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Archive Language Point 47
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Fictional characters

Helen on the phone in the sitting room
Some fictional characters from books, films and TV are so familiar that their names are used to describe people who have similar characteristics or who behave in similar ways. For example, Michal acted very bravely so Alice said " Oh quite the Superman, I'm sure!" because the fictional character Superman is known for his courageous actions.

Here are some more well-known characters, the book, film etc. they are from and their key characteristics.
 

Word order

Name: Big bad wolf
Origin: Children's story "The Three Little Pigs"
Characteristics: Evil, sly and dangerous

Name: Big brother
Origin: The Novel "1984" by George Orwell
Characteristics: Closely monitoring or supervising the work or activities of others in a secretive way

Name: Cinderella
Origin: Children's fairy story "Cinderella"
Characteristics:Poor, unloved and overworked. Rescued by a great love

Name: Dracula
Origin: The Novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Characteristics: Like a vampire. Sucking ideas or enthusiasm from people

Name: ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½r Simpson
Origin:American cartoon TV series "The Simpsons"
Characteristics: Badly behaved, has bad manners

Name: Jekyll and Hyde
Origin: The novel "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson
Characteristics: Unpredictable. Tends to have mood swings - sometimes very nice, other times very angry and violent

Name: The Mad Hatter
Origin: Children's story "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll
Characteristics: Unconventional, strange, crazy

Name: Peter Pan
Origin: Children's novel and stage play "Peter Pan" by J M Barrie
Characteristics: Childlike, refuses to grow up and act maturely

Name: Pinocchio
Origin: Children's novel "The Adventures of Pinocchio" Carlo Collodi
Characteristics: Tells lies

Name: Robin Hood
Origin: The legend of Robin Hood
Characteristics: Like an outlaw, wants to take money from the rich and give it to the poor. Concerned with issues of justice

Name: Scrooge
Origin: From the novel "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens
Characteristics: Mean, ungenerous, doesn't want anyone to have any fun

Name: Sherlock Holmes
Origin: From the detective novels, including "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", by Arthur Conan Doyle
Characteristics: Observant and logical

Name: Walter Mitty
Origin: From the short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber
Characteristics: A day-dreamer, fantasises about having great adventures

Name: Wonder Woman
Origin: The comic book "Wonder Woman" and TV series of the same name
Characteristics: Confident and physically powerful

Vocabulary:

like a bat out of hell (idiom):
run very quickly

make up:
become friends again after having a disagreement or fight

run out:
come to the end of something, have no more of something left

a legend:
a story that is passed down from generation to generation. Most people regard the story as truthful but there is usually no historical basis for it

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