🧛 Dracula – Chapter 3: Jonathan’s Secret Plan

Jonathan Harker’s Journal – May 15th

Each day in Castle Dracula feels longer and colder. The Count speaks politely but keeps me locked inside. I try to stay calm, but I know—I am a prisoner.

The Count asks me to write letters to my fiancée Mina and my employer in England. But he gives me the words to write.

He watches while I write.

The letters say I will leave the castle soon. But it’s not true.

I feel like I’m in a trap.

May 16th

I’ve begun to explore every corner of the castle. I search for ways to escape.

This morning, I found a small window in an unused room. I climbed up and looked out. Below me is a steep cliff. If I jump, I’ll die. If I stay, I’ll die slowly.

I must find another way.

May 18th

Today I discovered the Count’s bedroom. It was hidden behind a heavy door.

Inside was a large coffin. It was filled with earth—and in it lay the Count, asleep.

He was not breathing.

He looked dead.

But I knew better.

I picked up a shovel, ready to attack… but I couldn’t do it. I was frozen with fear.

I ran back to my room.

May 20th

I’ve decided. I must try to escape, even if it means climbing down the castle wall.

I’ve made a rope from torn sheets. Tomorrow, I’ll try to use it.

If I don’t write again, it means I have failed.

Please, God—let me survive.

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📖 Glossary

Word / Phrase	Meaning
Fiancée	The woman someone is engaged to marry
Employer	A person or company you work for
Trap	A dangerous situation that is hard to escape
Coffin	A box in which a dead person is placed
Frozen with fear	Too scared to move or act

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❓ Comprehension Questions

1. What does Count Dracula make Jonathan do with the letters?

2. Why are the letters dishonest?

3. What dangerous place does Jonathan find?

4. What does he discover in the hidden room?

5. What is inside the coffin?

6. Why doesn’t Jonathan attack Dracula?

7. What escape plan does Jonathan prepare?

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✅ Answers

1. He makes him write them while watching and gives him the words to use.

2. They say Jonathan will leave soon, which is not true.

3. A window overlooking a steep cliff.

4. Dracula’s secret bedroom.

5. Dracula lies inside, sleeping in a coffin filled with earth.

6. He is frozen with fear.

7. To climb down the wall using a rope made from sheets.

 

✦ IELTS Topic: Weather – 10 Useful Phrases

1. Bitterly cold
   e.g., It was bitterly cold last night — well below freezing.

2. Scorching hot
   e.g., It gets scorching hot here in August — almost unbearable.

3. Mild and pleasant
   e.g., Spring is usually mild and pleasant in this part of the country.

4. Pouring with rain
   e.g., We couldn’t go outside because it was pouring with rain.

5. Overcast skies
   e.g., The whole day was gloomy with overcast skies.

6. A light breeze
   e.g., A light breeze made the walk more enjoyable despite the heat.

7. Thunderstorm rolling in
   e.g., We stayed indoors as a thunderstorm was rolling in.

8. Changeable weather
   e.g., The weather in the mountains is very changeable — sunny one minute, raining the next.

9. Freezing fog
   e.g., Driving was dangerous this morning because of freezing fog.

10. A spell of sunshine
    e.g., After days of rain, we finally had a spell of sunshine.

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✦ IELTS Speaking Practice Test – Weather

Part 1: Introduction & Interview

1. What’s the weather like where you live?

2. Do you prefer hot or cold weather?

3. What do you usually do on rainy days?

4. How does weather affect your mood?

5. Have you ever experienced extreme weather?

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Part 2: Cue Card

Describe a time when the weather affected your plans.
You should say:

• what the weather was like

• what your plans were

• what you did instead
  and explain how you felt about it.

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✦ Sample Answers Using the Phrases

Part 1 Answers

1. It’s usually mild and pleasant, though we do get some overcast skies in winter.
2. I prefer warm weather, but not when it’s scorching hot.
3. On rainy days — especially when it’s pouring with rain — I like to stay indoors and read.
4. Weather definitely affects my mood. A spell of sunshine lifts my spirits.
5. Yes, once I got stuck in a thunderstorm while hiking. It was scary!

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Part 2 Sample Answer

Last autumn, my friends and I planned to have a picnic in the park. The forecast said it would be mild and pleasant, but just as we arrived, it started pouring with rain.

Within minutes, the sky turned dark and overcast, and we could see a thunderstorm rolling in from the west. It wasn’t safe to stay outside, so we packed up and went to a café instead.

Although we were disappointed, we made the best of it. I remember saying how changeable the weather can be in our city — you never know what to expect.

