This past week I was touched by the dreadful yet amazing story of a house fire in Bushwick, Brooklyn. A man on the 3rd floor of one of the old wooden houses smelled smoke, so he went downstairs, where he found his disabled neighbor surrounded by thick smoke. He realized that there was a fire, so he put her on his back and carried her downstairs and out of the house. Her cat had also grabbed onto his pant leg, hung on for dear life, and rode out of the fire with them.
When the man got outside, he looked up to the 3rd floor, where his wife and son were standing by a window trying to breathe. The man knew he couldn't get back in, so he got down on his knees and prayed to God that his family would be rescued. The fire truck arrived just then and brought his family down.(Read the news story.)
was touched by -- had strong feelings
dreadful -- very bad and scary
disabled -- having a physical problem, such as having trouble walking
surrounded -- all around
grabbed -- held
for dear life -- tightly, with great effort (because he could die if he did not try hard)
rescued -- saved
Vocabulary Exercise
Please put the correct word in the space:
When I went swimming with a friend, I was pulled further out to sea by a _________ current (a strong movement of the water). Soon I was far from shore and ____________ by the sea. I felt powerless to move as if I were _________ . The lifeguards swam out to help me. They ________ my arms, and I held on ____________ so I would not drown. I was glad that they __________ me.
Grammar Point
The verbs in the story about the fire are in the past tense. Find them in the passage. Write them and then write the present tense form of each one.
Write a paragraph about a frightening time in your life. Remember to use the past tense.
