In this reading, there are three primary objectives:
1—You will develop your awareness of the use of articles.
2—You will increase your reading comprehension.
3—You will expand your working vocabulary.

These objectives are facilitated by the following activities:
1—Reading the following part of the radio broadcast script.
2—Seeing photographs from the movie that illustrate the story.
3—Noticing required articles by interactively revealing articles after the "mouseover" of highlighted spaces.
4—Accessing short vocabulary definitions of selected words and phrases (those underlined in blue).
5—Getting vocabulary definitions from the internet for words you choose.
6—Checking your reading comprehension by doing the interactive quiz at the end (self-testing).

And, I hope you have some fun too! —Skip Reske

Move mouse cursor

over blank highlights

to show correct article (a/an or the) and over words in blue to show definition

It's A Wonderful Life

NICK: That does it! That's enough! You two arecouple of crazy people. Go on ...leave! Get out of here!

GEORGE: Where's Martini? Will you call him--?

NICK: Stop asking about Martini! He isn't here and he--

[A man entersbar - Nick looks at him and starts shouting]

Hey, you! You! Didn't I tell you never to come around here?!

CLARENCE: Oh, George, look!

Act 3 - Part 2

GEORGE: It's Mr. Gower! Mr. Gower! Listen, Mr. Gower, don't you know me? This is George Bailey!

GOWER: (drunk) You - you buy medrink, mister? Just one drink, will you, mister?

George sees that the drunk is Mr. Gower

NICK: Pinky?

PINKY: Yeah, Nick?

NICK: Throw drunk out!

GOWER: Oh, no, no, please--

GEORGE: Hey, bartender, that's - that's Mr. Gower,druggist!

NICK: That drunk spent twenty years in jail for poisoning some kid. If you know him, you must be jailbird yourself. (yells) Pinky! Here's two more! Get them out of here!

CLARENCE: Well, get up, George. It'sgood thing he threw us in this snow, eh?

George and Clarence are thrown out

GEORGE: Where's - where's Mr. Gower?

CLARENCE: Mr. Gower doesn't know you, George. You see, you weren't there to stop him from putting poison into that prescription.

GEORGE: What do you mean, I wasn't there? Look, now, tell me, what are you?

CLARENCE: George...

GEORGE: Look, why am I seeing all these strange things here?

CLARENCE: Don't you understand? It's because you were not born.

GEORGE: Well, if I wasn't born, then who am I?

CLARENCE: Nobody. You have no identity.

GEORGE: What do you mean, I have no identity?

CLARENCE: No papers, no driver's license, no social security card, no insurance policy. Nothing.

GEORGE: Zuzu's bell!

CLARENCE: What?

GEORGE: Zuzu's bell. I bought my little girlbell to hang onChristmas tree and I forgot to give it to her. I've got it in -- (searches for it) It's gone. It's gone, too. Everything's gone.

CLARENCE: But you've been givengreat gift, George.chance to see whatworld would be like if you'd never been born.

GEORGE: You're crazy. You're crazy and you're driving me crazy, too! Now, look, I'm going home to my wife and family, do you understand that? And I'm going home alone!

George tells Clarence that he is going home

JOSEPH: You shouldn't leave him alone, Clarence. Keep following him.

CLARENCE: Joseph! Oh, I'll stay near him, sir. Poor George, he's seeing Main Street now,way it would be if he hadn't lived.

George is shocked by changes

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Clarence:

thing that has really shocked him is

Building and Loan office. Do you know what's there now?

pawnshop.

JOSEPH: What's he doing? Can you see?

CLARENCE: He's talking to Ernie Bishop,taxi driver. He wants to go home.

JOSEPH: You'd better go along, Clarence.

CLARENCE: Oh, I will, sir. I will.

[SOUND: MOTOR RUNNING]

GEORGE: Come on , hurry up, will you, Ernie? Get me home. Okay?

ERNIE: Where do you live, sir?

GEORGE: Aw, now, Ernie, don't you start talking like that with me. address is three-twenty-three Sycamore!