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✦ Comprehension Test: Weather Vocabulary

1. "It was bitterly cold last night — well below freezing."
Q: How cold was it?

2. "It gets scorching hot here in August — almost unbearable."
Q: What is the summer like?

3. "Spring is usually mild and pleasant in this part of the country."
Q: How is spring described?

4. "We couldn’t go outside because it was pouring with rain."
Q: Why did they stay indoors?

5. "The whole day was gloomy with overcast skies."
Q: What was the sky like?

6. "A light breeze made the walk more enjoyable despite the heat."
Q: What helped make the walk better?

7. "We stayed indoors as a thunderstorm was rolling in."
Q: Why did they avoid going out?

8. "The weather in the mountains is very changeable — sunny one minute, raining the next."
Q: What’s the weather like in the mountains?

9. "Driving was dangerous this morning because of freezing fog."
Q: What made driving dangerous?

10. "After days of rain, we finally had a spell of sunshine."
Q: What happened after several rainy days?

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✦ Answer Key

1. Extremely cold, below zero.

2. Very hot and uncomfortable.

3. Nice and comfortable.

4. Because of heavy rain.

5. Cloudy and grey.

6. A soft wind cooled things down.

7. Because of the approaching storm.

8. It changes quickly and unexpectedly.

9. The fog was icy and thick.

10. The sun came out for a while.

 

🧛 Dracula – Chapter 2: Strange Days in the Castle

Jonathan Harker’s Journal – May 5th
I spent my first full day in Castle Dracula, and already I feel like a prisoner.

The Count is kind and well-mannered. He speaks perfect English, though with a strange accent. We talk about business—he wants to buy a house in London—but something about him makes me nervous.

He never eats with me. In fact, I never see him eat or drink anything.

He only appears at night, never in the daylight.

Today, I woke early and explored the castle. The doors are locked. Every exit is barred. I can walk the halls and rooms—but I cannot leave.

The Count warned me, “Don’t sleep in any room except your own.”
Why would he say that?

May 7th
I noticed something odd. There are no mirrors in the castle.

I used a small mirror from my shaving kit. As I leaned over the sink, I saw my face—but not the Count’s. He stood directly behind me, but he had no reflection.

Startled, I turned around. He reached out and grabbed the mirror, throwing it to the ground.

“A broken mirror is bad luck,” he said calmly. But I saw anger in his eyes.

What kind of man casts no reflection?

Later, I noticed that his hands are covered in hair, and his nails are sharp—more like claws than fingers.

I’m beginning to fear him.

May 10th
Today, I looked out the window and saw something terrible. The Count was crawling down the wall of the castle, headfirst, like a spider.

No human could move like that.

I tried the doors again. Still locked. Still no way out.

I am trapped.

May 12th
At night, I hear strange noises. Whispers. Scratching sounds in the walls.

One night, I couldn’t sleep and wandered into another room—disobeying the Count’s warning.

I found a beautiful, empty bedroom. I lay on the bed and closed my eyes.

Then I heard a soft laugh.

Three women were standing at the end of the bed—pale, with red lips and glowing eyes.

One whispered, “He’s young and warm. Shall we kiss him?”

I couldn’t move. My body was frozen with fear.

As they leaned closer, I felt their cold breath on my neck.

Suddenly, the Count appeared. He was furious. “He belongs to me!” he shouted.

The women hissed and disappeared into the darkness.

The Count looked down at me. “You should not have left your room,” he said.

I’m certain now—he is not human.

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📖 Glossary

Word / Phrase	Meaning
Prisoner	Someone who cannot leave a place
Barred	Locked with metal bars
Reflection	The image seen in a mirror
Shaving kit	Small set of tools used for shaving
Claws	Sharp nails, like those of an animal
Hissed	Made a sharp "sss" sound, like a snake

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❓ Comprehension Questions

1. What makes Jonathan feel like a prisoner?

2. What strange things does he notice about the Count?

3. What happens with the mirror?

4. How does the Count move down the castle wall?

5. Who are the three women Jonathan sees?

6. How does the Count react when he finds them with Jonathan?

7. What is Jonathan now sure about?

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✅ Answers

1. All the doors are locked, and he cannot leave the castle.

2. The Count has no reflection, doesn’t eat, only appears at night, and crawls like a spider.

3. Jonathan sees no reflection of the Count; the Count becomes angry and breaks the mirror.

4. He crawls headfirst like a spider.

5. Three strange, vampire-like women.

6. He becomes angry and says Jonathan “belongs to him.”

7. That Count Dracula is not human