Great Expectations

Pip was an orphan who lived with his sister and her husband in Kent. He met an escaped prisoner and helped him. When the prisoner was caught, he didn’t tell the police about Pip.

Pip’s uncle took Pip to Satis House where he met Miss Havisham and a beautiful girl called Estella. Pip fell in love with Estella and dreamt of becoming a rich man so he could marry her. But Miss Havisham didn’t want Pip to be a gentleman; she wanted him to work as a blacksmith, like his brother-in-law, Joe.

Pip hated being a blacksmith. He also hated Orlick, Joe’s labourer. Pip still wanted to be a gentleman so he got his Biddy, the girl from the village shop, to help him learn. But his sister was attacked and was left unable to speak or move very well. Pip thought that Orlick was the one that had attacked his sister, but he couldn’t prove it.

A lawyer called Jaggers then came to find Pip. Someone had left Pip a lot of money and he had to go to London to become a gentleman. Pip thought that Miss Havisham had given him the money so that he could marry Estella.

Will Pip learn to be a gentleman and be a better person or will he continue to make his own life more difficult for himself?

Foxton Readers are a series of carefully graded books aimed at ESL / EAL learners of beginner to advanced levels. They are based on a comprehensive grammar and vocabulary framework to match each ability level and to ensure each learner progresses. They are not only suitable for ESL / EAL learners but can also be used with native speakers of primary and secondary school age.