ERNIE: Three-twenty-three Sycamore?

GEORGE: Yeah, hurry up. Zuzu's sick.

ERNIE: Okay, sir.

George talks to Ernie

GEORGE: Hey, look, Ernie, I - I don't know what's happening. I'm going crazy or something. I've got some bad liquor. I-- Now, look, tell me this now. You're Ernie Bishop, right? And you live with your wife and kid down in --

ERNIE: (sharply) Have you seen my wife?

GEORGE: What do you mean? Seen your wife? I've been in your househundred times! We built it for you, didn't we?

ERNIE: Listen! First, my wife tookkid and ran away five years ago and, second, I haven't ever seen you before in my life, okay?

GEORGE: Okay, Ernie, okay. Okay. Just step on it. Take me home.

GEORGE: Mary! Mary, where are you?! Janie! Petey! Zuzu! Zuzu! Where are you?

CLARENCE: This is justan old abandoned house, George. You have no wife. No children.

George finds that he has no home

GEORGE: Where are they? What have you done with them?

ERNIETAXI DRIVER: (To Bert cop ) There you are, Bert. That's him, see? I told you!

BERT: All right, put your hands up!

GEORGE: Oh, Bert! Bertcop, thank goodness you're here!

BERT: Now, look, why don't you begood man and I'll take you todoctor?

GEORGE: Bert. Now, Bert, listen to me. What'smatter with you guys? Now listen, it's that fellow there. He says he'san angel. He tried to make me see things!

BERT: I hate to use my nightstick, but I guess I-- Oww!

CLARENCE: Run, George, run! He can't hit you while I'm biting him!

Clarence bites Bert to stop him from arresting George

BERT: Owwww!

CLARENCE: George, run! My teeth aren't what they used to be! Joseph, help! Joseph! Joseph!

BERT: Where did they go, Ernie? Where'd they go?

ERNIE: I - I don't know! They just disappeared!

JOSEPH: Clarence?!

CLARENCE: Oh, Joseph, I hope you don't mind my calling on you like I did.

JOSEPH: You're by yourself again. Where's George?

CLARENCE: He's at his mother's house, sir.

JOSEPH: Well, if George hasn't been born, he has no mother.

George's mother doesn't know George

CLARENCE: Oh, he's being very stubborn, sir. He'll just have to find these things out for himself.

JOSEPH: But his mother! That'sterrible thing-- His own mother not knowing him.

CLARENCE: You mean I shouldn't have let him--?

JOSEPH: I mean, you'd better find him right away. Oh, and stop biting policemen, Clarence!

CLARENCE: I'm here again, George.

GEORGE: My mother -- my own mother didn't know me! If only Harry were here, if my brother were only back from Washington.

CLARENCE: Your brother fell throughice and was drowned atage of nine.

GEORGE: That'slie! He washero! He savedlives of every man on that transport ship!

CLARENCE: Every man on that ship died. Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. Harry wasn't there to save them because you weren't there to save Harry. Don't you see, George? You really hadwonderful life. Don't you see whatmistake it would be to throw it away?

GEORGE: Clarence...

CLARENCE: Yes?

GEORGE: Where's Mary? Please, where's my wife?

George asks Clarence where Mary is

CLARENCE: I, uh, I'm not supposed to tell.

GEORGE: Tell me where she is.

CLARENCE: You're not going to like it, George.

GEORGE: Where is she? You have to tell me! Where's my wife?

CLARENCE: library. She works there. She's just about to lock up fornight. So, I, uh-- George! George! Come back! (sadly, to himself) Oh, there must be some easier way for me to get my wings.

[SOUND: STREET SOUNDS]

GEORGE: Mary! Mary!

MARY: I'm sorry,library's closed.

GEORGE: Mary, it's George! Don't you know me? What happened to us?

MARY: I don't know you. Let me go!

GEORGE: Mary, please! Oh, don't do this to me! Please, Mary! Help me! Where're our kids? I need you, Mary!

Mary doesn't know George

MARY: (screams)

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