The Most Dangerous Game (adapted)

By Dorothy Zemach

Sanger Rainsford has just been shipwrecked on an island in the middle of the sea. When he finds a mysterious castle rising up out of the jungle, he knows he’s not alone. At first, he thinks he’s been rescued. But soon he is fighting for his life...

Called “the most popular short story in the English language,” The Most Dangerous Game has been adapted for high intermediate learners of English (CEFR B2). This book includes vocabulary support, notes on the story, and discussion/critical thinking questions before and after the story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wayzgoose Press
• Release date: Jun 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005647636

Book preview

The Most Dangerous Game

The Most Dangerous Game

adapted from the short story by Richard Connell

Dorothy Zemach

Wayzgoose Press

Copyright © 2021 by Dorothy Zemach

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Contents

A Note about the Adaptation

The Most Dangerous Game

Before You Read

The Most Dangerous Game

After You Read

About this Story’s Creators

A Note about the Adaptation

This story is a classic of American literature. Written in 1924, it is still read in schools both because it’s a great story and because it’s an example of the short story format. You may find, in fact, that once you know this story too, you notice references to it in popular culture or other stories. Check the About the Author section at the end to find out what modern sport was based on this story!

I decided to adapt this short story, a favorite of mine, for people who are learning English or improving their reading ability in English. I changed some vocabulary to simpler, more common, or more modern words; and sometimes I changed the syntax in a sentence to something easier to figure out, or divided one long sentence into two shorter ones.

However, I also left some of the more ‘difficult’ vocabulary so that the story would keep its original atmosphere and mood. These days, it’s easy to check a dictionary while reading an ebook or to look up a word on your phone if you’re reading the paperback. The story has been simplified; yet it is not simple.

I encourage you to read the story all the way through, the first time, without stopping to check unknown words. In this way, you will develop your ability to feel the meaning of a word, even when you can’t explain it exactly. Then if you do check the formal definition later, you will be more likely to remember it.

The second or third time you read the story, when you can concentrate more fully on language, because you already know the plot, you might want to stop and check the meaning of particularly interesting words. Yes—I do expect that you will want to read it again. I have read it many times.

For teachers, or those who wish to think how teachers think, I have included before and after the story some discussion questions. You may use these questions to share your ideas with other readers, to write about yourself, or just to think about. However, if you prefer