myClub

Charles Dickens
Reading and Listening

A The video is called “Dickens and London”. Choose the statement that best
summarises the clip.

 A bad city for a writer to live in.

 How London inspired Dickens.

 London in the time of Dickens.

B Watch the video. Mark the statements True / False / Not Given.

1. Dickens walked a lot at night because he didn’t know London well.

2. Dickens got ideas for his books during his walks.

3. Dickens often got into trouble with the police.

4. Dickens helped the police to arrest criminals.

5. Seven Dials in London has changed greatly since Dickens’ time.

6. People are often surprised when they find out what Dickens thought about London.

7. Dickens had a happy childhood that got worse when he moved to London.

8. Dickens was good at describing the areas of London.

9. Dickens also made maps of London.

10. Dickens appeals to people all over the world.

Page 1 of 4

C Match the phrase with the meaning.
1. Dickens knew London intimately.
2. They’re quite horrified.
3. A rural idyll.
4. He writes about it warts and all.
myClub
Charles Dickens
Reading and Listening
A. Dickens knew London very well.
B. Dickens knew every detail about London.
C. Nobody knew London better than Dickens.
A. They’re really scared.
B. They’re extremely surprised.
C. They feel sick.
A. A perfect place in the countryside.
B. A terrible place to live.
C. A machine you use to clean toilets.
A. Dickens wrote about warts and other things.
B. Dickens didn’t try to make London sound better
than it was.
C. Dickens wrote only about the disadvantages of
London.
Page 2 of 4
 myClub
Charles Dickens
Reading and Listening

Look at the headings around the room. Write the correct one above each paragraph.

A ________________________________________________

Charles Dickens is much loved for his great contribution to classic English literature. He was
the quintessential Victorian author. His epic stories, vivid characters and exhaustive depiction
of contemporary life are unforgettable.

B ________________________________________________

His own story is one of rags to riches. He was born in Portsmouth on 7 February 1812, to
John and Elizabeth Dickens. The good fortune of being sent to school at the age of nine was
short-lived because his father, inspiration for the character of Mr Micawber in 'David
Copperfield', was imprisoned for bad debt. The entire family, apart from Charles, were sent to
Marshalsea Prison. Charles was sent to work in a factory and endured appalling conditions
as well as loneliness and despair. After three years he returned to school, but the experience
was never forgotten and became fictionalised in two of his better-known novels 'David
Copperfield' and 'Great Expectations'.

C ________________________________________________

Like many others, he began his literary career as a journalist. His own father became a
reporter and Charles began with the journals 'The Mirror of Parliament' and 'The True Sun'.
Then in 1833 he became parliamentary journalist for The Morning Chronicle. With new
contacts in the press he was able to publish a series of sketches under the pseudonym 'Boz'.
In April 1836, he married Catherine Hogarth, daughter of George Hogarth who edited
'Sketches by Boz'. Within the same month came the publication of the highly successful
'Pickwick Papers', and from that point on there was no looking back for Dickens.

D ________________________________________________

As well as a huge list of novels he published autobiography, edited weekly periodicals

including 'Household Words' and 'All Year Round', wrote travel books and administered
charitable organisations. He was also a theatre enthusiast, wrote plays and performed before
Queen Victoria in 1851. His energy was inexhaustible and he spent much time abroad - for
example lecturing against slavery in the United States and touring Italy with companions
Augustus Egg and Wilkie Collins, a contemporary writer who inspired Dickens' final
unfinished novel 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood'.

E ________________________________________________

He was estranged from his wife in 1858 after the birth of their ten children, but maintained
relations with his mistress, the actress Ellen Ternan. He died of a stroke in 1870. He is buried
at Westminster Abbey.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/dickens_charles.shtml

Page 3 of 4
 myClub
Charles Dickens
Reading and Listening

Find the language that tells you the fact.

FACT LANGUAGE
A Dickens is not a modern writer.

His stories were often long.

B He started life poor and ended it rich.

He turned life experiences into writing.

C He knew other journalists.

He sometimes protected his writing identity.

D He liked acting.

He campaigned on social issues.

E He did not have a happy marriage.

He had an affair.

Page 4 of 4