Easy stories in English. Simple stories to read in English
Hello, friends. If you are just starting to learn English, then one of the ways to build a foundation of English is to learn texts and dialogues. In the beginning you need to take as much as possible.
How to work with English texts:
1. Take English text with audio. It is important that the speaker read it correctly and clearly at a moderate pace.
2. Translate the text so that everything is clear. You will have several dozen unfamiliar words. In the beginning this is normal.
3. Listen to the audio version of the English text as many times as necessary to remember it.
4. Read the text based on audio. It is important for you to read words correctly and remember their correct sound form. It is important to remember correctly right away. Because the word is his correct writing, sound and reading.
5. Learn the text by heart. Try to say it from memory, at the same pace as the announcer. It will be difficult at first, but you must train your speech organs to speak English like English-speaking people.
The more English texts you work through, the better. If you work through at least 50-100 English texts, then you will already be able to speak English.
You can work with texts right now. Watch these video lessons in simple English text plus audio format.
You can print these texts, but don't forget that handwriting them is also good practice.
English texts for beginners
1. Vacation/vacation plans
2. Interview
3. Letter from Dublin
4. History of the Internet
5. Millionaires.
6. Day at school
7. Radio interview.
8. Birthday gift.
1.Holiday plans
I’m going on holiday to Mexico next Friday, so next week’s very busy.
On Monday I’m collecting my tickets from the travel agent.
I’m going on holiday with my friends Ed and Lucy, so on Tuesday I’m meeting them after work and we are going shopping.
On Wednesday I’m seeing the doctor an 11 o’clock, then I’m having lunch with my mum.
On Thursday I’m leaving work early and I’m packing. I’m taking just a bag and a rucksack.
Then it's Friday. Friday is the big day! At six thirty in the morning I’m going by taxi to the airport. I’m meeting Ed and Lucy there and at thirty nine we are flying to Mexico City.
I'm very excited!
2.Interview
— This is a very beautiful house.
- Thank you. I like it very much, too.
- Celine, you're American. Why do you live here in London?
— Because I just love it here! The people are fantastic! I love them! And of course, my husband, Charles, is English, and I love him, too!
— That’s a very nice photo. Who are the y?
- My sons. That's Matt, and that's Jack. They go to school here. My daughter’s at school in the US. Her name's Lisa-Marie.
— Why does Lisa-Marie go to school in the US?
— Because she lives with her father. My first husband, you know, the actor Dan Brat. I hate him and all his movies. I never watch them.
- I see. And does Lisa-Marie visit you?
- Oh, yes. She visits me every vacation. She's here with me now.
— And is this a photo of you and Charles?
- Oh, yes. It's us in Hawaii. It's our wedding. We're so happy together!
3. A letter from Dublin
Dear Alan,
We're on holiday in Dublin this week. Our hotel is very nice – old and comfortable. The people are very friendly, and the food is delicious. Irish music is good, and the beer is lovely!
Dublin is beautiful. It’s a big city with a lot of old buildings, and it isn’t expensive. The weather is horrible! It's wet and it's cold.
See you soon.
Love. Dona and Sergio (your Italian students).
4. The history of the Internet
It's history
The Internet started in the 1960s. The United States Department of Defense started it because they wanted a computer network to help the American military. In the 1970s scientists worked on it.
Then in the 1980s telephone companies made in possible to communicate on the computer network in many more countries. An international computer language was born, and the Net went worldwide.
What can it do?
You can use the Internet for many things. You can buy a car or a house; you can book a holiday; you can watch a video; you can read an Australian newspaper or a Japanese magazine; you can buy books and CDs from North and South America; you can play chess with a partner in Moscow; or you can just chat to people from all over the world. The list is endless
5. Millionaires
We're millionaires
In August 1999 three friends, Jacques Proust, Guy Fadat and Franqois Leclerc were on holiday in the town of Laraque in France. On Sunday they went shopping in the market and they saw a dirty, old painting of the Virgin Mary. They bought it for 1400 francs and they took it to Paris. In Paris an expert said that the painting was by Leonardo da Vinchi and it was worth 500,000,000 francs. The man in Laraque market said: “I was happy to sell the painting but now I’m very upset. I don’t want to think about it!”
