‘I told someofyoulastThursdayoftheprinciplesoftheTimeMachine,andshowed
youtheactualthingitself,incompleteintheworkshop.Thereitisnow,alittle
travel-worn,truly;andoneoftheivorybarsiscracked,andabrassrailbent;butthe
restofit’ssoundenough.IexpectedtofinishitonFriday,butonFriday,whenthe
puttingtogetherwasnearlydone,Ifoundthatoneofthenickelbarswasexactly
oneinchtooshort,andthisIhadtogetremade;sothatthethingwasnotcomplete
untilthismorning.Itwasatteno’clockto-daythatthefirstofallTimeMachines
beganitscareer.Igaveitalasttap,triedallthescrewsagain,putonemoredropof
oilonthequartzrod,andsatmyselfinthesaddle.Isupposeasuicidewhoholdsa
pistoltohisskullfeelsmuchthesamewonderatwhatwillcomenextasIfeltthen.
Itookthestartingleverinonehandandthestoppingoneintheother,pressedthe
first,andalmostimmediatelythesecond.Iseemedtoreel;Ifeltanightmare
sensationoffalling;and,lookinground,Isawthelaboratoryexactlyasbefore.Had
anythinghappened?ForamomentIsuspectedthatmyintellecthadtrickedme.
ThenInotedtheclock.Amomentbefore,asitseemed,ithadstoodataminuteor
sopastten;nowitwasnearlyhalf-pastthree!
‘Idrewabreath,setmyteeth,grippedthestartingleverwithbothhands,and
wentoffwithathud.Thelaboratorygothazyandwentdark.Mrs.Watchettcamein
andwalked,apparentlywithoutseeingme,towardsthegardendoor.Isupposeit
tookheraminuteorsototraversetheplace,buttomesheseemedtoshoot
acrosstheroomlikearocket.Ipressedtheleverovertoitsextremeposition.The
nightcameliketheturningoutofalamp,andinanothermomentcameto-morrow.
Thelaboratorygrewfaintandhazy,thenfainterandeverfainter.To-morrownight
cameblack,thendayagain,nightagain,dayagain,fasterandfasterstill.Aneddying
murmurfilledmyears,andastrange,dumbconfusednessdescendedonmymind.
ExtractfromTheTimeMachinebyHGWells
TheTimeMachine
www.literacyshedplus.com
TheTimeMachine1.Identifytwothingsthathavebecome‘travelworn.’
2.Howwasthemanfeelingashesatinthesaddle?Refertothetextinyouranswer.
3.Summarisetheeventsintheopeningparagraph.Answerthesequestionsinyoursummary.Whereistheman?Whatishetryingtodo?Howishetryingtodoit?
1.
2.
TheTimeMachine4.Explainhowthescientistknewthathehadactuallytravelledintimeforthefirsttime?
6.Basedonthelastfewlineswhatdoyouthinkishappening?Predictwhatdoyouthinkisgoingtohappennext?
Extension:Ifyouhadatimemachineandyoucouldgoforwardsorbackwardsintime,whenwouldyoutraveltoandwhy?
5.Underlineaphraseinparagraph2whichshowsthatdarknesscamequickly.
