumn, using words from the box below

The journalist walks for three __________ along roads that are __________

with thousands of people. When he finally gets to London, the journalist

__________ to the home of his sweetheart, Carrie – but Carrie and her

__________ have already __________ . The journalist’s new __________ is to

head east and try to get onto a boat. More of the Martian fighting machines

__________ and the people quickly panic. The journalist looks up at the

people on the __________ and sees Carrie there. She sees him too, but it’s too

__________ – the boat is leaving.

late days father

gone appear deck

crowded plan hurries

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Chapter 5: Thunderchild

Before you read

How much can you remember?

Are these statements true or false? Correct the false statements.

a) This story is set in the late eighteen hundreds.

b) The story takes place in America, near Washington DC.

c) The main character is a doctor.

d) The Martians make fighting machines and bring them to Earth.

e) The main character meets a young artilleryman.

f) The Martians use their machines to catch humans.

g) The main character talks to his girlfriend, Carrie.

h) The steamer boat leaves before the main character can get on board.

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The steamer boat began to move slowly away, along the river. I knew that if it

reached the ocean, it would be safe. To have got so close to Carrie only to

watch her disappear like this was heartbreaking for me, but at least she was

safe – or so I thought.

As I watched, the silhouette of a fighting machine appeared, blocking the

steamer’s escape. Another tripod came, and another. Their long metal legs

made it easy for them to stride over hills and trees. They plunged far out to sea

to block the mouth of the river. There they stood, waiting for the steamer boat

to draw near.

There were ships of all shapes and sizes scattered out along the bay. Between

the departing steamer and the waiting Martians lay the silent, grey, ironclad

Thunderchild. Slowly the powerful warship moved towards shore; then, with a

deafening roar and whoosh of spray, it swung about and drove at full speed

towards the waiting Martians.

So many people were crying out and calling to their loved ones. The noise was

deafening, and yet I thought above all the other voices I could hear Carrie,

calling my name. My eyes desperately searched the many faces along the deck

of the steamer as it moved further away, but I couldn’t see her. Maybe it had

been my imagination.

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The Thunderchild moved swiftly through the waters, cannons blazing as she

came. Several shots hit their mark. The people on the river banks cheered as

one of the mighty metal warlords came crashing down in sheets of flame. Black

smoke poured from the hood of the fallen fighting machine, and Carrie’s

steamer moved past the tripod’s wreckage.

“Come on, Thunderchild!” shouted a man.

“Yes! Come on, Thunderchild!” echoed another.

One after another, people in the crowd took up the cry: “Come on,

Thunderchild!”

But their celebrations were short-lived. In the next instant, the remaining

fighting machines turned and raised their heat rays. They fired in unison and

melted the Thunderchild's valiant heart. As the smoke of battle cleared, I saw

the wrecked warship slowly disappearing beneath the waves.

Thankfully, the little steamer carrying my love had reached the misty horizon.

At least my Carrie was safe! But, a cloud of despair fell over the crowd; the

Thunderchild had vanished, taking with her man's last hope of victory.

The dark sky overhead was lit by green flashes; cylinder following cylinder, and

no one and nothing was left now to fight them.

The Earth belonged to the Martians.

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After you read

Find eight words in the grid to match the definitions below.

1. The line between earth and sky. __________________

2. A success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war. __________________

3. To walk with long steps. __________________

4. The remains of something that has been wrecked. __________________

5. Distribute or place at irregular intervals. __________________

6. In the same way and at the same time. __________________

7. Courageous, brave. __________________

8. To move suddenly into water. __________________

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Chapter 6: The Red Weed (part 1)

Before you read

This is an account of the events, written by the journalist. Rewrite it, adding

punctuation. Add the time markers in the box.

last week the next morning

later in the day a few days later yesterday

the first of the martian cylinders arrived landing on horsell common some men

approached the cylinder but they were killed by some kind of heat ray the

military arrived but they could do nothing against the martians advanced

weapons the martians came out of their cylinder in huge metal fighting

machines they attacked at the river thames and one of the fighting machines

was destroyed by the warship thunderchild

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At the break of day, I decided I should keep moving. The morning sky was a

brilliant fiery red and as I walked the ruined streets of London, I felt as though I

was wandering through the weird and lurid landscape of another planet. Not

only was the sky above glowing red, but the vegetation which gives Mars its

red appearance had taken root on Earth. The Martians had conquered

mankind, and now the alien red weed conquered our land.