6. A schoolday
Well, on schooldays I get up at 7:45. I have breakfast at 8 and I go to school at 8:30. I have lunch in school with my friends, that’s at 12:50 – it’s early in our school. I leave school at 3:30 in the afternoon and I walk home with my friends. I get home at 4:30. I go to bed at 11 o’clock on schooldays, but not at the weekends.
7. Radio interview
— What are you doing here in Milan, Sadie?
— I'm working. There is a big fashion show here.
—Are you staying in a hotel?
- No, I'm not. I'm staying with friends.
— Are you having a good time in Milan?
- Yes, I'm. I'm enjoying it very much.
— Now, Sadie, tell the listeners. What are you wearing now?
— I’m not wearing anything special! I’m just wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
- Thank you, Sadie. It was nice to talk to you.
- Thank you.
8. A present for a birthday
Suzanne
What would I like for my birthday? That's easy. I’d like to have breakfast in bed. With the newspapers. And in the evening I’d like to go to the theater.
Tom
Well, I’d like a new computer, because my computer is so old that the new programs don’t work on it. And then in the evening I’d like to go to a good restaurant. I don’t mind if it’s Italian, French, Chinese or Indian. Just good food.
Alice
I don’t have a mobile phone and all my friends have one, so what I’d really like is my own mobile. They aren't expensive these days. And in the evening I’d like to go out with all my friends and have a great time!
Learning English can be a challenging task. There are many ways to help overcome various problems related to grammar, spelling, pronunciation and even. One of them is the active reading method. The more you read texts in English, the more you develop an understanding of the English language. And as a result, the faster you will learn to read and speak English. Independent reading is quite effective, and it also greatly motivates learning. When you read on your own, and not with a teacher, you choose texts that will definitely be interesting to you, as opposed to texts suggested by the teacher. As a result, you will read more readily and, accordingly, remember more new words.
English language courses are useful teaching tools, but newspapers, magazines and books in English can be just as useful. From them you will learn popular English expressions, phrases, grammatical structures and words that will significantly expand your vocabulary.
Why is reading necessary?
Reading in English is one of the best ways to improve your vocabulary. The context of articles, stories and dialogues helps you identify and understand the meanings of English words you encounter for the first time. Also, with the help of reading, you repeat already familiar words, thereby remembering them better.
Reading helps to concentrate your thinking in English. When you read books in English, hundreds of English words, set phrases, and grammatical structures are stored in your memory. Subsequently, they will be useful to you in writing and in doing exercises. Over time, you will stop thinking every time which tense form of the verb to use, how to place punctuation marks, how to write this or that word - your brain will learn to process all this information automatically. By the way, there is a strong connection between reading and writing. Reading allows you to see grammatically correct sentences in a living context, which can serve as a model for your own writing. Regular reading stimulates imagination and creativity, and helps you learn to write more meaningfully and originally.
If you want to become an experienced, “skilled” reader, it is advisable to read and translate at least a few pages a day. If you don’t have enough free time for this, take books, magazines and newspapers with you on the road, read on public transport or in a long line. Once you start reading every day, after a while you will learn to look in the dictionary less and less, and then you will completely abandon it.
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Reading is an activity that can be of interest to all age groups and students of all levels of English proficiency.
Texts for children
English texts for children are usually limited to a small list of topics that are understandable to any schoolchild or child. As a rule, these are simple, sometimes funny and entertaining stories about animals, family members, nature, and surrounding objects. English texts for children use the simplest vocabulary and short sentences. Such stories are easy to understand and usually consist of 1-2 small paragraphs.
Texts for Beginners
These texts are designed for students at the Beginner and Elementary levels. Here you can find a wider variety of topics: holidays, appearance, cities and countries, everyday affairs. In terms of vocabulary, texts for beginners are almost as easy as texts for children; the same basic words and expressions are used here. As for grammar, tense forms of verbs, complex and compound words, and subordinate clauses begin to appear here.
