Welcome to this A2 English story version of The Canterville Ghost, a funny and spooky tale by Oscar Wilde. The Otis family from America moves into an old English house called Canterville Chase. But there's a problem: the house is haunted by the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville! The Otis family doesn't believe in ghosts, so they're not scared. In fact, the ghost has more trouble than the family. Will the ghost finally find peace? Read on and find out!
This free interactive graded reader gives you everything you need to enjoy the story. You can click on any tricky word to see a simple meaning. You can listen to the full story audio, perfect for improving your listening. And after the story, check the lesson notes to learn key A2 grammar and vocabulary. Ready to read and learn?
Our retelling keeps the original humor and heart, but uses simple A2 words and sentences. Perfect for elementary learners who love clever ghost stories!
Many years ago, an American family bought a big, old house in England. The name of the house was Canterville Chase. Mr. and Mrs. Otis and their four children moved in. They had a daughter called Virginia and two little boys, the twins.
Before they arrived, people in the village told them about a ghost. The ghost walked at night, wore chains, and made scary noises. But the Otis family did not believe in ghosts. They smiled and said, 'We are not afraid.'
The first night, the family went to bed. Suddenly, a loud noise came from the . Mr. Otis opened the door and saw an old man with a long chain. The man looked very . Mr. Otis said, 'Excuse me, your chains are too loud. Here is some oil. Please be quiet.' He gave the ghost a small bottle and closed the door.
The ghost was very . This never happened before! He felt . The next night, he tried again. He walked slowly through the dark and made a terrible sound. But the twins were awake. They saw the ghost and laughed. Then they threw pillows at him. The ghost ran away.
Week after week, the ghost tried many things. He wore a white sheet to look like a dead person. He painted a red stain on the floor. But nothing worked. The family cleaned the stain and offered him medicine. The ghost felt . 'I am a terrible ghost,' he thought.
One afternoon, Virginia found the ghost in the library. He sat in a chair and looked very sad. 'Little girl,' he said, 'I did a bad thing long ago. I killed my wife. Because of that, I must be a ghost. I cannot . Can you help me?' Virginia felt sorry for him. 'I will try,' she said.
Virginia took the ghost's hand. They walked through a and into a dark garden. She closed her eyes and . The ghost smiled and became quiet. A beautiful light appeared, and he was free. He was not a ghost anymore.
The next morning, the family looked for Virginia. They found her in the old library with a flower in her hand. She told them about the ghost and how she helped him. The family was happy for the ghost. In the garden, they saw a new white flower. It made them remember their strange, friendly ghost.
Long ago, an American family bought a big old house in England called Canterville Chase. Mr. and Mrs. Otis and their four children moved in, including daughter Virginia and twin boys.
Before moving in, villagers told them about a ghost that walked at night with chains and made scary noises. The Otis family didn't believe in ghosts and said they weren't afraid.
The first night, a loud noise came from the corridor. Mr. Otis saw an old, dirty ghost with chains. He gave him oil to quiet the chains and closed the door.
The ghost was surprised and angry. The next night, he tried to scare them in the library, but the twins laughed and threw pillows at him, so he ran away.
Week after week, the ghost tried many things like wearing a sheet or painting a stain, but the family cleaned it and offered medicine. The ghost felt hopeless.
One afternoon, Virginia found the sad ghost in the library. He admitted he killed his wife long ago and couldn't rest. He asked for Virginia's help, and she agreed.
Virginia took the ghost's hand through a secret door to a dark garden, prayed, and a beautiful light freed the ghost. He was no longer a ghost.
The next morning, the family found Virginia in the library with a flower. She told them how she helped the ghost. They saw a new white flower in the garden, reminding them of the friendly ghost.
The Otis family moved into Canterville Chase - a big, old house in England. Let's learn some words to talk about houses and rooms like this one.
Notice how the story uses simple adjectives and nouns to create a clear picture of the place.
- houses and rooms: house, corridor, library, garden, door, floor
- describing words: big, old, dark, quiet, secret, strange, beautiful
The ghost tries to frighten the family, but he ends up feeling many emotions himself. The Otis family also shows different feelings.
Here are the key feeling words from the story. Can you match each one to a character?
- afraid (did the family feel afraid?)
- surprised, angry, sad, tired, hopeless (the ghost)
- happy, sorry, friendly (the family and Virginia)
To tell a story in English, we mostly use the past simple. This story is full of great examples - both regular and irregular verbs.
Irregular verbs change their form (buy → bought), while regular verbs just add -ed (move → moved). Look at these from the text:
- Regular: moved, walked, laughed, painted, cleaned, smiled, closed, prayed, appeared
- Irregular: bought, had, told, wore, made, went, saw, said, gave, felt, threw, ran, sat, thought, found, took, became
Now that you know the words and the past tense, try to tell the story to a friend - or write it down! Start with: 'An American family bought a big old house…'
See if you can use some of the feelings and house words you learned. Don't worry about being perfect - just have fun with it.
The Canterville Ghost - A2 English Story comes from the Irish / Oscar Wilde tradition and is best known as a comic ghost story. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on Oscar Wilde, 1887; public domain, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. The original audience was usually kids/general, but this version is adapted for A2 Elementary learners studying English. Funny ghost story; good A2/B1 bridge.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Project Gutenberg.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the A2 English Vocabulary List. After that, try English Question Words for another useful next step.
