Katherine Mansfield (1920) — an old woman has a happy Sunday in the park, until she hears something unkind
Original version available: read this lesson at B2/C1 level →
This is a famous short story, told here in simple English. Read each part, then stop and talk about the questions. The end is sad and quiet — read slowly and do not jump ahead.
Miss Brill is an older woman. She lives alone in a small room. Every Sunday she goes to the park. She likes to sit and listen to the music.
Today she wears her favourite thing: a little fur necklet. She keeps it in a box. She takes it out and brushes it. "Dear little thing!" she thinks. It is nice to wear it again.
She walks to the park and sits on her usual seat. The sky is blue. The band plays music. There are many people today. Miss Brill is happy.
Miss Brill likes to watch the people. She likes to listen to them talk. She watches the children, the old people, and the women in their nice dresses.
Then she has a happy idea. She thinks the park is like a big play. All the people are actors. And she is an actor too! She comes to the park every Sunday. She has a part in the play.
The band plays again. The music is warm and happy. Miss Brill is very happy now. Her eyes are full of tears, because the music is so beautiful.
Then a young man and a young woman sit down next to her. They are happy and in love. Miss Brill waits to listen to them.
But the young man says unkind words about Miss Brill. "Why does she come here? Nobody wants her," he says. "And look at her funny old fur!"
The young woman laughs. Miss Brill hears every word. She feels hurt and very sad.
She goes home. Every Sunday she buys a little cake. But today she does not stop. She does not buy her cake. She walks to her small room.
In her room, she takes off the fur. She puts it back in the box, quickly. But when she closes the box, she thinks she hears something crying.
Ten useful words. Tap each card to see what it means and an example sentence.
1. She lives ______ in a small room. 2. She keeps her fur in a ______. 3. The young man says ______ words.
An adjective is a word that describes a noun (a person or thing). For example: old, small, happy, blue.
In English, the adjective usually comes before the noun:
a small room / a little fur / an old woman.
When we use two adjectives together, a common order is opinion/size → colour → noun. For example: a little blue box, a nice red dress.
Choose the best adjective from the box for each sentence.
1. Miss Brill lives in a room. (not big)
2. The sky in the park is . (the colour)
3. Miss Brill is an woman. (not young)
4. In the park she feels . (she feels good)
5. The young man says words. (not nice)
1. small 2. blue 3. old 4. happy 5. unkind
Put the adjective before the noun. Write the two words in the right order.
1. (fur / little) → a
2. (woman / old) → an
3. (room / small) → a
4. (box / little / blue) → a
5. (dress / nice / red) → a
1. little fur 2. old woman 3. small room
4. little blue box (size before colour)
5. nice red dress (opinion before colour)
A good short story makes you feel something. In this story, the writer gives us a happy beginning and a sad end. Here are two simple ideas to think about.
For most of the story, Miss Brill is happy. She loves her fur, her seat, and the music. But then she hears the young man's unkind words. In one moment, everything changes. She is happy, then she is very sad. This sudden change is called a turn. It makes the end feel sad and strong.
The little fur is old and not new — just like Miss Brill. She loves it and keeps it safe in a box. The young man laughs at the fur, but really he is laughing at Miss Brill.
At the end, she puts the fur in the box and thinks she hears something crying. The fur is in its box, and Miss Brill is alone in her small room. The fur stands for Miss Brill herself. When the fur "cries", it is really Miss Brill who is crying.
Do all three. Use the timer and try to keep talking. The sentence starters can help you begin.
Now tell the story again in your own words. Use short, simple sentences. Try to use four or five words from the Words tab, and tell the events in order.
These steps will help you: an old woman goes to the park to hear music · she wears her special fur and feels happy, like part of a show · a young couple say unkind words about her · she goes home and puts the fur away · she thinks she hears something crying.
Miss Brill loves the park. Talk about a place you love to go. Where is it? What do you do there? How do you feel there?
Miss Brill loves her little fur. Talk about a thing that is important to you. What is it? Why do you like it?