Medium difficulty texts
English texts of medium complexity already include a large list of topics: professions, work, studies, relationships with family and friends, music, art, history, social problems, made-up stories. Complex vocabulary is used here, professional terms are used, but in general the topics of the texts are not narrowly focused; they should be interesting and understandable to a wide range of readers. There are many grammatical structures in texts of average complexity - almost all of them can be found here, with the exception of the most complex and outdated ones.
When learning a foreign language, it is important to read as much as possible, so short stories in English will be published here frequently so that the reader can practice again. These short English stories attract with their simplicity and unusual content...
Finny
There is a small city in the deep Pacific Ocean. This city is home for about 500 fish and other water creatures. It is a very homey town and is very quiet.
This town is also as colorful as a tropical forest and is very beautiful. You can get lost here in your thoughts as you explore the beauty. It is settled right under the sun in the afternoon. It is a very green city, full of plants and exotic fish. This town is located near the Hawaiian island of Maui.
This is the wonderful town of Olina, meaning “joyful” in Hawaiian.
In this little town is a small school. This school is the life of many teachers and children. The itty-bitty school, located in the center of the town, is more than 100 years old. The school building is painted green with bright pink spots all over. This school teaches swimming, safety, and first aid. It is called Beach Water Middle.
One student from the Beach Water Middle School is a little fish. This specific fish seems to be a troublemaker. He has a golden color with one spot on his fin. He comes to school every day, not willingly. This little fish is quite popular and very loud. He makes jokes and has many girlfriends. He's just cool. He lives on the west side of Olina. His name is Finny.
Finny
There is a small city in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. This city is home to about 500 fish and other aquatic creatures. This is a very homely, very quiet city.
This city is so colorful, like a rainforest and very beautiful. Here you can get lost in your thoughts while exploring its beauty. He positioned himself directly under the midday sun. It is a very green city, full of plants and exotic fish. This city is located next to the Hawaiian island of Maui. This is the wonderful city of Olina, which means “joyful” in Hawaiian.
There is a small school in this small town. This school is life for many teachers and
children. A tiny school located in the city center, it is over 100 years old. The school building is painted green color with bright pink spots everywhere. This school teaches swimming, safety, and first aid. It's called the Coastal Waters Center.
One of the students of this school is a small fish. This particular fish looks like he likes to cause trouble. It is colored gold with one spot on its fin. He goes to school every day, but without desire. This little fish is quite popular and very noisy. He jokes, he has a lot of girlfriends. He's just awesome. He lives on the west side of Olina. His name is Finny.
Great White Shark
Today at Beach Water Middle, Finny and his class are going on a trip. They want to see the Great White Shark. The Great White Shark is a famous speaker, representing the local recycling agency. He speaks all around the ocean with very passionate emotion towards his words. He has been near Alaska, California, Mexico, Japan, and Russia. All of the local children are very fascinated by the Great White Shark. All of the local children want to grow up and be a speaker for recycling agencies too. He is a great inspiration to everyone around him.
So, they go. The class passes the “Welcome” sign outside of town. Outside of Olina, it is very dangerous. There are jellyfish, sharks, whales, and many dangerous animals out here. The class must stay in a large group and be aware at all times.
About thirty minutes swimming, Finny becomes absolutely exhausted. About five minutes pass, Finny loses the class. He falls so far back that he can barely see his friends and cannot hear them anymore. His fins grow more and more tired. He drifts away with the current. Finally, Finny falls asleep on a nearby rock.
Great White Shark
Today the Coastal Waters Center, Finny and his friends are going on a field trip. They want to see the Great White Shark. The Great White Shark is a well-known spokesperson for the local waste management agency. He speaks across the ocean, and his words are filled with passionate emotions. He has been near Alaska, California, Mexico, Japan and Russia. All the local kids are very passionate about the Great White Shark. All the local children want to grow up to become waste agents. He is an inspiration to everyone around him.
So they set off. The class passes the "Welcome" sign outside the city. It's very dangerous outside of Olina. There are jellyfish, sharks, whales and many dangerous
animals. The class must remain a large group and be vigilant at all times.
After about thirty minutes of the long swim, Finny was completely exhausted. About five minutes passed and Finny lost class. He falls so far that he can barely see his friends and can no longer hear them. His fins are becoming increasingly tired. He is carried away by the current. Finally, Finny falls asleep on a nearby rock.
