The Gruffalo – English Lyrics

• By: Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler

Lyrics & Translation

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
terrible /ˈtɛrɪbəl/ B1	adjective - causing fear or dread
tusks /tʌskz/ B2	noun - long, pointed teeth of animals like elephants or boars
claws /klɔːz/ B1	noun - sharp curved nails on animals' paws
jaws /dʒɔːz/ B1	noun - the bones that surround the mouth and hold the teeth
knobbly /ˈnɒbli/ B2	adjective - having lumps or rounded bumps
poisonous /ˈpɔɪzənəs/ B2	adjective - containing poison that can cause illness or death
knobbly /ˈnɒbli/ B2	adjective - Having lumps or rounded bumps
orange /ˈɒrɪndʒ/ A2	noun - a citrus fruit with a tough skin and sweet juice
tongue /tʌŋ/ A2	noun - the muscular organ in the mouth used for tasting and speaking
back /bæk/ A1	noun - the posterior part of the body

Key Grammar Structures

• He has terrible tusks

  ➔ Present tense with 'has' to indicate possession

  ➔ 'Has' is used here to show possession of the tusks

• And terrible claws

  ➔ Vocabulary listing: using 'and' to connect descriptive adjectives

  ➔ 'And' links two adjectives to add more description

• He's the Gruffalo

  ➔ Use of the contraction 'He's' as a subject complement

  ➔ 'He's' is a contraction of 'He is', used here to state identity

• And a poisonous wart at the end of his nose

  ➔ Prepositional phrase indicating location ('$at the end of his nose')

  ➔ Prepositional phrase 'at the end of his nose' specifies the location of the wart

• His eyes are orange

  ➔ Simple present tense to describe a characteristic

  ➔ 'Are' indicates the present tense, describing a permanent characteristic

• His tongue is black

  ➔ Present tense with 'is' to describe a state or characteristic

  ➔ 'Is' links the subject 'his tongue' to the description 'black'