The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

One day, a wolf found a sheepskin. He thought that this would be an
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easy way of getting his prey, so he wrapped himself in it and crept into the
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middle of a flock of sheep. The wolf could then walk around and not be
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noticed and could carefully choose the finest young lamb for his lunch.
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At the same time, the shepherd was preparing for his own lunch. The
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shepherd moved into the middle of the flock and grabbed one of the sheep
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and killed it on the spot. He was very surprised to find that underneath the
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sheepskin was the wolf.


The moral of this story is this: The wicked often fall into their own traps. 10 11 12
VOCABULARY (words and idioms) Circle the meaning.

1. sheepskin n.
(a) a coat (b) a blanket
(c) the skin of a sheep with the wool still attached, used to make clothing and rugs

2. prey n.
(a) to say a prayer (b) before (c) an animal hunted or caught for food

3. creep crept v. past
(a) a cracker
(b) to run
(c) to move with the body close to the ground, as on hands and knees.

4. notice noticed v. past
(a) to observe through the senses
(b) to sing some notes
(c) not here

5. lamb n. (a) a young dog (b) a young cat (c) a young sheep

6. shepherd n.
(a) a person who keeps the sheep together in a flock
(b) a cowboy
(c) a big ship
(d)
7. grab grabbed v. past
(a) to eat
(b) to walk around
(c) to take hold of something quickly

8. on the spot an idiom (a) immediately (b) dirty (c) a stain
YOUR TURN: Write your own sentence using on the spot
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9. underneath prep. (a) over (b) under (c) on top of

10. moral n. (a) a song (b) a poem (c) a lesson of ethical or practical value

11. wicked adj. (a) evil (b) angry (c) happy

12. trap n. pl.
(a) a machine or device that springs shut suddenly, used for catching game or
other animals (b) a vacation (c) to fall down

13. The title of this story is THE WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING
clothing and clothes are synonyms. They have the same or similar meanings
PRONOUNCE “CLOTHES” just like “CLOSE” (as in CLOSE THE DOOR.)
clothing is used in a more general way:
For example:
What is appropriate clothing for school? For a party? For a baseball game?
clothes is used more often. Dirty clothing is a sign of a poor person.
For example: She wears nice clothes. I bought some new clothes.
YOUR TURN: You write a sentence using CLOTHES.
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GRAMMAR
1. Work with your partner and find . . .
TENSE
SUBJECTS and VERBS; PRESENT/PAST SINGULAR/PLURAL INFINITIVE
a. a wolf found √ to find
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.

2. YOUR TURN.
For each of the SIMPLE PAST TENSE VERBS in the story, write your own sentences.
a.
b.
d.
e.
j.
k.
l
m.

3. possibilities in the future use would or could with a base form
c. would be
f. could walk
g. could not be (past participle)
h. could choose
YOUR TURN.
Write your own sentences using would be, could walk, could not be (past participle) and could choose
1.
2.
3.
4.

PAST PARTICIPLES
examples
VERB Present past past participles
To find find/s found found
To go go/goes went gone
To eat eat/eats ate eaten
*To be am/is/are was/were been
To walk walk/walks walked walked
To choose choose/s chose chosen
To notice notice/s noticed noticed


*BE + a noun/nouns I’m a student. They are students.
*BE + adjective I’m happy.
*BE + ing (verb) We’re studying English.
*BE + prepositional phrase We’re in school now.
*[BE in the passive voice] The ball was thrown by the pitcher.


CONVERSATION
Please work with a partner AND talk about each answer. THEN write a complete sentence for your answer.

1. What animal found a sheepskin? _________________________________________________________________
2. What animals are the wolf’s prey?
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3. What did the clever wolf do in order to catch his prey?
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4. Who died in this story
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5. Why did the shepherd kill the wolf?
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6. What does the moral THE WICKED OFTEN FALL INTO THEIR OWN TRAPS mean? _____________________________________________________________________
7. What kind of person is “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”? (Do you know a person who is a wolf in sheep’s clothing?)

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