Everyone knows that laughter is the best cure for stress. Combine business with pleasure: read these short funny stories and practice your English with pleasure.
If you need to write a mystical story in English, I have prepared separately
My meeting with a traffic cop
My meeting with a traffic cop - A funny story from life
It was seven years ago.
I was driving to work.
I drove up to the office and broke a traffic rule — I crossed a double solid line on the road.
At that time, a police officer was standing on the street.
I thought he saw me go over the double lines.
But he kept standing.
I drove further slowly because I was near my office.
At that time, a car backed up.
The driver didn’t see my car, and smashed into it.
That police officer ran up to us and said to me:
“I have seen everything: you violated traffic rules, you have a dead body in your trunk, and drugs in your car.
Can I see your driver’s license?”
I’m standing, I’m hearing, and I can’t say anything.
Then he laughed and said: “Miss, please smile, you looked so upset that I had to tell you something to cheer you up” and let me go.
TEXT TRANSLATION
This was 7 years ago.
I was on my way to work.
I already arrived at the office, but I broke the rules traffic- crossed the double solid line.
And there was just a traffic police officer standing there.
I thought he saw me cross the line.
But he continued to stand.
Then a traffic cop runs up and says:
“I saw everything - you broke the rules, you have a corpse and drugs in your trunk.
Can I have your driver's license?"
I stand there listening and can’t say anything.
Then he laughed and said: “Girl, smile, you’re standing there so upset, I had to at least somehow make you laugh/encourage you,” after which he let me go.
Fortune and the man
One day a man was walking along the street. He carried an old bag in his hands. He was wondering why people who had so much money were never satisfied and always wanted more. “As to me,” he said, “if I had enough to eat, I should not ask for anything else.”
Just at this moment Fortune came down the street. She heard the man and stopped.
“Listen,” she said, “I want to help you. Hold your bag, and I shall pour diamonds into it. But every diamond which falls on the ground will become dust. Do you understand?”
“Oh, yes, I understand,” said the man. He quickly opened his bag and stream of diamonds was poured into it. The bag began to grow heavy. “Is that enough?” asked Fortune. “Not yet.” The man's hand began to tremble.
“You are the richest man in the world now.” Said fortune.
“Just a few more, and a few more,” said the man. Another diamond was added and the bag slipped. All the diamonds fell on the ground and became dust.
Fortune disappeared, leaving the man in the street.
TEXT TRANSLATION
One day a poor man was walking down the street. In his hands was an old bag. He walked and thought: “Why are people who have a lot of money never happy and always want more money?”
“As for me,” he thought, if I only had enough for food, I wouldn’t need anything more.”
At that moment, Fate passed him by. She heard the poor man and stopped.
“Listen,” she said, “I want to help you. Give me your bag, I'll fill it with diamonds. But if even one diamond falls to the ground, the entire contents of the bag will turn to dust. Understand?
“Oh, of course, I understand,” replied the poor man. He quickly opened his bag and diamonds fell into his bag. The bag became heavy.
"Enough?" asked Fate.
“Not yet,” the man answered, his hands trembling.
“You are the richest man in the world,” said Fate.
"More! A bit more!" said the poor man.
At that moment, another diamond fell into the overflowing bag.
The bag slipped out of the poor man’s hands and fell to the ground, and the diamonds immediately became dust.
Fate disappeared, leaving the poor man on the street.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Everyone has heard of Sherlock Holmes. Everyone has read stories about Sherlock Holmes at one time or another. Sherlock Holmes was a famous detective. Actually, he was the most famous detective of all times.
The author of the Sherlock Holmes stories was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Once Sir Arthur arrived in Paris. He took a cab and asked the cabman to take him to the Ritz, the hotel where he was going to spend the night.
The cabman brought him to the hotel. When he received the fare he said:
“Thank you very much, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.”
“How do you know who I am?” asked Sir Arthur. He was very much surprised.
“Well, sir, I read in the newspaper yesterday that you were coming to Paris from the South of France. I also noticed that your hair was cut by a barber in the South of France. Your clothes and especialy your hat told me that you were English. I put all the information together and quessed that you were Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.”
“That is wonderful,” said Sir Arthur.
“You could recognize me though you knew very few facts.”
“Besides,” added the cabman. Your name is on both of your travelling bags. That also helped.”
So, the cabman played a good joke on Conan Doyle.
TEXT TRANSLATION
Everyone has heard of Sherlock Holmes. At one time or another, everyone has read stories about Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes was a famous detective. In fact, he was the most famous detective of all time.
The author of the Sherlock Holmes stories was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. One day Sir Arthur arrived in Paris. He took a taxi and asked the taxi driver to take him to the Ritz hotel where he was going to spend the night. The driver brought him to the hotel. When he received the fare, he said:
"Thank you very much, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."
"How do you know who I am?" - asked Sir Arthur. He was very surprised.
“Well, sir, yesterday I read in the newspaper that you are traveling to Paris from the south of France. I also noticed that you had your hair cut by a barber in the south of France.
Your clothes and especially your hat say that you are English. I put all these facts together and realized that you are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
“Wonderful,” said Sir Arthur. “You were able to recognize me with very few facts.”
“Besides,” added the cabman, “your name is on both of your travel bags. That helped too."
Thus, the cabman made a good joke on Conan Doyle.
Honesty is the best policy
A woodman was once working on the bank of a deep river. Suddenly his ax slipped from his hand and dropped into the water.
“Oh! I have lost my ax,” he cried. “What shall I do? Who can help me?”
Mercury heard the poor man’s cries and appeared before him.
‘What is the matter, poor woodman?’ he asked. “What has happened? Why are you so sad and unhappy?”
Mercury listened to the man’s story and then said, “Perhaps I can help you.” He dived into the river and brought up a golden ax. “Is this yours?” he asked. “No, that is not mine,” was the answer.
Mercury dived a second time and this time brought up a silver axe. “Is this yours?” he asked. Again the answer was “No.” So Mercury dived a third time and brought up the very ax that the woodman had lost. “That’s my ax,” cried the man. “Yes, that is my axe. Now I can work again.”
Mercury was so pleased with the follow’s honesty that at once he made him a present of the other two axes and disappeared before the man could say, “Thank you.”
The woodman went home very pleased with his good luck. He told his friends all about it and one of them decided to try his luck. So he went to the same place, dropped his ax into the river, and cried out: “Oh! I have lost my ax. What shall I do? Who can help me?”
Mercury appeared as before, and when he learned that man had lost his axe, he dived into the river. Again he brought up a golden ax. “Is this yours”? he asked.
“Yes, it is,” answered the woodman. “You are not telling me the truth,” said Mercury.
You will neither have this ax nor the one that you so foolishly dropped into the water.”
TEXT TRANSLATION
One day a woodcutter was working on the banks of a deep river. Suddenly the ax slipped out of his hands and fell into the water.
"Oh! “I lost my axe,” he exclaimed. "What should I do? Who can help me?"
Mercury heard the cries of the poor man and appeared before him.
“What happened, poor guy?” - he asked. “What happened? Why are you so sad and unhappy?
Mercury listened to the man's story and then said, “Perhaps I can help you.” He dived into the river and picked up the golden axe. "Is this your axe?" - he asked. “No, it’s not mine,” was the woodcutter’s answer. Mercury dove a second time, and this time he picked up the silver axe. "It's your?" - he asked. Again the answer was “No”. Mercury dived for the third time and picked up the ax that the woodcutter had lost. “This is my ax,” exclaimed the poor man. “Yes, this is my axe. Now I can work again."
Mercury was so pleased with his friend's honesty that he immediately made him a gift of two other axes and disappeared before the man could say, “Thank you.”
The woodcutter returned home very pleased with his luck. He told his friends about all this, and one of them decided to try his luck. He approached the same place, dropped the ax into the river and shouted: “Oh! I lost my axe. What should I do? Who can help me?"
Mercury appeared as before, and when he learned that the man had lost his axe, he dived into the river. He picked up the golden axe. "Is this your axe"? - he asked.
“Yes, it’s mine,” answered the woodcutter. “You are not telling the truth,” said Mercury.
You won’t get this ax and yours, which you foolishly threw into the water.”
A present from the son
Long ago there lived an old woman in England. She had a son who was a sailor. He went to different countries and always brought presents for his old mother.
Once he went to China and brought some tea from that country.
At that time tea was very expensive and only rich people could buy and drink it. So the old woman was very happy to have such a nice present. But she didn’t know what to do with it as she had never bought tea before. She thought it was a vegetable. She told her friends about her son’s present and invited them to taste it with her. At last the day of the tea-party came. The woman called her guests to the dining-room and put a big dish of tea leaves on the table. The guests began to eat the leaves with salt just as they ate vegetables. Nobody liked it but didn’t tell the woman about it and continued to eat the leaves.
Some tome later the sailor came into the room. When he saw that all the guests were eating leaves, he smiled.
“What are you doing? Why are eating these leaves? Where is the tea?”
“Here it is, my son,” the old woman said.
“And where is the water in which you have boiled the leaves?” asked the man laughing.
“I threw it away, of course,” answered the woman.
TEXT TRANSLATION
Once upon a time in England there lived an elderly woman. She had a son who was a sailor. He went to different countries and always brought gifts to his old mother.
One day he went to China and brought tea from this country. At that time, tea was very expensive, and only rich people could buy and drink such tea. Therefore, the old lady was very happy to have such a pleasant gift. But she didn't know what to do with such tea, since she had never bought it before. She thought it was a vegetable.
She told her friends about her son's gift and invited them to try this tea. Finally the day of the tea party arrived. The woman called her guests into the dining room and placed a large dish of tea leaves on the table. The guests began to eat the leaves with salt, as they did when they ate vegetables. Nobody liked it, but no one told the old woman about it, and continued to eat the leaves.
Some time later the son entered the room.
When he saw that all the guests were eating the leaves, he smiled.
"What are you doing?
Why are you eating these leaves?
Where's the tea?
“Here he is, my son,” said the old woman.
“Where is the water in which you boiled the leaves?” - the son asked, laughing.
“Of course, I poured it out,” the mother replied.
I’m four years old at home, and two and a half in buses and trains
A mother and her young son got into a bus and sat down. The bus conductor came up to them and asked them to pay the fare. The mother said, ‘I want one ticket to Oxford,’ and gave him a shilling.
The conductor was looking at the small boy for a few seconds and then said, ‘How old are you, young man?’
The mother began speaking, but the conductor stopped her, and the boy said, ‘I’m four years old at home, and two and a half in buses and trains.’
The mother took sixpence more out of her bag and gave it to the bus conductor.
He gave her one ticket and a half.
TEXT TRANSLATION
A young woman with a small child entered the bus and sat down on the seat. The bus conductor approached them and asked them to pay for the fare. Handing over one shilling, the woman says: “I need one ticket to Oxford.”
Looking at the child, the conductor asked the mother: “How old are you, young man?”
The woman started to speak, but the conductor stopped her and the boy said: “At home I’m four years old, but on buses and trains I’m 2.5.”
The woman took another sixpence from her bag and gave it to the conductor. And he gave her one adult and one child ticket.
I prefer to play the part of a great man on the stage
Once David Garrick, a famous actor, was told by a Member of Parliament that as he was so popular he could easily become an MP too. “No thank you,” the actor replied. “I prefer to play the part of a great man on the stage than the part of a fool in Parliament.”
TEXT TRANSLATION
Since David Garrick was a famous actor, one day, one of the members of parliament told him that the actor could easily join parliament.
“No, thank you,” the actor replied.
“I prefer to play the role of a great man on stage than a fool in parliament.”
Can my dog have a seat in the bus?
One wet day a woman with a dog got on a bus. It was a very big dog and its feet were dirty.
The woman said, “Oh, conductor, if I pay for my dog, can he have a seat like the other passengers?”
The conductor looked at the dog and then said, “Certainly, madam, he can have a seat, but like the other passengers, he mustn’t put his feet on it.”
TEXT TRANSLATION
One rainy day, a woman with a dog got on the bus. The dog was very big and had dirty paws. The woman asked, “Conductor, can my dog sit on the seat like other passengers if I pay for its fare?”
The conductor looked at the dog and replied: “Of course, madam, the dog can sit down, but she, like all passengers, should not sit with her feet on the seat.”