Wherever there was a river or stream, the red weed clung and grew with

frightening voraciousness, its hungry claw-like fronds choking the movement of

the water; and then it began to creep like a slimy red animal across the land,

covering field and ditch and tree and hedgerow with living scarlet feelers,

crawling, crawling.

I was amazed at how fast the red weed grew and spread. In just a few days it

had covered every inch of the English landscape as far as the eye could see.

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I took consolation from the thought that my Carrie had made it to safety, but

now found myself at a loss for what to do next. I spent the rest of that day

roaming aimlessly. The red streets of East London lay ghostly and deserted,

and most of the buildings I passed were ruined shells.

How quickly my life had transformed. Only a few days ago, I had slept in the

comfort of my own bed, made a cup of tea, read the newspaper. All of that

was gone now and life had become a struggle for survival, nothing more. The

fabric of society is so very fragile.

As the afternoon wore on, my mind turned to finding a place to sleep the

night. I didn’t want to be out in the open when darkness fell and the Martian

searchlights swept the streets.

I poked around at random in some of the ruins, searching for somewhere safe

to bed down. I was even hopeful of finding something to eat; my growling

stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten in twenty four hours.

I stepped through an overgrown gateway and came to an abrupt halt.

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After you read

Reading check. Choose the right words to complete the sentences:

1) The journalist starts walking at

a) dawn b) dusk c) noon

2) The red weed covering London is

a) a kind of plant b) a kind of animal c) something unknown

3) The journalist was at a loss. He was …

a) depressed b) lost and confused c) not sure what to do

4) The journalist was worried about being

a) hungry b) outside at night c) exhausted

Complete these sentences:

1) I think Carrie is __________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

2) The journalist probably feels ______________________________________.

________________________________________________________________

3) I think the journalist came to an abrupt halt because ___________________

________________________________________________________________.

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Chapter 7: The Spirit of Man

Before you read

Scan the text and find words or phrases which mean the same as:

1. A member of the clergy, a priest ____________________ (n)

2. To put in the ground and cover with earth ____________________ (v)

3. Dirty ____________________ (adj)

4. Catch fire suddenly ______________________________ (phrase)

5. Speaking nonsense because of a disturbed state of mind ___________ (adj)

6. Found refuge ____________________ (phrase)

7. To persuade ____________________ (v)

8. Mentally deranged, not sound of mind ____________________ (adj)

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Chapter 7: The Spirit of Man

I suddenly noticed the body of a parson, lying on the ground in a ruined

churchyard. I felt unable to leave him to the mercy of the red weed and

decided to bury him decently.

“Nathaniel!” From somewhere nearby, I heard a woman’s voice. She called out

again, “Nathaniel!”

At that moment, the Parson's eyes flickered open. He was alive!

The young woman I had heard appeared in the little churchyard and ran to us.

Her clothes were dirty and torn, her blonde hair tangled and her face grimy

with dust, sweat and blood.

“Nathaniel!” she crouched down beside the parson. “I saw the church burst

into flame! Are you all right?”

“ Don't touch me!” shouted the parson. He leaned up on one elbow and

pushed the woman away.

“ But it's me, Beth,” she said with tears in her eyes, “your wife.”

“ No! You're one of them. A devil!”

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She turned to me and spoke softly, “He doesn’t recognize me. He's delirious!”

“Lies!” yelled the parson. “I saw the devil's sign!”

“What are you saying?” she asked. Her face was filled with confusion.

“The green flash in the sky. His demons were here all along in our hearts and

souls, just waiting for a sign from him. And now they're destroying our world.”

“But they're not devils,” she said. “They’re Martians.”

I was worried that all this noise would bring more Martian fighting machines. I

got to my feet and spoke to them both, “We must leave here.”

Beth pointed across the road. “Look! A house, still standing! Come, Nathaniel,

quickly!”

We took shelter in the little cottage and not a moment too soon. A fighting

machine came across the fields, spraying jets of steam that turned the smoke

into thick, black dust.

