SHORT STORIES, LONG SHADOWS · A2/B1 · 50 min

The Emperor's New Clothes

A famous story by Hans Christian Andersen — about a proud king, two cheats, and one honest child.

Want the fuller version? Read this story at B2/C1 level →

Today: tell the famous story of a proud emperor, two cheats, and a cloth that is not really there. Talk about honesty, fear and telling the truth. Grammar: say and tell, and the past simple.
Warm up — talk first. Say your answers out loud with your teacher.
Talk about it:
  • Have you ever said "yes, I like it" when you did not really like it? Why?
  • Why is it sometimes hard to say "I don't understand" in a group?
  • Who says the truth more easily — a child or an adult? Why do you think so?

Now — the words for today's story

These are the new words for this story. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.

Words

  1. an emperor
  2. proud
  3. a cheat
  4. cloth
  5. invisible
  6. to pretend
  7. a crowd
  8. the truth

Meanings

  • A. material you make clothes from
  • B. a person who tricks other people to get money
  • C. a very important king who rules many lands
  • D. impossible to see
  • E. to act as if something is true when it is not
  • F. thinking you are very good, or too pleased with yourself
  • G. the real facts; what is true
  • H. a big group of people together

1 = C (an emperor) · 2 = F (proud) · 3 = B (a cheat) · 4 = A (cloth)

5 = D (invisible) · 6 = E (to pretend) · 7 = H (a crowd) · 8 = G (the truth)

Now talk — out loud

Before we read:
  • Which words are about a king? Which words are about tricking people?
  • Use three of the words to guess: what do you think happens in this story?

The story, in three parts

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

Part 1 — A proud emperor and two cheats

Long ago there was an emperor who loved beautiful new clothes more than anything. He spent all his money on clothes. He had a different coat for every hour of the day. He was very proud, and he loved to look at himself in the mirror.

One day two cheats came to the city. They said they were the best weavers in the world. They said they could make a very special cloth. This cloth had a magic secret: only clever people could see it. Stupid people, and people who were bad at their job, saw nothing. The emperor was very happy. "With this cloth," he thought, "I can see which of my men are clever and which are stupid."

The emperor gave the two cheats a lot of gold and silk. He told them to start at once. But the two cheats did not make any cloth. They put up two empty machines and only pretended to work. They asked for more gold and more silk, and they kept it for themselves.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. What did the emperor love more than anything?

2. What was the "magic secret" of the special cloth?

1. Beautiful new clothes. He spent all his money on clothes and loved to look at himself.

2. Only clever people could see the cloth. Stupid people, or people bad at their job, saw nothing.

Talk about it:
  • The cheats used the emperor's fear of looking stupid. Why is it easy to trick a proud person?

Part 2 — Nobody wants to look stupid

After some days, the emperor wanted to see the cloth. But he was a little afraid. "What if I see nothing?" he thought. So he sent his oldest, most honest minister first. The old man went in and looked. The machines were empty! He saw nothing at all.

But the minister did not say the truth. "Oh no," he thought. "If I see nothing, people will think I am stupid, or bad at my job." So he pretended. He looked at the empty air and said, "Oh, how beautiful! What lovely colours!" Then he told the emperor that the cloth was wonderful. The emperor sent more men, and every man did the same thing. They all saw nothing, but they were all afraid, so they all said it was beautiful.

At last the emperor went to look himself. He saw nothing — only empty machines. He was afraid, but he did not want to look stupid in front of everyone. So he said, "Yes, it is very beautiful!" All his men said the same. Nobody said the truth. Nobody could see any cloth at all.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. Why did the old minister say the cloth was beautiful?

2. What did the emperor say when he saw the empty machines?

1. He saw nothing, but he was afraid people would think he was stupid or bad at his job. So he pretended and said it was beautiful.

2. He saw nothing too, but he did not want to look stupid, so he said, "Yes, it is very beautiful!"

Talk about it:
  • Everyone said the same thing because they were afraid. How does a lie get bigger when many people say it?

Part 3 — The child who told the truth

The two cheats said the clothes were ready. They pretended to put the new clothes on the emperor. They took off his real clothes and moved their hands in the air. The emperor turned around in front of the mirror. Everyone said, "Oh, how beautiful! It fits so well!" Two servants pretended to hold a long piece of cloth behind him. Then the emperor walked out into the street for everyone to see.

All the people in the street knew the story: only stupid people could not see the cloth. So everyone said, "How beautiful! What lovely new clothes!" Nobody wanted to look stupid. Nobody said the truth. But the emperor was really wearing nothing at all.

