THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the play, students will be able to:
●● note the contrasting perspectives of two cultures.
●● identify the difference in perspectives as being both time-bound and place-bound.
●● infer the stage techniques that create horror.
●● recognise the characters also as sources of humour.
●● sympathise with the scary character.

Pre-reading
1. What would you expect from a play with a ghost?
2. What do you know about ghosts and why they are supposed to haunt us?
3. Would you believe in a ghost story or would you laugh it off? Give a reason.

Understanding the Text to work for them. 2. His wife heard strange noises
Read the play. / Play the audio from the Smart Book. from the corridor and the library. 3. The family has
moved out of the house because it gave them an
Read the introduction in italics and Scene 1 uneasy feeling.) What is the dramatic impact of
Mr Otis’s response to Lord Canterville’s warning
Ask students: on the audience? (The spectators would have
How is suspense introduced in the beginning? expected him to get scared enough to drop the deal
(Lord Canterville tells Mr Otis that there is a ghost but he arouses their interest by insisting on buying
in Canterville Chase.) How are the two characters Canterville Chase.) What is the purpose in Mr Otis
introduced here? (Lord Canterville is a man of introducing himself as a person from a modern
integrity. He wants to make sure the buyer knows country? (It provides a new perspective on responses
what the pitfalls maybe in buying his place. And Mr to ghosts: they are not to be feared) How is suspense
Otis, being different from the usual type of people heightened before the scene closes? (Lord
who are afraid of ghosts, is eager to close the deal.) Canterville warns Mr Otis that the ghost appears
How is the interest of the audience aroused? (This before a death in the family.)
play seems to be different from a typical scary ghost Read Scene 2
story.) What purpose does the enactment of a
scene from the past serve? (1. It creates a creepy Ask students:
feeling on stage with the Duchess seeing the ghost’s
How is a new reason for tension introduced in
hands on her shoulder when her housekeeper does
the second scene? (Mrs Otis sees blood-stains on
not. 2. It shows us that Lord Canterville is from an
the floor of the tearoom and Mrs Umney explains
aristocratic family; his aunt was a duchess.) What
that it is the blood of Lady Eleanore de Canterville
was the effect of the ghost on Lord Canterville’s
who had been murdered by her husband in 1575.
household? (1. The younger servants do not want

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 Obviously, it cannot be wiped away.) What purpose (The eyes like burning coal and thick matted hair are
do the bloodstains serve? (They provide the horror typical descriptions of a ghost. The old-fashioned
necessary in a story about the ghost of a murdered clothes refer to the period to which it belongs. And, the
person. Here, they also provide humour because what rusty chains signify the punishment being endured
shocks Mrs Umney has no impact on the down-to- over the centuries for the crime committed.) How is
earth Otis family.) How does Washington show the appearance of Mr Otis an anti-climax? (Instead
that he does not believe the story? (He tries to of getting frightened at the sight of the ghost, Mr Otis
wipe away the stains.) Why is there an unexpected deals with it with a calm presence of mind, giving it
flash of lightning and thunder? (It is a typical way a can of oil to oil its rusty chains so as not to disturb
of announcing the appearance of a ghost.) How are people who are sleeping. And he returns to his room
the responses of Mrs Umney and Mr Otis to the after wishing it goodnight as if it were a guest.) How
thunder and lightning contrasted? (Mrs Umney does the ghost respond to Mr Otis? (It is furious that
believes in the ghost and so she faints with fear and Mr Otis is not horrified and throws away the can of oil
when she recovers, she tells them about her sleepless because he has not realised that it clanks about with
nights with what she has seen. But Mr Otis is skeptical a purpose. Then it goes upstairs with scarier stage-
and so blames it on uncertain English weather. He effects; green light and groans.) How can the twins
also tells her that they do not believe in ghosts.) mobbing the ghost with pillows be considered
as the climax? (Even the Otis twins are not scared.
Read Scene 3 and Scene 4
In fact, in a reversal of roles, they frighten the ghost
Ask students: with their unexpected appearance at the top of the
stairs.) What would the effect of the play be on the
How do the bloodstains move the play forward audience? (It does not produce the same scary effect
in the third scene? (They persist in returning every as any typical ghost story because the Otis family,
time Washington wipes them away. So the twins, representing the modern skeptical attitude to ghosts,
Lewis and Clark plan to spend the night in the provides sufficient humour to dilute the horror.)
room to tackle the ghost.) What purpose does the
description of the ghost serve in the fourth scene?

Post-reading
Discussion and Activity:
1. What do you enjoy in horror stories?
2. How do you feel when the ghost becomes a victim of jokes? Do you sympathise with it or think,
‘Serves it right!’ Explain your response.
3. What stage-effects can you provide to enact this play? What would you substitute for those you do
not have, to get a similar effect? Enact the play if you can.

Appreciating the Text 3. Miss Umney is scared of the blood-stains

and the story connected with them while
The play is an unusual ghost story using contrasts
Washington has a common sense response to
to provide both horror and humour:
them.
1. Living characters interact with a dead
4. The twins try to scare the ghost instead of
character.
being scared by its presence.
2. The olde-worlde view of the British aristocracy
contrasts with the modern skeptical views of
the American family.

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 Grammar and Usage revision: mixed modals
Modals (Revision)
Write on the board:
We may win the match this year. Today’s match might get postponed. Will you please help me find the
post office? Would you like me to take you there? Shall I get you something to eat? Could we stop at
the shop around the corner?

Tell students:
●● The words in italics are modals.
●● Modals are helping verbs that combine with the main verbs.
●● List of modals: can, could, must, may, shall, should, might, ought to, need (Follow the inputs in the
Reader for the functions.)

Structure of modals in sentences

●● Affirmative sentences:
Subject + modal + infinitive
She can come.

●● Negative sentences:
Subject + modal (n’t) + infinitive
She can’t come.

●● Interrogative sentences:
(Wh) modal + Subject + infinitive
When can she come?
Review the use of modals done in earlier classes.

Activity
Pair work
Ask questions to your partner about how he will be the following year.
How old will you be next year?
Answer: Next year I will be nine years old. Which class will you be in next year? ...

Group work
Tell students:
●● Plan an imaginary trip.
●● Each group must suggest where to go, what to take, what to do during the trip.
●● When planning, use all the modals you have learnt.

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 Words in Use fixed expressions
Follow the inputs given in the Reader.

Writing dialogue writing

Note: Guide students through every step but encourage them to write their own dialogue.

What is a dialogue?
A dialogue is a conversational exchange between two or more people. It is used to receive or give
information and to express one’s ideas and thoughts.

How do I write dialogues?

Use
●● descriptive words and expressions to make your dialogues interesting.
●● funny expressions / interesting anecdotes if you want it to have a comical effect.
●● an informal style if the conversation is a casual one. (Hi / Hey / …).
●● a formal style if the conversation is a formal one. (Good morning / Hello / Excuse me / Would you
please…).
●● short forms if required (Can’t , don’t, weren’t…).
●● appropriate punctuations to convey the right tone (What? / Nooo…! Don’t do that!).
Note the example of an informal conversation below.

Hey child! Why don’t you go out and play with the
others? I’ve been watching you since morning.
Haven’t you heard the saying: ‘All work and no play
makes Jack a dull boy’?

Did you say something Am I dreaming or is that a

talking-owl?Mum!!!!

Mum! That owl out there just spoke to

me!

Gosh! You’ve been at your books since morning.

Close your books and go out and play with your
friends, young man! That’s an order.

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 WORKSHEET
THE CANTERVILLE GHOST GRAMMAR

Name of Student: Class:

Tick () the correct modal in the sentences.

1. Will / May I borrow your book for a while?
2. Would / Will you help me lift this table?
3. Could / Would I draw your attention to the screen?
4. Children, will / would you clean up the classroom after the exhibition?
5. Will / Could you please pass me the biscuits, Maya?
6. Could / May you make me a cup of coffee, Tina?
7. Will / May I use your pen?
8. Could / Would you close the door, please?
9. Will / Could you give me change for this hundred-rupee note?
10. Would / Will you lend me your shoes for a week?

1
THE CANTERVILLE GHOST VOCABULARY

Write your answers to these questions. Use the correct expressions from the box in your answers.

I suppose  I reckon  I imagine  I’m afraid

1. Why do they go to the mountains during their holidays?

they want to spend some quiet time there.

2. Will you be there for the meeting tomorrow?

I will not be able to come as I will be attending another meeting.

3. Who will help you do the Maths homework?

I can manage to do the Maths homework on my own.

4. Where does he always disappear?

he has gone to play football.