“Ulla!” The Martian war cry broke the evening silence.

“Dear God, help us!” cried Beth

“The voice of the devil is heard in our land!” shouted the parson, Nathaniel.

“All is lost. We’re doomed!”

“There must be something worth living for,” said Beth softly. “We must try!”

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The holy man sat down sadly. “Once, there was a time when I believed without

hesitation. But we have no hope against Satan.”

“Don’t give up, Nathaniel,” said Beth. “People loved you, and trusted you,

came to you for help...”

Nathaniel’s anger returned and he pushed his wife away again. “Didn't I warn

them this would happen? Be on your guard, I said, for the evil one never

rests... I said exorcise the devil! But no, they wouldn't listen, the demons inside

them grew and grew, until Satan gave his signal and destroyed the world we

knew!”

The two of them spoke at length. Beth tried to convince her husband that

goodness and mercy were worth fighting for, but his only response was anger.

“Forget about goodness and mercy,” he barked, “They're gone! Didn't I warn

them? Pray, I said! Destroy the devil, I said! They wouldn't listen! I could have

saved the world! But now it's too late ... too late!”

I watched sadly as Beth tried to make her husband see sense. I feared that his

mind was beyond saving; the Parson Nathaniel had gone insane.

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Before you read

First match these words to their definitions:

confront (v) broken bits and pieces of anything

cower (v) a cross, a Christian symbol

crucifix (n) not awake, not aware

curious (adj) to crouch in fear

doubts (n) to face in hostility

rubble (n) low and thick, short and broad

squat (adj) feelings of uncertainty

unconscious (adj) inquisitive, eager to know

Then try to use each word in a sentence below:

1. I’m _____________________ to know the exam results.

2. He bumped his head hard and was knocked __________________.

3. She decided to ______________ her boyfriend about his selfishness.

4. A _______________ can protect against vampires.

5. He was short and fat and his little house was quite ___________ too.

6. After the explosion, all that was left of the house was _________________.

7. I could do nothing but _____________ as the Martian tripod stood over me.

8. I have some ______________ about this plan. Are you sure it will work?

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There was an almighty crash overhead. Everything went black and I coughed

and choked as the air filled with dust and smoke. Beth screamed for her

husband. More loud crashes followed as crumbling rubble and parts of the roof

fell down around us. I heard the Parson shouting in the chaos: “Dear God! A

cylinder's landed on the house, and we’re underneath it, trapped in the pit!”

As fate would have it, the place we had chosen for refuge had become our

prison. We cowered in the building’s basement, an enormous Martian cylinder

sealing our exit above.

All through the night, the parson searched desperately for Beth, while up

above the Martians hammered away inside the cylinder.

I felt sure the Martians were constructing more of their giant tripods, but the

thing that emerged in the morning was a new kind of machine. It was a squat,

metallic spider, but it also had a hood in which a Martian sat.

From my hiding place, I watched the spiderlike machine chasing some people

across a field. It caught them skillfully and dropped them into a great metal

basket on its back.

40


At that moment, Nathaniel found his wife.

“Beth?” he bent down and took her hand. “She’s dead; buried under the

rubble!”

The parson’s anger returned as he lifted Beth’s lifeless body in his arms. “Why?

Satan, why did you take one of your own?”

He returned to his ranting. “There is a curse on mankind! We may as well be

resigned to let the devil take the spirit of man!”

As time passed in our dark and dusty prison, the parson wrestled endlessly

with his doubts. I was worried that his cries and shouts would bring death to us

both, but at the same time I felt sorry for him.

Then, after nine days trapped beneath the cylinder, we finally saw the

Martians feeding. Inside the hood of their new machine they were draining the

fresh, living blood of men and women and injecting it into their own veins.

“Argh!” the parson scrambled up the rubble, waving a crucifix. “It's a sign! I've

been given a sign! They must be cast out, and I have been chosen to do it! I

must confront them now!”

I tried to stop him. “No, Parson, no!”

41


“Those machines are just demons in another form,” he shouted. “I shall

destroy them with my prayers; I shall burn them with my holy cross; I shall...”

Clunk!

