English as a Second Language – Reading | e-Consult

Model Answer: The description strongly implies that the house has a troubled or neglected history. The "dark and empty windows" and "overgrown garden" suggest a period of abandonment and decay. The comparison of the windows to "vacant eyes" creates a sense of sadness and perhaps even a hint of something unsettling. The local children's stories indicate that the community views the house with a mixture of fear and fascination, suggesting a potentially dark or mysterious past. The overall tone is one of isolation and perhaps a lingering sense of sorrow or unease associated with the house. It implies that something significant, possibly negative, happened there in the past, leading to its abandonment and the stories that have grown around it.

• The imagery of decay suggests a long period of neglect.
• The children's stories imply a local awareness of something unusual or potentially frightening.
• The overall tone suggests a negative or melancholic history.