The Tell-Tale Heart
by Edgar Allan Poe
Feature Menu
Introducing the Selection
Literary Focus: Narrator and Irony
Reading Skills: Previewing
The Tell-Tale Heart
by Edgar Allan Poe
The Tell-Tale Heart
by Edgar Allan Poe
Every night at midnight
he creeps into the old man’s
room.
What will he do?
What did he do?
Can you trust him to tell you?
The Tell-Tale Heart
by Edgar Allan Poe
“True!—nervous—
very, very dreadfully
nervous I had been
and am; but why will
you say that I am
mad?”
[End of Section]
The Tell-Tale Heart
Literary Focus: Narrator and Irony
As you read “The Tell-Tale Heart,”
you will be asked to figure out if the
story’s narrator is reliable.
The narrator is the person who is
telling the story.
Sometimes the narrator cannot be
trusted to let us know what is
really going on.
?
The Tell-Tale Heart
Literary Focus: Narrator and Irony
As you read “The Tell-Tale Heart,” you will also be
asked to identify and appreciate irony in the story.
Irony can be described as the difference between
what you expect—or what the narrator tells you—
and what is real.
Listen to this excerpt
again. What example
of irony do you see
already in what the
narrator has told you?
The Tell-Tale Heart
Literary Focus: Narrator and Irony
There are three kinds of irony:
Verbal irony
We say just the opposite of
what we mean.
Situational irony What happens is different from
what we expect.
Dramatic irony
We know something a character
doesn’t know.
Verbal Irony
Verbal irony occurs when there is a contrast
between what is said or written and what is really
meant.
I’m so glad
that I brought the
sunscreen.
© 2003 clipart.com
In speech, a person’s tone of voice helps us
identify verbal irony.
Situational Irony
© 2003 clipart.com
Situational irony occurs when a situation turns
out to be the opposite of what we expect.
Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony occurs when the audience or
reader knows something that the characters do
not know.
© 2003 clipart.com
I’m picking up
speed now!
The Tell-Tale Heart
Reading Skills: Previewing
As you read “The Tell-Tale Heart,” practice the
strategy previewing.
Follow these steps to preview a story.
• Look at the story’s title. What does it suggest
about the story?
• Look at the illustrations. What do they tell you
about the story’s characters, setting, and
events?
• Guess what will happen in the story.
The Tell-Tale Heart
Reading Skills: Previewing
Follow these steps to preview “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
• Look at the illustrations. What do they tell you
about the story’s characters, setting, and
events?
The Tell-Tale Heart
Reading Skills: Previewing
Follow these steps to preview “The Tell-Tale
Heart.”
• What do you think will happen in “The Tell-Tale
Heart”?
[End of Section]
The Tell-Tale Heart
Make the Connection: Quickwrite
Make the Connection:
Quickwrite
The Tell-Tale Heart
Make the Connection: Quickwrite
Many people like a good scare now and then.
Conduct a class poll to come up with a list of your
top-ten terrors—choose details from scary TV
shows, movies, books, and events.
[End of Section]
The Tell-Tale Heart
Preview the Vocabulary
Vocabulary
The Tell-Tale Heart
Preview the Vocabulary
Some words in the story may be unfamiliar to you.
Get to know these words before starting the story.
acute adj.: sharp.
vexed v.: disturbed.
sagacity n.: intelligence and good judgement.
refrained v.: held back.
wary adj.: cautious.
The Tell-Tale Heart
Preview the Vocabulary
Some words in the story may be unfamiliar to you.
Get to know these words before starting the story.
suavity n.: smooth manner.
audacity n.: boldness.
vehemently adv.: forcefully.
gestculations n.: energetic gestures.
derision n.: ridicule.
The Tell-Tale Heart
Preview the Vocabulary
Replace each of the vocabulary words in orange
with an easier synonym. Use the picture as a hint.
1. Foxhounds have been bred to
possess an acute sense of
smell.
2. The man on the phone
seemed vexed by his
conversation.
The Tell-Tale Heart
Preview the Vocabulary
Replace each of the vocabulary words in orange
with an easier synonym. Use the picture as a hint.
3. Judge Taylor was well-known for
his sagacity.
4. A stop sign on the side of the bus
reminds drivers to refrain from
passing it.
5. Dad became more wary as he drove
past the third deer crossing sign.
The Tell-Tale Heart
Preview the Vocabulary
6. The salesman’s suavity had
earned him a hefty bonus—his
customers always came back for
more.
7. “I can’t believe,” barked Ryan’s
dad, “that you have the
audacity to ask for money when
the yard hasn’t been mowed in
three weeks!”
The Tell-Tale Heart
Preview the Vocabulary
8. Suzanne argued vehemently that
she was old enough to choose her
own friends.
9. The umpire’s gesticulations left
little doubt about the outcome of
the play.
10. To Jared’s dismay, his
announcement about entering the
talent show was met with derision.
The Tell-Tale Heart
Preview the Vocabulary
Now check your answers.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
acute: sharp
vexed: disturbed
sagacity: good judgment
refrain: hold back
wary: cautious
suavity: smooth manner
audacity: boldness
vehemently: forcefully
gesticulations: energetic gestures
derision: ridicule
The Tell-Tale Heart
Meet the Writer
Meet the Writer
The Tell-Tale Heart
Meet the Writer
Edgar Allan Poe was born in
Boston in 1809. He was
orphaned by age three and
taken in by a foster family.
Poe did not get along with his
foster father, John Allan, and
eventually Allan cut all ties
with him. Poe died at the age
of forty—a poor man but wellknown for his tales of horror
and mystery.
More about the writer.
[End of Section]
The Tell-Tale Heart
by Edgar Allan Poe
The End