The parson had left me no choice but to hit him over the head with the nearest

weapon I could find: a wooden post. He crumpled to the ground and lay there

unconscious.

Then the curious eye of a Martian appeared at the window slit, and a menacing

claw explored the room. I dragged the parson down to the coal cellar. I heard

the Martian trying the door handle. In the darkness I could see the claw

touching things: walls, coal, wood … and then, it touched my boot. I almost

shouted. For a time it was still, and then, with a click, it gripped something: the

parson! With slow, deliberate movements, his unconscious body was dragged

away, and there was nothing I could do to save him.

When the morning came, I crept to the blocked window slit and looked out.

The Martians, and all their machinery, had gone!

Shaking, I dug my way out and climbed to the top of the mound: not a Martian

in sight! The bright sunlight hurt my eyes after my imprisonment and the sky

was a glowing blue. Red weed covered the ground everywhere, but a gentle

breeze kept it moving back and forth. And oh, the sweetness of the air!

42


Chapter 9: Brave New World

Once more, I was on my way, through towns and villages that were blackened

ruins, totally silent and empty. Man's empire had passed away, taken quickly

and without error, by these creatures that made and used different bodies to

suit their needs. They never tired, never slept and never suffered, having

removed all bacteria from their planet a long time ago.

“Halt! Who goes there?”

I couldn’t see who had shouted, but felt I should answer: “Err … friend.”

“Be on your way,” came the reply. “This is my territory.”

“Your territory?” I said “What do you mean?”

A young man stepped out from behind some rubble. He approached me.

“Wait a minute,” he said suddenly. “It's you: the man from Maybury Hill!”

“Good heavens!” I exclaimed. It was the young artilleryman who had come into

my house. “I thought you’d surely burned.”

“I thought you’d surely drowned.”

”Have you seen any Martians?” I asked

“Everywhere,” he said sadly. “We're done for all right.”

43


“We can't just give up.” I said, trying to raise his spirits.

“Course we can't,” he said, brightening suddenly. “It's now we've got to start

fighting, but not against them, cause we can't win. Now we've got to fight for

survival, and I reckon we can make it. I've got a plan!”

The artilleryman bounded to the top of some rubble and threw his arms wide.

“We’re gonna build a whole new world for ourselves!” he shouted. “Look, they

see us and we're dead, right? So we’ve got to make a new life where they'll

never find us. You know where? Underground!”

He was quite animated now as he spoke excitedly about his grand plans for a

new way of living.

“You should see it down there,” he continued. “Hundreds of miles of drains,

sweet and clean now after the rain. Dark, quiet, safe. We can build houses and

everything, start again from nothing.”

I didn’t know what to say. Was he serious? How did he expect to achieve such

a thing – all of humanity living beneath the Earth’s surface!

“And what's so bad about living underground eh?” cried the infantryman. “It's

not been so great living up here, if you want my opinion.”

He turned and looked directly at me. With one hand, he gestured at the ruined

remains of London.

44


“Maybe from this madness, something beautiful will grow. With just a handful

of men, we'll start all over again, build a brave new world. We'll build shops

and hospitals and barracks right under their noses, right under their feet!”

His excitement grew as he envisaged his hidden city.

“Everything we need: banks, prisons and schools; we'll send scouting parties to

collect books and stuff, and men like you will teach the kids.”

I started to speak, but he interrupted: “Not poems and rubbish. Science! So we

can get everything working. We'll build villages and towns and ... and ... we'll

play each other at cricket!”

He painted a grand picture, and I found myself getting caught up in the fantasy.

“Listen,” he said, “maybe one day we'll capture a fighting machine, eh? Learn

how to make them ourselves and then … wallop! Our turn to do some wiping

out! Whoosh with our Heat Ray! Whoosh! And them running and dying. Beaten

at their own game. Man on top again!”

He stopped his dreaming and scrambled down from the rubble.

45


“I'm not trying to tell you what to be,” he explained. “Oh no, not me. But if

mankind is to survive, were going to have to build this world anew. And it's

going to have to start with us.”

“With us?” I wasn’t sure what he had in mind.