Why do men in this country wear black when they marry?
Mrs. Robinson was a teacher in a big school in an American city. She had boys and girls in her class, and she always enjoyed teaching them, because they were quick and because they thought about everything carefully.
One day she said to the children: “People in a lot of countries in Asia wear white clothes at funerals, but people in America and in Europe wear white clothes when they're happy, what color does a woman in this country wear when she marries, Mary?
Mary said, “White, Miss because she’s happy.”
“That's good, Mary,” Mrs. Robinson said. “You're quite right. She wears white because she’s happy.”
But then one of the boys in the class put his hand up.
“Yes, Dick,” Mrs. Robinson said. “Do you want to ask a question?”
“Yes, Miss,” Dick said. “Why do men in this country wear black when they marry?”
TEXT TRANSLATION
Mrs. Robinson was a teacher in a large school in an American city. She had boys and girls in her class, whom she loved to teach because... they grasped everything on the fly and carefully studied the material. She once told the children:
“People in many Asian countries wear white clothes for funerals, while in America and Europe we wear white clothes for holidays when we are happy. What color clothes will a girl wear in our country when she gets married?”
“White, Miss, because she’s happy,” Maria answered.
“Okay, Maria,” Mrs. Robinson said. "You're absolutely right. She wears white because she is happy."
But then one of the students in the class raised his hand.
“Yes, Dick,” said Mrs. Robinson. “Do you want to ask a question?”
“Yes, Miss,” Dick replied.
“Why do our men wear black clothes when they get married?”
Fiction helps a lot to develop language skills, and when we readstories in English, then we effectively raise our level and have an interesting time.
Books in English
Books play a big role in language learning. When reading literature, we learn new words and assimilate constructions. Of course, no one has canceled the importance of oral language practice, but in a conversation we only hone what we received earlier, we translate theory into practice. In a conversation, we don’t have time to work through the vocabulary, but when reading, we have the opportunity to turn to the dictionary, figure it out and, if necessary, re-read what we don’t understand.
Literature develops good taste and forms our idea of correct language. In addition, through books in English you immerse yourself in a foreign language culture and begin to better understand native speakers.
At the initial stage, when the vocabulary is very small, special words help a lot in understanding the vocabulary.. They are also called adapted. In such books, information is divided into specific topics, and dictionaries of words used in the text are attached. Adapted texts are simplified in vocabulary and sentence construction; they can be read by those who have recently started learning. But they lose what unadapted literature provides - the language of native speakers, which does not adapt to the level of proficiency of foreigners.
What are the benefits of short stories?
Of course, reading literature is important for everyone who learns a language. But which one? It’s not worth taking on huge novels right away: such a path will not be effective, and it may discourage the desire to read English literature in the original - not everyone can handle such ambitious goals.
The language in small texts is more concise, since you need to fit all the events into a small volume of work. Details play a big role in stories; they allow you to succinctly describe the situation. For language learners, such bright, plot-significant strokes are much easier to remember, which means it’s easier to learn the words corresponding to them.
When analyzing stories, it is convenient to memorize grammar and words. You always have the opportunity to re-read the text again after you have sorted out the translation of words and sentence structures. After all, reading a story does not take much time, and when you read it again, new phrases will be remembered much better.
Reading interesting stories in English, we immediately see our progress. After all, each text here is a complete work that serves as a step in mastering English. After reading a story, we learn vocabulary on a certain topic, after which we can move on to another topic and thus quickly improve our language.
How to work with texts
- Read the text without translation. There is no need to immediately translate every word using the dictionary. At first, we simply get acquainted with the text, and our task is to understand what the story is about. You can guess the meaning of many words from the context.
- Now you can translate unfamiliar words. When you understand the essence of the story, then you already have some guesses - this way the new vocabulary will be remembered much better. In addition, it will be easier for you to navigate the necessary meanings of polysemantic words.
- Pay attention to the construction of sentences and the choice of grammatical tenses. Reading unadapted texts is a good test of your understanding of why certain grammatical forms are used. Look also at stylistic features, note in what situations expressions from the story may be appropriate.
