Story
The New Neighbour
Language focus: Present simple; greetings and introductions; basic adjectives (new, friendly, happy)
Before you read
- Do you know your neighbours?
- Do you say hello to new people?
- Do you like meeting people?
The story A1
A new neighbour arrives.
Lina sees her.
She says hello.
They talk.
They smile.
Key words
new
adjective
recently arrived or not known before
"A new neighbour arrives in the building."
introduce
verb
to tell someone your name for the first time
"Lina introduces herself."
welcome
verb
to greet someone in a friendly way when they arrive
"She welcomes her new neighbour."
Comprehension
- 1 Who arrives?
- 2 What does Lina do?
- 3 What do they do together?
Discussion
- 1 Would you speak to a new neighbour?
Personal reflection
- 1 Have you ever been new somewhere? How did it feel?
Activities
- Practise introducing yourself to a partner
- Draw your neighbourhood
- Talk about meeting new people
Writing task
Write 3 sentences: 'A new person arrives. I say ___. We ___.'
Language focus: Past simple; conversation openers and small talk; adjectives for describing people (friendly, shy, welcoming)
Before you read
- How do you meet new people?
- Is it easy to talk to strangers?
- What do you say when you first meet someone?
The story A2
A new woman moved into Lina's building last week.
Lina saw her in the corridor and decided to introduce herself.
They shook hands and started talking.
They discovered they both liked cooking and reading.
They exchanged numbers and agreed to meet for coffee soon.
Key words
corridor
noun
a long passage inside a building
"Lina saw her in the corridor."
introduced herself
verb phrase
told someone her name for the first time
"Lina introduced herself with a smile."
exchanged
verb
gave each other something at the same time
"They exchanged numbers before saying goodbye."
Comprehension
- 1 Where did Lina see her new neighbour?
- 2 What did they have in common?
- 3 What did they agree to do?
Discussion
- 1 Why do people sometimes not speak to new neighbours?
Personal reflection
- 1 Have you made a friend in an unexpected way?
Activities
- Role play introducing yourself to a new classmate
- Write about a time you met someone unexpected
- Discuss: what makes meeting new people easy or hard?
Writing task
Write a paragraph about meeting someone new. What happened? Did you become friends?
Language focus: Past simple and continuous; narrative detail; expressing initial hesitation and growing connection; informal dialogue features
Before you read
- Is it easy to make connections with new people as an adult?
- What does it mean to welcome someone into a community?
- Have you ever been the new person? What did you need?
The story B1
Lina had seen the woman twice in the corridor before she said anything — once when she was clearly in a hurry, once when she was carrying boxes that made conversation impractical. The third time, they were both waiting for the lift and there was nothing else to do.
'You just moved in, didn't you?' Lina said. The woman nodded. She had a slightly cautious manner, which Lina recognised as the reasonable posture of someone new to a place — not unfriendly, just careful.
They introduced themselves — her name was Rose — and talked for the few minutes the lift required, then a few minutes more in the corridor outside. Rose had moved from a different part of the country and did not know anyone in the city. She said this matter-of-factly but Lina, who had once been in the same position, heard something under it.
She invited Rose for tea that weekend. Rose accepted, slightly formally, as people do when they are not sure they should be pleased. By the end of the afternoon they had talked enough to feel genuinely comfortable with each other — something that usually took much longer, in Lina's experience, and occasionally never happened at all.
'It's nice,' Rose said at the door, as she was leaving. 'Having someone to talk to.' She seemed slightly surprised to be saying it. Lina was too, now she thought about it. Three weeks ago, she had not known Rose existed.
Key words
cautious
adjective
careful to avoid risk; not doing things too quickly
"She had a slightly cautious manner."
posture
noun
a way of holding yourself; here used figuratively to mean an attitude
"The reasonable posture of someone new to a place."
matter-of-factly
adverb
in a calm, practical way without showing emotion
"She said this matter-of-factly."
genuinely
adverb
in a real and sincere way
"They felt genuinely comfortable together."
Comprehension
- 1 Why had Lina not spoken to Rose on the first two occasions?
- 2 Why did Lina recognise Rose's 'cautious manner'?
- 3 What does Rose seem surprised by at the end?
Discussion
- 1 What makes it harder to make connections as an adult compared to as a child?
Personal reflection
- 1 Have you ever been somewhere new and had to build connections from scratch? What helped?
Activities
- Discuss: does your community welcome newcomers well?
- Write a 'welcome guide' for someone new to your area
- Debate: we have a responsibility to reach out to people who are new
Writing task
Write a short paragraph: What do people need most when they are new to a place? What can existing community members do to help?
Language focus: Subtle psychological observation; understatement; developing relationships in compressed time; abstract concepts (belonging, vulnerability, reciprocity); narrative economy
Before you read
- What does it mean to belong somewhere, and how long does it take?
- Why is vulnerability — not knowing anyone, being new — often hidden rather than shared?
- What is the difference between being welcomed and feeling welcome?
The story B2
Lina had not planned to knock. She had noticed the woman — who she knew only as the person in 4B — on three separate occasions over a fortnight: once struggling with bags, once at the post box, once in the lift where they had managed the standard urban exchange of acknowledgements that are not quite words. On the fourth occasion, something had made her stop.
She knocked with a pot of something she had cooked, which is to say she created a reason to knock, which is the honest version of what happened. The woman — her name was Rose — opened the door with the expression of someone who had been expecting something else, or possibly no one at all.
They talked on the doorstep, and then inside, and it became clear fairly quickly that Rose was more alone here than she had intended to be. She had moved for a job that had not yet provided the social structure she had assumed it would. She said this with the restraint of someone who understood that it was a problem she was supposed to be solving herself.
Lina recognised it: the careful way of admitting difficulty without quite asking for anything. She had done it herself, in a different city, years ago. She invited Rose to dinner the following week, and when Rose accepted with more gratitude than the invitation probably warranted, Lina felt the weight of how much that single act of inclusion could mean.
They became friends — not quickly, not easily, but solidly, the way friendships form between adults who have stopped expecting it to happen naturally. Rose told her later that the knock on the door had changed things for her. Lina believed it, and found herself wondering why she had waited four occasions to do it, and what it would have cost her to have done it on the first.
Key words
restraint
noun
the quality of controlling yourself and not showing your feelings too openly
"She spoke with the restraint of someone not wanting to ask for help."
inclusion
noun
the act of involving someone and making them feel part of a group
"A single act of inclusion can mean a great deal."
fortnightly
adverb
happening every two weeks
"She had seen her three times over a fortnight."
warranted
adjective
deserved or justified by the situation
"She accepted with more gratitude than the invitation warranted."
Comprehension
- 1 What does 'she created a reason to knock' tell us about Lina's motivations?
- 2 What does the phrase 'a problem she was supposed to be solving herself' reveal about Rose's situation?
- 3 What does Lina wonder at the very end, and what does it suggest?
Discussion
- 1 The story implies that we often wait too long to do small things that could make a significant difference. Why do you think this is?
Personal reflection
- 1 Has there been a moment in your own life when you wish you had reached out to someone sooner? What held you back?
Activities
- Discuss: what is the difference between being welcomed and feeling welcome?
- Write a scene from Rose's perspective — what was she thinking when Lina knocked?
- Debate: communities have a collective responsibility for the loneliness of their members
Writing task
Write an essay (200–250 words): 'We often underestimate the impact of small acts of inclusion.' Use the story and your own experience to explore this idea.