Word list: forge, anvil, hammer, tongs, chisel, file, metal, iron, copper, steel
It was a warm summer evening in the small village of Blackstone. The air was filled with the sound of metal clanging against metal as the blacksmith worked away in his forge. He was a master of his craft, and the villagers would come from miles around to have him repair their tools or craft them something new.
The blacksmith, with his muscular arms and broad chest, stood at the anvil with a fierce look of determination on his face. He picked up his hammer, which was nearly as big as his arm, and began to pound away at the piece of iron he held in his tongs. The sparks flew as he worked, each strike of the hammer making the iron take shape.
He was working on a special project tonight, a beautiful chisel with intricate designs that would take him hours to complete. He took a break to grab his file, and began to smooth out the edges of the chisel, taking great care to make sure every line was perfect.
The blacksmith had been working with metal since he was a boy. He had learned the trade from his father, and now he was passing on his knowledge to his own son. He had worked with all sorts of metals over the years, from copper to steel, but his favorite was iron. There was something about the way it felt in his hands, the way it took shape under his hammer, that he loved more than anything.
As he worked, the blacksmith’s mind began to wander. He thought about the days when he was just starting out, when he would spend hours in the forge, getting his hands dirty and learning the ins and outs of the trade. He remembered the first time he had crafted something all on his own, and how proud he had felt when he showed it to his father.
The blacksmith smiled to himself, knowing that he had found his calling in life. He may have been a simple man, but he was proud of what he did and the work he produced. And he knew that, as long as he had his forge, his anvil, and his hammer, he would always have a purpose in life.
| Vocabulary | Meaning | Collocations |
|---|---|---|
| Forge | A workshop or furnace where metal is heated and shaped | forge a sword, blacksmith’s forge, medieval forge |
| Anvil | A metal block used as a surface for shaping metal | pound on the anvil, blacksmith’s anvil, iron anvil |
| Hammer | A tool used to strike metal and shape it | blacksmith’s hammer, pounding the hammer, metal hammer |
| Tongs | A tool used to hold hot metal | blacksmith’s tongs, forge tongs, metal tongs |
| Chisel | A tool used to carve or shape metal | metal chisel, blacksmith’s chisel, forge chisel |
| File | A tool used to smooth metal | metal file, forge file, blacksmith’s file |
| Metal | A solid material that is typically hard, shiny, and malleable | metal forging, metal work, different metals |
| Iron | A metallic element that is strong and durable | wrought iron, cast iron, iron forge |
| Copper | A reddish-brown metallic element that is a good conductor of heat and electricity | copper wire, copper pipes, copper plating |
| Steel | An alloy of iron and carbon, used in construction and manufacturing | steel beams, |