TeachingEnglish
      A House in the Country

      Romesh Gunesekera was born in Sri Lanka, and has been living and writing in London since the 1970s. His writing is frequently elegiac and wistful, casting reflective eyes at 'the spoiled paradise' of his original home.

      'A House in the Country' concerns a returnee, Ray, who has made enough money in London to rebuild a house in Colombo. He is helped by Siri, a young man from the country, and together they talk about building another house, in the country. This is set against the backdrop of Sri Lanka's ongoing civil war. When tragedy comes a bit too close to home, everything changes.

      This kit was produced, along with its companion 'Carapace', to accompany Romesh Gunesekera's tour of Portugal in 2004.

       Downloads

      • Short story 145k complete text of 'A House in the Country'
      • Context 711k background information and exercises

       

      Romesh Gunesekera

      AttachmentSize
      country_text.pdf144.28 KB
      country_intro.pdf346.4 KB
      country_characterisation.pdf302.88 KB
      country_context.pdf710.88 KB
      country_wordwork.pdf375.96 KB
      country_afterreading.pdf358.42 KB
      country_key.pdf67.14 KB
      Average: 4.3 (17 votes)

      Comments

      K-naye's picture
      K-naye
      Submitted on 3 August, 2011 - 12:25

      This is a very usefull kit, with interesting sories, but I would suggest to add an audio part to it, since those who study English especially adults study it fot oral communication purposes. I had many students who were able to read and knew grammar but were unable to understand while they listened and could not speak.

      I think a lot of listening helps to improve listening and speaking skills.

      fitch's picture
      fitch
      TE Team
      Submitted on 15 September, 2011 - 08:33

      You're right.  I'll see if I can persuade Romesh to record it for us.