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 THE CANTERVILLE GHOST WRITING

Name of Student: Class:

Imagine that you and your friend had watched this play on stage. Write a dialogue between the
two of you on why you like the play and why he/ she didn’t. You are imaginative and your friend is
realistic. Here is the beginning to get you started:
You: Wow! That was a great play, wasn’t it? That ghost was really spooky.
Friend: Oh, …! I think the make-up was over the top. Who believes in ghosts these days?
You: But what’s wrong in pretending to believe in them? A willing suspension of disbelief kind of a thing? After
all, we read stories and watch plays to be transported to another world, don’t we?…

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 ANSWER KEY TO THE WORKSHEETS

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

Answer key to grammar worksheet
1. May  2. Will  3. Could  4. will  5. Could  6. Could  7. May  8. Could
9. Could  10. Will

Answer key to the vocabulary worksheet

1. I suppose they want to spend some quiet time there.
2. I’m afraid I will not be able to come as I will be attending another meeting.
3. I reckon, I can manage to do the Maths homework on my own.
4. I imagine, he has gone to play football.

QUESTION BANK WITH ANSWER KEY

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

1. Read the lines and answer the questions.
“We will corner him here. You sleep by the door. And I’ll sleep on the desk so I can jump on top of him.”
a. Who do the twins want to corner?
b. Why do they want to do that?
c. What does this tell us about the speaker?
Answers:
a. The twins want to corner the Canterville Ghost.
b. They probably wanted to catch him so that it would not disturb them anymore.
c. This tells us that the speaker is not at all perturbed by the appearance of a ghost.

2. Answer in brief.
1. Who was the Duchess? Why did she faint?
Answer: Lord Canterville, while warning Mr Otis of the presence of a ghost in the house, recalled
what had happened to his grand aunt who was the Dowager Duchess of Bolton. Once, during her
stay in the Canterville Mansion, she fainted out of fear on being touched by the cold bony hands
of a ghost.
2. What did Mr Otis think of ghosts? What was his reaction to Lord Canterville’s warning?
Answer: Mr Otis, a wealthy American, was not at all disturbed by Lord Canterville’s tale. He was
a man with modern views and did not believe in the existence of ghosts. When Lord Canterville
warned him about ghosts in the mansion he just guffawed at the story and went ahead with his
plan of buying the mansion.

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 3. Answer in detail.
a. What was Mrs Umney’s explanation for the blood stain that was noticed in the library? What did
the family do on hearing her story?
Answer: Mrs Otis noticed something that looked like a blood stain and wanted it to be removed.
Mrs Umney informed Mrs Otis, in a hushed voice, that it was the blood of Lady Eleanore de
Canterville. Mrs Umney went on to say that she was murdered on that very spot by her own
husband, Sir Simon de Canterville in the year 1575. None of the members of the Otis family
believed even a word of the story. Mr Otis dismissed the whole story and took a small stain
removal stick from his bag and rubbed and cleaned the stain.
b. Give examples from the text to show that the family was not at all frightened by the presence of a
ghost in the mansion.
Answer: Mrs Otis was not alarmed when she was told that the stain she noticed was a blood stain.
When the twins found the blood stain again in the same spot, they concluded that the ghost must
have visited again. Instead of getting scared, they decided to wait for him in the night. Mr Otis too
guffawed at the very mention of the word ghost. Late in the night, when he was disturbed by an
apparently chained ghost, he offered a bottle of oil to the ghost asking it to apply on the chains so
that it would make less noise and he could have a peaceful sleep. The twins threw a pillow at the
ghost when it made an appearance.

4. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)

a. How did the youngest members of the family prove that they were as brave as the older members?
Answer: The twins, Lewis and Clark, realised that the ghost had actually visited the library in the
night. But they were definitely not perturbed and waited for the ghost in the night. When they
really saw one in the night, they threw the pillow at the ghost and scared the ghost away, much to
its disgust!
b. Bring out the humour in the appearance of the ghost in the mansion.
Answer: Every action in the play contradicts the fear linked to ghosts. While Mrs Otis is annoyed
on seeing a blood stain, Mr Otis presents a bottle of oil to the ghost to oil his chains. The twins
want to play hide-and-seek with the ghost and chase it away instead of being scared.

5. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)

Do you believe in ghosts? Why? Why not? Is there any change in your perception of ghosts after
reading the story? Elaborate.
Free response

STUDENTS’ BOOK ANSWER KEY

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

Style Focus
1. The writer tells us about the social status and the background of the owner of Canterville Chase
through the following hints. The owner has the title of ‘Lord’ which tells us that he is from an

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 aristocratic family. Canterville Chase is a mansion and thus reveals that its owner comes from a
wealthy background.
2. In using the elements of weather to announce the presence of the ghost, the writer is trying to add
an air of mystery and eeriness to the scene. The ghost himself is yet to surface but until then, the
writer wants the characters in the play (and the reader) to feel a sense of dread and thus makes us
aware of his presence through other ways.
3. The writer uses the bloodstain to bring put the presence of horror and humour in the story in the
following manner. The very idea of a bloodstain that constantly reappears is meant to make the
reader feel a sense of horror. However, we must consider the Otis’ reactions to the bloodstain. They are
not scared upon seeing the bloodstain on their floor. The reason they are upset is it because it spoils
their floor; they don’t seem to associate it with death or murder. When it continues to reappear, we
see that the smallest members of the Otis family—the twins—also show no fear and instead decide
to teach the ghost a lesson. Thus, the family’s utter disregard for the ghost, who is clearly trying to
scare them, makes the situation funny.
4. The writer has reversed the roles of the ghost and the people to add a touch of humour to the story.
Every time the ghost tries to scare the humans, he suffers while the Otis family remains blissfully
ignorant of his attempts to threaten them. The contradictory attitudes of the two make the story funny.

Understanding the Text

1. The speaker is talking about Canterville Chase. It gives a strange, scary feeling because the
residents have heard strange sounds from the corridor and the library and have reported seeing
and hearing a ghost.
2. By this statement, Lord Canterville means to say that the presence of the ghost scares people so
much that it often results in their death. However, Mr Otis appears to think that the deaths have
nothing to do with the ghost and are a mere coincidence. This tells us that he is not afraid of
ghosts and perhaps does not believe in them.
3. In Scene 2, the traditional elements are represented by Mrs Umney while the modern elements
are represented by the Otis family. The clash between these two elements is thus brought out
in their interactions with each other after the bloodstain is discovered. Mrs Umney is terrified
while the Otis family mocks the very possibility of a ghost. Mrs Umney comes from England, a
traditional country and represents traditional beliefs such as fear of the supernatural and the
unknown. We see this in her attitude towards the ghost—she appears to be afraid of it and does
not want to anger it. The Otis family comes from America, ( a more modern country) and thus they
stand for modern beliefs such as the refusal to believe in ghosts and spirits. They refuse to even
acknowledge the ghost’s presence and ignore all the ways in which he tries to scare them.
4. In scene 1 we see what the ghost did to the Dowager Duchess of Bolton, the great-aunt of Lord
Canterville
5. Here, we see that the ghost is trying to take on a monstrous appearance and thus we know that
he is trying to scare his tormentors. However, their lack of fear has left him confused and so he
feels the need to remind himself that he is scary.
6. a. Free response   b. Free response
7. a and d (Suggested answers. Accept any logical answers.)

Appreciating the Text

1. The playscript is divided into five scenes. The locations shown here are: Outside Canterville Chase,
the library of Canterville Chase, Outside Mr Otis’ bedchambers. Some of the backdrops will be an
old castle, a library, an old staircase, a bedroom. Some of the props will include chains, a bottle, a
carpet, etc.

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 2. Free response

Grammar and Usage

A. 1. A gift was given to each of us by our grandmother.
Each of us was given a gift by our grandmother.
2. I was shown a new computer game by my brother
A new computer game was shown to me by my brother.
3. My friend was offered a new job by the company.
A new job was offered to my friend by the company.
4. A special prize was given to her by the judges.
She was given a special prize by the judges.
5. This book was lent to me by Ritesh.
I was lent this book by Ritesh.
B. 1. The overcast sky makes it look like we might get heavy rain.
2. I shall work hard to learn Spanish in the next three months.
3. I could skate well once but can no longer do so now.
4. Cricket should not be played on a busy road because it is not safe.
5. I must ask for permission to miss match practice because of a function at home.
6. There is a chance that the prices of mangoes may fall.

Words in Use
(Suggested answers. Accept any logical answers.)
1. I suppose he wanted to get over with the ghost-ridden mansion.
2. I reckon that they found it to their taste.
3. I fear that the ghost was awakened by the act.
4. I’m afraid we'll never know.
5. I imagine they did.

Writing
Free response

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