Then a small child in the crowd said, in a clear little voice, "But he has nothing on!" The father tried to stop him, but the words moved through the crowd. "A little child says he has nothing on!" people said to each other. Soon everyone was saying it. The emperor felt cold, because he knew it was true. But he thought, "I must finish the walk," and he walked on, prouder than ever, while his servants carried a piece of cloth that was not there.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. Why did the people in the street say the clothes were beautiful?

2. Who told the truth, and what did that person say?

1. They knew only stupid people could not see the cloth. Nobody wanted to look stupid, so everyone said it was beautiful.

2. A small child. The child said, "But he has nothing on!" — and then everyone started saying it too.

Talk about it:
  • The child was not clever or brave — just honest. Why can a child say the truth more easily than the adults?

Grammar: say / tell + past simple

This story is all about what people said and told. Two small words are easy to mix up: say and tell. And because the story happened in the past, we use the past simple.

say = we do NOT need a person after it.
He said that the cloth was beautiful. · She said "hello".
Past simple of say = said.
tell = we DO need a person after it (tell + someone).
He told the emperor that the cloth was beautiful. · She told me a story.
Past simple of tell = told.
Remember:
• tell + a person → "He told the king…"
• say → no person → "He said that…" (not "he said me")

1. say or tell?

Write said or told in each gap.

1. The cheats that they were the best weavers.

2. The minister the emperor that the cloth was beautiful.

3. The child "But he has nothing on!"

4. The father the child to be quiet.

1. said (no person after it)

2. told (+ the emperor: a person)

3. said (no person after it)

4. told (+ the child: a person)

2. Past simple — write the verb

Put the verb in brackets into the past simple. Then read the sentence out loud.

1. The emperor (love) beautiful clothes.

2. The two cheats (pretend) to work.

3. The old minister (see) nothing.

4. A small child (tell) the truth.

1. loved

2. pretended

3. saw (irregular: see → saw)

4. told (irregular: tell → told)

3. Tell a short part of the story

Fill each gap with said, told, or the past simple of the verb in brackets. Read it aloud when you finish.

The emperor (want) to see the cloth. The minister the emperor that it was beautiful, but really he (see) nothing. In the street, a child "But he has nothing on!"

wanted · told · saw · said

Use told + a person, and said with no person. The story is in the past, so use the past simple.

Going deeper

Hans Christian Andersen wrote this story a very long time ago, in 1837. People still tell it today, all over the world.

Why we still tell it. The story looks funny — a silly king with no clothes! But it is really about something we all know. Sometimes a whole group of people says something is true, and nobody says the truth, because everybody is afraid to be the only one. The child is special because he is not afraid. He does not have a big job to protect. He just says what he sees.
Talk it through:
  • The cheats said only stupid people could not see the cloth. Why was this a clever trick? How did it stop people from saying the truth?
  • The child told the truth because he was not afraid, not because he was clever. Is it easier to be honest when you have nothing to lose?
  • Think of a time when everybody said "yes", but you were not sure. What did you do?
  • At the end, the emperor knows the truth, but he keeps walking. Why do you think he does not stop? What would you do?

Speak

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

Useful language: use said (with no person) and told (+ a person) to say what people said: "The cheats said the cloth was magic." "The minister told the emperor it was beautiful." To give an opinion: "I think…", "In my opinion…", "For me…".
Time remaining: 3:00
Task A · Tell the story (3 minutes)

Tell the story of The Emperor's New Clothes in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a proud emperor who loves clothes → two cheats and a magic cloth → the men who are afraid to say the truth → the emperor walks in the street → a child says the truth.

Try to use said and told, the past simple, and some key words (emperor, proud, cheat, cloth, invisible, pretend, crowd, truth).

Task B · Saying the truth (3 minutes)

In the story, only a child says the truth. Is it good to always say the truth? Is it sometimes better to be quiet and polite? What do you think? Give reasons.

Task C · A story of your own (3 minutes)

Tell a short story — a time when someone said "yes" but did not really mean it, or a time someone told the truth in a group. Use said and told and the past simple.

Not sure what to talk about? Choose one:

  • A time everyone in a group agreed, but you were not sure.
  • A famous person who acts very proud — what do they do?
  • A time a child said something very honest and funny.
  • A "special" or "magic" thing that was really just a trick.
  • A time you did not want to look silly in front of other people.
  • A film or a story where someone is tricked. What happened?

To finish

  1. Why did nobody say the truth before the child? Was it their fault, or was it normal to be afraid?
  2. The emperor keeps walking, even when he knows the truth. Was that a good choice, or not?
  3. From memory: make one sentence with said and one with told. Why is each one right?