“Can't you just see it?” he said. “Civilization starting all over again; a second

chance. We'll even build a railway and tunnel to the coast, go there for our

holidays. Nothing can stop men like us. I've made a start already. Come on

down here and have a look.”

In the cellar was a short tunnel which had taken him a week to dig. I could have

dug that much in a day. I suddenly understood the huge difference between

his dreams and reality.

“It’s doing the working and the thinking that tires me out,” he said. “I'm ready

for a rest. How about a drink, eh? Nothing but champagne, now I'm the boss!”

We drank and then he insisted upon playing cards. With the human race on the

edge of extermination, with no future but a horrible death, we actually played

games. Later, he talked more of his plan, but I saw flames flashing in the deep

blue night; red weed glowing, tripod figures moving distantly. I put down my

champagne glass and decided that I must leave this strange dreamer.

46


Chapter 10: Dead London

Before you read

Search the grid for eight words which are synonyms for the words below.

1. plunderers, ransackers, ______________________

2. sidewalk, ______________________

3. wandering, rambling, ______________________

4. suddenly, unexpectedly, ______________________

5. careless, negligent, ______________________

6. trespassers, ______________________

7. friends, associates, ______________________

8. shake, shiver, ______________________

47



I had never witnessed the city so silent. I saw no living people as I walked the

streets, but there were a dozen dead bodies, softened by the black dust, lying

in the Euston Road. All was still, houses locked and empty, shops closed but

looters had helped themselves to wine and food, and outside a jewelry shop

some gold chains and a watch were scattered on the pavement.

Ulla!

I stopped, staring toward the sound. It seemed as if that mighty desert of

houses had found a voice for its fear and loneliness. This was not the powerful

war cry I had heard before. This time the Martian call was weak and pitiful.

Ulla!

The awful cry worked upon my mind and the wailing was all I could think

about. I was extremely tired, footsore, hungry and thirsty. Why was I

wandering alone? Why was I alive, when London was lying dead? I felt terribly

lonely, drifting from street to street, unable to stop myself from moving

towards that cry.

Ulla!

Over the trees on Primrose hill, I saw the Fighting Machine from which the

howling came. I crossed Regents Canal. There stood a second machine,

upright, but as still as the first.

48


Ullaaaa - !

Abruptly, the sound ceased. Suddenly, the quiet, the loneliness, became too

much for me. While that voice had sounded, London had still seemed alive.

Now, suddenly, there was a change, the passing of something and all that

remained was this horrible silence.

I looked up and saw a third machine. It was erect and motionless, like the

others. An insane idea took control of me. I would give my life to the Martians,

here and now.

I marched recklessly towards the towering machine and saw hundreds of black

birds were circling and clustering about the hood. I began running along the

road. I felt no fear, only a wild trembling excitement, as I ran up the hill

towards the motionless monster. Out of the hood hung red shreds, at which

the hungry birds now pecked and tore.

I scrambled up to the top of Primrose Hill, and the Martians’ camp was below

me. A mighty space it was, and scattered about it, in their overturned

machines, were the Martians. Dead! After all of man’s efforts had failed, the

invaders had been killed by the humblest things on Earth: bacteria, minute,

invisible bacteria!

As soon as the aliens arrived and drank and ate, our microscopic allies attacked

them. From that moment they were doomed!

*****

The nightmare was over. The people were scattered over the country,

desperate, leaderless and hungry. The thousands of people, who had escaped

by sea – including my sweet Carrie – all would return. The pulse of life, growing

stronger and stronger, would beat again.

As the world returns to normal, the question of another attack from Mars is

worrying to us all. Is our planet safe, or is this time of peace only temporary? It

may be that, across the gulf of space, they have learned their lessons and even

now are waiting for their next opportunity.

Perhaps the future belongs not to us but to the Martians?

49



After you read

Now you’ve read The War of The Worlds, what next? Here are seven ideas for

activities you can try:

1. Write a review of the story and give it a rating from one to five stars.

2. Take a part of the story you enjoyed and make it into a comic.

3. Make a quiz about the story and characters to test a friend.

4. Create a movie storyboard of The War of the Worlds.

5. Write the journalist’s account of one of the main events in the story.

6. Imagine and write a different ending for the story.

7. Write a conversation between the journalist and the artilleryman. Act it out.

50


Answer Key

Chapter 1 – True, false or doesn’t say

a) F – the Martians had been studying humans in the same way a scientist

might look at bacteria with a microscope

b) F – few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets

c) T – their minds were immeasurably superior to ours

d) DS – the text doesn’t say how many people saw the first missile launched

e) T – it was beautiful to see, but something about it was worrying

f) T – there were at least ten days between the first missile leaving Mars and its

arrival on Horsell Common

g) DS – Ogilvy thought there might be people inside, but the metal was too hot

for him to get close and find out

h) T – he walked home from the common after seeing the cylinder

i) F – people behaved like it was just a normal evening

Chapter 1 – Predictions

1) B 2) A 3) C 4) C 5) B

Chapter 2 – adjective or verb?

Adjectives : hypnotized, visible, repulsive, restless

Verbs: sweep, quiver, writhe, spot

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Chapter 2 – Order the events

_5_ the journalist has bad dreams

_8_ another Martian cylinder arrives

_3_ everybody runs away

_1_ the cylinder opens

_7_ the military arrives

_2_ some young men approach the Martians

_6_the journalist buys a newspaper

_4_ the journalist writes a news story

Chapter 3 – Vocabulary

1. wipe out 2. massive 3. despair

4. companion 5. heave 6. shatter,

7. glitter 8. stagger 9. miracle

Chapter 4 – Synonyms

drawing – getting, coming

disappear – vanish, depart, leave

loved – adored , cherished, delighted in

weary – tired, exhausted, sleepy

52


Chapter 4 – Summary gap fill

The journalist walks for three days along roads that are crowded with

thousands of people. When he finally gets to London, the journalist hurries to

the home of his sweetheart, Carrie – but Carrie and her father have already

gone . The journalist’s new plan is to head east and try to get onto a boat.

More of the Martian fighting machines appear and the people quickly panic.

The journalist looks up at the people on the deck and sees Carrie there. She

sees him too, but it’s too late – the boat is leaving.

Chapter 5 – true or false

a) true

b) false – it takes place in and near London, England

c) false – he’s a journalist

d) false – the Martians make their fighting machines after they arrive on Earth

e) true

f) false – they use their machines to kill humans

g) false – he sees her on the boat, but they don’t meet or talk

h) true

Chapter 5 – word search

1. horizon 2. victory 3. stride 4. wreckage

5. scatter 6. unison 7. valiant 8. Plunge

53


Chapter 6 – journalist’s summary

Suggested answer:

Last week, the first of the Martian cylinders arrived, landing on Horsell

Common. The next morning, some men approached the cylinder, but they

were killed by some kind of heat ray. Later in the day, the military arrived but

they could do nothing against the Martians’ advanced weapons. A few days

later, the Martians came out of their cylinder in huge, metal fighting machines.

Yesterday, they attacked at the River Thames, and one of the fighting machines

was destroyed by the warship, Thunderchild.

Chapter 6 – Reading check

1) a 2) a 3) c 4) b

Complete sentences – students’ own ideas

Chapter 7 – Scanning for vocabulary

1. parson 2. bury 3. grimy 4. burst into flames

5. delirious 6. took shelter 7. convince 8. insane

54


Chapter 8 – Matching Definitiions

confront (v) to face in hostility

cower (v) to crouch in fear

crucifix (n) a cross, a Christian symbol

curious (adj) inquisitive, eager to know

doubts (n) feelings of uncertainty

rubble (n) broken bits and pieces of anything

squat (adj) low and thick, short and broad

unconscious (adj) not awake, not aware

Chapter 8 – Complete the sentences

1. I’m curious to know the exam results.

2. He bumped his head hard and was knocked unconscious.

3. She decided to confront her boyfriend about his selfishness.

4. A crucifix can protect against vampires.

5. He was short and fat and his little house was quite squat too.

6. After the explosion, all that was left of the house was rubble.

7. I could do nothing but cower as the Martian tripod stood over me.

8. I have some doubts about this plan. Are you sure it will work?

Chapter 10 – synonyms word search

1. looters 2. Pavement 3. drifting 4. Abruptly

5. Reckless 6. Invaders 7. Allies 8. tremble

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