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

The Ransom of Red Chief

O. Henry — two men take a boy for money, and everything goes wrong.

Want the full version? Read this lesson at B2/C1 level →

Today: you'll read a very funny story about two men, one small boy, and a very bad plan — and you'll practise comparatives (bigger, worse, more difficult) to compare things.
Before you read — talk a little. Do you like funny stories? What makes a story funny? Have you ever seen a plan go wrong in a film? Say one or two sentences.

The words for today's story

Each word is in a sentence. Read it and guess the meaning, then click Reveal to check.

1. The two men had a plan to get rich quickly.
a plan (n) — an idea about how to do something.
2. To kidnap someone means to take a person and ask for money to give them back.
to kidnap (v) — to take a person away and ask for money for their return.
3. They asked the father for a ransom — the money to get his son back.
a ransom (n) — money you pay to get a person back.
4. The boy was not afraid. He thought it was a fun game.
a game (n) — a fun activity with rules that you play.
5. The boy was terrible — he hit the men and shouted all day.
terrible (adj) — very bad.
6. After one night, Bill was very tired and wanted to sleep.
tired (adj) — needing rest or sleep.
7. Bill was afraid of the boy, so he did not sleep well.
afraid (adj) — feeling fear; frightened.
8. At the end, the men wanted to escape from the boy and run away.
to escape (v) — to get away from a place or person.
9. The father made an offer: he would take the boy back for money.
an offer (n) — when you say what you will give or do.
10. In the end, the men had to pay money — not get it!
to pay (v) — to give money for something.

Now use them

Talk before you read:
  • Use plan, kidnap and terrible: what do you think happens in this story?
  • The story is a comedy. How can a kidnapping be funny? Guess what goes wrong.

The story, in three parts

Read each part. Then answer the quick questions (try from memory first), and talk about one thing.

Part 1 — A bad plan

Two men, Sam and Bill, needed money. They had a bad idea. "Let's take a rich man's son," said Bill. "Then his father will pay us to get him back." They chose a boy called Johnny, the son of an important man in the town.

But the plan went wrong at once. When they took Johnny, the boy was happy! He thought it was a game. He called himself "Red Chief" and played all day. He shouted, he ran, and he did not want to go home.

Quick check — answer, then reveal:

1. What was the men's plan?

2. How did the boy feel about the kidnapping?

1. To take a rich man's son and ask the father for money to give him back.

2. He was happy — he thought it was a fun game and did not want to go home.

Discuss:
  • The boy is not afraid at all. Why is that funny? Who has the power now — the men or the boy?

Part 2 — The terrible boy

The boy was terrible. At night, he sat on Bill and tried to cut his hair. In the morning, he put a hot potato down Bill's back. He threw a rock and hit Bill on the head. Poor Bill was very tired and very afraid.

The men wrote a letter to Johnny's father. They asked for money — a ransom. But the boy was so difficult that they made the price smaller and smaller. "No one will pay a lot of money for this boy!" said Bill.

Quick check — answer, then reveal:

1. What are two bad things the boy did to Bill?

2. Why did the men ask for less money?

1. Any two: he tried to cut Bill's hair, put a hot potato down his back, hit him with a rock.

2. The boy was so terrible that they thought no one would pay a lot of money for him.

Discuss:
  • The "victim" is happy and the criminals are suffering. Why does this make the story funnier?

Part 3 — The father's answer

The father wrote back. But his letter was a big surprise. "I will take my son back," he wrote, "but you must pay ME two hundred and fifty dollars! Bring him at night."

The men could not believe it. They had to pay to give the boy back! But one more day with the boy was too much. So they paid the father and left the boy at home. The father held Johnny for ten minutes so the men could run away. And Bill ran faster than he had ever run in his life!

Quick check — answer, then reveal:

1. What did the father ask for in his letter?

2. How does the story end for Sam and Bill?

1. He said he would take his son back only if the men paid HIM two hundred and fifty dollars.

2. They paid the father, gave the boy back, and ran away as fast as they could.

Discuss:
  • The father stays calm and wins without fighting. What does the story say about staying calm?

Grammar — Comparatives

We use comparatives to compare two things: the boy got worse, the men got more tired, Bill ran faster. This story is all about things getting bigger and worse — so it is perfect for practice.

The rules:
• Short words: add -er → small → smaller, fast → faster, big → bigger (double the last letter).
• Long words: use more → difficult → more difficult, tired → more tired.
• Irregular: good → better, bad → worse.
• We often add than: "The boy was worse than a wild animal."

1. Make the comparative

1. big →

2. difficult →

3. bad →

4. fast →

1. bigger · 2. more difficult · 3. worse · 4. faster

2. Complete the sentence about the story

Use the comparative of the word in brackets.

1. Every day, the boy became (bad).

2. The boy was much than the men expected. (difficult)

3. At the end, Bill ran than ever before. (fast)

4. Giving the boy back was than keeping him. (good)

1. worse · 2. more difficult · 3. faster · 4. better

3. Complete the paragraph

The plan looked easy, but it became (hard) every hour. The boy was (loud) than a storm, and Bill was (tired) than he had ever been. In the end, running away was (good) than any money.

harder · louder · more tired · better

Use these in the Speak tab to compare the boy, the men and the father.

Going deeper — talk more

Talk about these questions out loud. There are no wrong answers — just say what you think.

Useful language: "I think…", "It's funny because…", "In the film…", "The best plan is…".
1 · Plans that go wrong

In this story, an easy plan becomes a disaster. Do you know a story or a film where a plan goes very wrong? Tell it simply. Why do we enjoy watching plans fail?

2 · Bad at their job

The two "criminals" are very bad at their job. Why do we like funny, silly criminals in films (like in Home Alone)? Are they scary or funny? Why?

3 · Children and adults

A ten-year-old boy beats two grown men. What can children do that surprises adults? Think of examples from school, sport or films.

Speak

This is the most important part. Say everything out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.

Useful language: compare with worse, funnier, more difficult, faster, and use today's words: plan, kidnap, ransom, terrible, escape, offer, pay.
Time remaining: 4:00
Task A · Tell the story (4 minutes)

Tell the story in your own words: the bad plan → the terrible boy → the father's surprising letter → the men run away. Use at least five key words and two comparatives.

Task B · Compare the three (4 minutes)

Compare the boy, Sam and Bill, and the father. Who is the funniest? Who is the cleverest? Who has the worst day? Use comparatives ("The father is cleverer than…").

Task C · A funny plan (4 minutes)

Invent or describe a funny plan that goes wrong — from a film, a book, or your imagination. Make sure it ends worse than it started!

To finish — bigger questions

  1. Why do people enjoy a good "twist" — an ending you do not expect?
  2. No one is punished in this story. Is that a problem, or is it part of the joke?
  3. The father wins by staying calm. Is being calm a kind of power?
  4. Before you go: say three comparative sentences about the story.