Hans Christian Andersen's tale of a vain ruler, two clever swindlers, and the one voice honest enough to break the spell.
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Each new word is hidden in a sentence. Read it aloud and say what you think the bold word means from the rest of the sentence — then reveal it and see how close you were.
Read each part. After it, there's a quick comprehension check (try the questions from memory first), then one thing to discuss.
Many years ago there lived an emperor who cared for nothing in the world so much as fine new clothes. He spent all his money on his wardrobe, and while other rulers were often to be found in council or at war, this one was almost always in his dressing room, admiring himself. He had a different coat for every hour of the day.
One day two swindlers came to the city. They told everyone that they were weavers of the most extraordinary skill, and that they could make a cloth of astonishing beauty. But the fabric, they explained, had one remarkable property: it was completely invisible to anyone who was hopelessly stupid, or who was unfit for the post they held. The emperor was delighted. Such a cloth, he thought, would let him see at a glance which of his officials were fools and which were wise.
He handed the two men a great sum of gold and the finest silk and thread, and told them to begin at once. The swindlers set up two looms and pretended to work, though the frames stood entirely empty. They asked for more silk and more gold, which they slipped into their own bags, and late into the night they sat before the bare looms, weaving nothing at all.
1. What did the emperor care about more than anything else?
2. What "magic property" did the swindlers claim the cloth had, and why did this idea appeal to the emperor?
1. Fine new clothes — he spent all his money and time on his wardrobe, admiring himself.
2. They said the cloth was invisible to anyone stupid or unfit for their post; the emperor liked the idea because it would reveal which of his officials were foolish or incompetent.
Time passed, and the emperor grew curious about the cloth. He wanted to see it, but he felt strangely uneasy: what if he himself saw nothing? He decided to send his oldest and most trusted minister first — an honest man, everyone agreed, and certainly clever enough for his post. The old minister went into the workshop, and his eyes went wide with alarm. The looms were empty. He could see absolutely nothing.
But he did not dare say so. "Am I stupid?" he thought. "Am I unfit for my office?" Rather than confess, he studied the empty air, praised the colours and the pattern, and reported to the emperor that the cloth was truly magnificent. Soon a second official was sent, and then a third; each saw nothing, each was terrified of what that meant, and each returned singing the praises of the wonderful, invisible fabric. The whole court now spoke of nothing but the marvellous new cloth.
At last the emperor went to see it for himself, surrounded by his finest officials. He looked at the empty looms — and felt a cold shock of fear, for he too saw nothing at all. But he could not admit it in front of everyone. "It is beautiful," he declared. "It has our highest approval." And all his courtiers, who also saw nothing, nodded and agreed and repeated to one another how exquisite it was, though not one of them could see a single thread.
1. Why did each official praise the cloth even though they could see nothing?
2. How did the emperor himself react when he finally looked at the empty looms?
1. Each feared that seeing nothing meant they were stupid or unfit for their post, so rather than confess, they pretended the cloth was magnificent.
2. He too saw nothing and was frightened, but he could not admit it in front of his court, so he declared the cloth beautiful — and everyone agreed.
The swindlers announced that the clothes were finally ready. They mimed lifting the garments from the loom, held up their empty hands, and helped the emperor "dress", removing his real clothes and pretending to fit each invisible piece. The emperor turned this way and that before the mirror. "How well it suits him!" everyone cried. "What a perfect fit!" Two servants stooped to lift a train that was not there, and carried it carefully behind him as the grand procession began.
So the emperor walked through the streets under a rich canopy, wearing nothing at all, while crowds lined the route. Everyone had heard about the wonderful cloth that only fools could not see, so everyone called out how splendid the new clothes were. No one would admit to seeing nothing, because no one wanted to be thought a fool. Never had the emperor's clothes been so admired.
Then a small child, who knew nothing of the story and had nothing to lose, said in a clear little voice, "But he has nothing on!" The father tried to hush the boy, but the words passed from person to person through the crowd — "A child says he has nothing on!" — until at last the whole city was saying it aloud. The emperor felt a shiver, for he suspected they were right. But he thought, "The procession must go on," and he walked all the prouder, while his servants carried the train that was not there.
1. Why did the crowds in the street praise the emperor's clothes?
2. Who finally spoke the truth, and why was that particular person able to say it?
1. They had all heard that only fools could not see the cloth, so no one wanted to admit seeing nothing; each praised the clothes to avoid looking stupid.
2. A small child, who did not know the story and had nothing to lose, simply said what he saw: "But he has nothing on!" The truth then spread through the whole crowd.
This whole story is built on what people said — what the swindlers claimed, what the officials reported, what the child cried out. When we retell those words rather than quote them exactly, we use reported (indirect) speech. Master it and you can tell any story about what other people said.
Rewrite each quotation as reported speech. Write only the missing words in the gap.
1. "The cloth is invisible to fools." → The swindlers said that the cloth invisible to fools.
2. "I can see nothing." → The old minister would not admit that he nothing.
3. "We have finished the clothes." → The swindlers announced that they the clothes.
1. was (present simple → past simple)
2. could see (can → could)
3. had finished (present perfect → past perfect)
Complete each sentence with the correct form of say or tell.
1. The minister the emperor that the pattern was exquisite.
2. Every courtier that the robes were magnificent.
3. The child's father tried to him to be quiet.
1. told (tell + person object: "told the emperor")
2. said (say + that, no person object)
3. tell (tell + him: person object)
Turn the quoted words into reported speech. Fill each gap with the correct backshifted verb (the original is in brackets). Read it aloud when you're done.
The swindlers claimed that the cloth (is) the finest ever made. Each official reported that he (have seen) a beautiful pattern. Then a child cried out that the emperor (has) nothing on, and the father asked whether the crowd (can hear) what the boy had said.
was · had seen · had · could hear
Notice the backshift: is → was, have seen → had seen, has → had, can → could.
Hold on to reported speech — you'll need it in the Speak tab, where you retell what the swindlers, the officials and the child all said.
Andersen published this tale in 1837, and almost two centuries later its title has become a phrase people use everywhere — in politics, business and everyday life — whenever an obvious truth goes unspoken because no one dares be the first to say it.
This is the heart of the lesson — do all of it out loud. The timer is there to keep you going: fill the time with detail rather than rushing through it.
Tell the story of The Emperor's New Clothes in your own words, as if to someone who has never heard it. Move through the arc: the vain emperor → the two swindlers and their "magic" cloth → the officials who dare not admit they see nothing → the grand procession → the child who cries out the truth.
Lean hard on reported speech: what the swindlers claimed, what each official reported, what the emperor declared, what the child said. Work in at least five key words (swindlers, vain, loom, property, pretend, flatter, procession, contradict, delusion, shatter).
Imagine you are an official at that court, and you see nothing on the looms while everyone around you praises the cloth. Would you have said what you saw, or kept quiet? Build an argument for what you would really have done, and be honest about why — the cost of speaking up, the safety of the crowd.
The phrase now describes any situation everyone can see but no one will name. Describe a modern example and explain who plays which role — the swindlers, the fearful officials, the child who finally speaks.
Prefer not to make it personal? Pick one of these and run with it: