SHORT HISTORY, LONG ECHOES · A2/B1 · 50 min

Stonehenge

Very old stones, and a big mystery.

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Today: tell the story of Stonehenge, a very old place in England, and talk about its big mystery. Grammar: the passive (was/were + verb).

Key words — match them first

Before we read, let's learn the important words. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.

Words

  1. a stone
  2. a circle
  3. ancient
  4. to build
  5. to move
  6. heavy
  7. a mystery
  8. a temple

Meanings

  • A. very, very old
  • B. a hard piece of rock
  • C. a round shape, like the letter O
  • D. to take something from one place to another place
  • E. something we do not understand or know the answer to
  • F. a special building for praying to a god
  • G. to make something (a house, a wall) from stones or bricks
  • H. not light; difficult to lift or carry

1 = B (a stone) · 2 = C (a circle) · 3 = A (ancient) · 4 = G (to build)

5 = D (to move) · 6 = H (heavy) · 7 = E (a mystery) · 8 = F (a temple)

Now talk — out loud

Before we read:
  • Which words are about size and weight? Which word means "very old"?
  • Use three of the words to guess: what do you think this story is about?

The story, in three parts

Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.

Part 1 — Very old stones

Stonehenge is a circle of very big stones in England. The stones stand together in a ring. It is very famous.

Stonehenge is very, very old — about 5,000 years old. People built it a long, long time ago. They worked for many years.

There are big stones and smaller stones. The big stones are very heavy. Some of them weigh 25 tonnes — that is like four big elephants! It is amazing that people built this so long ago.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. What is Stonehenge, and where is it?

2. How old is it?

1. It is a circle of very big stones in England.

2. It is very old — about 5,000 years old.

Talk about it:
  • 5,000 years is a very long time. What other old places or buildings do you know?

Part 2 — A big mystery

Some of the stones came from a place called Wales. Wales is about 230 kilometres away! That is very far.

The stones are very heavy. But the people did not have machines. They did not have wheels. They did not have metal tools.

So how did they move these heavy stones so far? Nobody knows exactly! It is a big mystery. People have many ideas, but we are not sure.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. Where did some of the stones come from? How far is it?

2. Why is it difficult to understand how the people moved the stones?

1. Some stones came from Wales — about 230 km away.

2. The stones are very heavy, and the people did not have machines, wheels, or metal tools. Nobody knows exactly how they moved them.

Talk about it:
  • How do you think the people moved the heavy stones? What is your idea?

Part 3 — Why did they build it?

We also do not know why the people built Stonehenge. There is no writing from that time. So we can only guess.

Maybe it was a temple, a special place for a god. Maybe it was a big calendar to follow the sun. We are not sure.

But we do know one thing. Some people were buried at Stonehenge. So it was a special place. Today, many tourists visit Stonehenge every year. They come to see the old stones and to think about the mystery.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. What are two ideas about why people built Stonehenge?

2. What is one thing we do know about it?

1. Maybe it was a temple. Maybe it was a calendar to follow the sun. (We are not sure.)

2. We know that some people were buried there, so it was a special place. Many tourists visit it today.

Talk about it:
  • Would you like to visit Stonehenge? Why or why not?

Grammar: the passive

This story has a special problem: we often do not know who did something. The passive helps us here.

We use the passive when we don't know who did it, or it is not important.
We make it with was / were + the past participle (the third form of the verb).
Example: "the stones WERE MOVED" — we don't say who moved them.
More examples: "Stonehenge was built." · "Some people were buried there."

1. Was or were?

Put the verb in the passive. Use was for one thing, were for many things.

1. Stonehenge (build) about 5,000 years ago.

2. The big stones (move) a long way.

3. Some stones (bring) from Wales.

4. Some people (bury) at Stonehenge.

1. was built (one place — was)

2. were moved (many stones — were)

3. were brought (many stones — were)

4. were buried (many people — were)

2. Make passive sentences

Change these sentences to the passive. Then read them out loud.

1. People built Stonehenge. → Stonehenge by people.

2. They made the circle from big stones. → The circle from big stones.

3. Many tourists visit Stonehenge. → Stonehenge by many tourists. (Tip: this one is happening now)

1. was built

2. was made

3. is visited (present passive: is/are + past participle)

Listen

There is a real podcast about Stonehenge. It is for native speakers, so it is fast. That is okay! You do not need to understand every word.

Your job is easy: you know the story and the key words now. So just try to catch a few words you know — a name, a place, or a word from today. Don't worry about the rest. This is great practice for your ears.

🎧 Short History Of… Stonehenge

From the Noiser podcast network. Hosted by historians, roughly 50 minutes.

Listen on Spotify →
While you listen:
  • Write down two or three words you hear and know from today's lesson (for example: stones, old, mystery, Wales).
  • Listen for the word Stonehenge. Can you hear it? How many times?

Speak

Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.

Useful language: use the passive for the stones ("the stones were moved", "it was built"). For your ideas: "I think…", "Maybe it was…", "In my opinion…".
Time remaining: 3:00
Task A · Tell the story (3 minutes)

Tell the story of Stonehenge in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a circle of big stones in England → very, very old (5,000 years) → some stones came from far away (Wales) → the stones are very heavy → nobody knows how they moved them → maybe a temple, maybe a calendar.

Try to use the passive ("it was built", "the stones were moved") and some key words (stone, circle, ancient, heavy, mystery, temple).

Task B · Your idea (3 minutes)

Why do you think people built Stonehenge? What is your idea? Maybe it was a temple? A calendar? Something else? Tell me what you think.

Task C · An old or mysterious place (3 minutes)

Tell me about a very old or mysterious place you know. Where is it? How old is it? What do people do there? Why is it special?

Not sure what to talk about? Choose one:

  • An old castle, church or temple in your country: "It might be 500 years old."
  • An old object at home — a clock, a ring, an old photo: "It must be very old."
  • The pyramids in Egypt: who built them, and how? "It can't be easy to move big stones."
  • An old, empty house near you: "It might have been a farm. It can't be safe now."
  • The Easter Island stone heads — big stone faces on an island: "It must be a mystery."

To finish

  1. What part of the Stonehenge story do you like best — the old stones, the heavy stones from far away, or the mystery?
  2. Is it good that we do not know everything about Stonehenge? Or do you want to know all the answers?
  3. From memory: how do we make the passive? Give me one sentence about Stonehenge with "was" or "were".