BBC LEARNING ENGLISH

9 uses of 'cut'
Little Red Riding Hood

Mariam
Hi there. I'm Mariam. And today I've got a story that might sound a bit familiar to you: it's a
tale about bravery, adventure and a big bad wolf.

We begin in a faraway land, in a big, deep forest where the birds are singing and the sun
occasionally peeks through the leaves, lighting up the forest floor below. This is where Little
Red Riding Hood is walking, wearing a big red cloak. She's carefully carrying a basket of fruit
to her Grandma's. She wanted to take a cake but Grandma's been told to cut out sweet
things as she's getting a bit fat!

Anyway, to cut a long story short, Little Red Riding Hood is stopped in her tracks by a
mean-looking wolf. "Where are you going, little girl?" asks the wolf. "Well, my Grandma's
not very well so I'm going to visit her, because she doesn't have anyone else there, and my
mum says…" Little Red can talk! The wolf cuts her short and says "Sorry, I've got to go,
send her my best wishes, bye!" and he disappears into the forest.

The wolf might be bad but he's not stupid. He takes a shortcut through the trees to
Grandma's house, breaks in and locks Grandma in a cupboard. Then, he puts on Grandma's
clothes and jumps into her bed, waiting for Little Red Riding Hood. You can imagine how
stupid he looks - but that's how the story goes!

A short while later, Little Red Riding Hood arrives at the cottage and walks into the
bedroom. She's not the smartest of girls and doesn't realise that that's the cheeky wolf. She
is surprised, however, by her big eyes and says "Grandma, what big eyes you have!" The
quick-thinking wolf replies, "All the better to see you with, my dear." "Hold on... Grandma,
what big ears you have!" By now, the wolf is losing his patience a bit and thinks 'cut to the
chase' but he still mutters "All the better to hear you with, my dear." By now, Little Red is a
little suspicious but still continues with one final comment: "Grandma, what big teeth you
have - are they false teeth?" "No…" cries the wolf, "These are for eating you with." And
with that, he pounces on Little Red Riding Hood. As you can imagine, Little Red Riding
Hood screams her head off.

Luckily, some men who are cutting down trees in the forest hear her and come running to
her rescue. They dash into the cottage, seize the wolf and threaten to cut him up into tiny
little pieces but they only have one axe due to cutbacks. The wolf is terrified and runs off
screaming into the forest, never to be seen again.

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Then the woodcutters hear a knocking on the cupboard door. One of them cautiously
opens it and Grandma comes rushing out, jumping into the arms of the handsome, strong
woodcutter. She gives him a big kiss, and says, "Ooh, that was a close one – but I feel a lot
better now."

Little Red Riding Hood is very pleased to see her Grandma looking so spritely and gives her
the basket of fruit. In return she offers Little Red some advice: never talk to strangers –
unless of course they're a handsome woodcutter!

And the wolf? He was never to be seen again – but keep an eye out for him, just in case…

Well, that's the end of my story. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you again soon.

Definitions

cut out (C1)

stop eating

to cut a long story short (C1)

to only talk about the most important or interesting details

cut (someone) short (C2)

stop (someone) from finishing what they are saying or doing

shortcut (B2)
different route or direction that saves time

cut to the chase (C2)

don't waste time, just get to the important bit

cutting down (A2)

making a tree fall to the ground by cutting it near the base

woodcutters (B2)
people whose job is to cut down trees

cut (someone/something) up (B1)

using a sharp tool to separate (someone/something) into pieces

cutbacks (C2)
reductions in money available to spend

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KEY
A1 = Beginner
A2 = Elementary
B1 = Lower Intermediate
B2 = Higher Intermediate
C1 = Towards Advanced
C2 = Advanced

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