The Great Stink of London

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The Great Stink of London

Warm-up

Have you ever smelled something really bad? (Yes, it was...)

Vocabulary Match

dumping •• waste
terrible •• throwing
worried •• bad
population •• scared
sewage •• people
success •• win

Vocabulary Answers

dumpingthrowing
terriblebad
worriedscared
populationpeople
sewagewaste
successwin

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In the 1800s, London had a big problem with waste. The River Thames was used as a ________ ground, and the city smelled very bad. In 1858, the smell became so ________ that it was called "The Great Stink." People were ________ about their health, so the government decided to fix the problem.

Sir Joseph Bazalgette was in charge of building a new ________ system. He created a series of sewers to carry waste away from the city. This helped clean the river and made London a healthier place to live.

Even though it was expensive, the project was a ________. Today, London is building a bigger sewer because the ________ has grown so much. This new system will help keep the Thames clean for the future.

In the 1800s, London had a big problem with waste. The River Thames was used as a dumping ground, and the city smelled very bad. In 1858, the smell became so terrible that it was called "The Great Stink." People were worried about their health, so the government decided to fix the problem.

Sir Joseph Bazalgette was in charge of building a new sewage system. He created a series of sewers to carry waste away from the city. This helped clean the river and made London a healthier place to live.

Even though it was expensive, the project was a success. Today, London is building a bigger sewer because the population has grown so much. This new system will help keep the Thames clean for the future.

Quiz

  1. What was the River Thames used as in the 1800s?
  2. What was the bad smell in London called in 1858?
  3. Who was in charge of building the new sewage system?
  4. Why is London building a bigger sewer today?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. A dumping ground.
  2. The Great Stink.
  3. Sir Joseph Bazalgette.
  4. Because the population has grown so much.

True or False

  1. The Great Drink happened in 1858. T F
  2. Sir Joseph Bazalgette helped clean the River Thames. T F
  3. The new sewage system was cheap to build. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. False

Conversation

A:Sir Bazalgette, the city smells awful!
B:I know, we need a plan to fix it.
A:Can you really build a new sewage system?
B:Yes, it will be big and expensive, but worth it.
A:I hope it works, the smell is unbearable.
B:Don't worry, London will be a cleaner place soon!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever been to a city with a bad smell?
  2. What do you do when you smell something bad?
  3. Do you think it's important to keep rivers clean?
  4. Would you like to work on a big project like Sir Bazalgette?
  5. What do you think London smells like today?

Further Reading

https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/archive/collections/photographs/the-great-stink/

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