- As you read the story, reflect on what you read. Think about why the characters act this way and why the author structured the plot this way.Interesting stories in Englishwill give a good impetus to formulating your opinion on certain topics, which is extremely important for language practice.
- Retell the story. Try to use the words and structures you learned from the text to help you apply what you've learned. Short stories are very convenient for retelling: you can quickly read the work and immediately get a complete story.
Which text to choose
We have already talked about the effectiveness of reading stories. But in this genre there are works of very different complexity, and you need to choose a text in accordance with your level of language knowledge.
Assess your strengths. Choose a text that contains a moderate number of new words. If you have been studying a language for a long time, theneasy stories in English for beginnerswill turn out to be simply useless for you: you will not learn anything new. If the entire text consists of unfamiliar words for you, it means you overestimated your capabilities. In this case, it is better to choose a simpler material.
When the text is not filled with unfamiliar vocabulary, it is much easier to learn it. You can guess the meanings from the context, which is the easiest way to remember new words and expressions. In addition, you will have the opportunity to pay attention to the construction of sentences and the use of grammatical indicators. And you will get much more pleasure from reading, because constantly looking at the dictionary will prevent you from enjoying literature.
If you have recently started learning a language, takestories in English for beginners with translation, fairy tales or children's stories. Works for children are simpler, but you can learn a lot of useful things for yourself. When you feel confident, move on to more complex literature.
Stories in English can be found from a variety of writers. There is always the opportunity to choose which of the authors is closer to you: O. Henry, Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe, Jack London, Ray Bradbury, Rudyard Kipling, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Kurt Vonnegut.
Stories for Beginners
To give you an idea of the texts, we will use as an example the story-parable by Mark Twain “The Five Boons Of Life”. The story is short, consisting of five short passages. The first fragment looks like this:
In the morning of life came a good fairy with her basket, and said: “Here are gifts.” Take one, leave the others. And be wary, chose wisely; oh, choose wisely! for only one of them is valuable.”
The gifts were five: Fame, Love, Riches, Pleasure, Death.
The youth said, eagerly: “There is no need to consider”; and he chose Pleasure.
He went out into the world and sought out the pleasures that youth delights in. But each in its turn was short-lived and disappointing, vain and empty; and each, departing, mocked him.
In the end he said: “These years I have wasted. If I could but choose again, I would choose wisely.”
Translation into Russian:
At the dawn of life, a fairy came to a man with a basket in her hands and said: “Here are the gifts. Take one, leave the others. Be careful, choose wisely, very wisely! Only one of them is truly valuable."
There were five gifts: Fame, Love, Wealth, Pleasure, Death.
The young man answered with passion: “There’s nothing to think about” - and chose Pleasure.
He went out into the world and sought those pleasures that youth admires. But each one turned out to be short-lived and brought disappointment, vanity and emptiness, each one left him with ridicule.
Finally the man said, “I have wasted these years. If I could choose again, I would be wiser."
We won’t give the wholeEnglish story, but let’s look at its ending: the young man tried all the gifts except death, and every time he was disappointed. Then he again faced the fairy:
The fairy came, bringing again four of the gifts, but Death was wanting.
She said: “I gave it to a mother"s pet, a little child. It was ignorant, but trusted me, asking me to choose for it. You did not ask me to choose.”
“Oh, miserable me! What is left for me?”
“What not even you have deserved: the wanted insult of Old Age.”
The fairy came and brought again four gifts, but Death was not among them.
She said: “I gave it to the baby. He knew nothing and trusted me, asked me to choose for him. You didn’t ask me to choose.”
“Oh, I’m miserable! What is left for me?
“What even you don’t deserve: a senseless insult to Old Age.”
From these two fragments, you can see that key vocabulary is repeated throughout the story, so it can be remembered during the reading process. There are also no complex constructions or ambiguous sentences here. The story serves as a clear example of what type of text is suitable for beginners to read English literature in the original.
Choosing stories in English for beginners, you can stop at fairy tales. At the same time, it is not necessary to choose English works: you can read stories translated into English. If you take a work with which you are already familiar, it will be much easier to perceive the text, and you will quickly master new vocabulary. For example, you can read English translations of all the familiar fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen or Charles Perrault.
Stories in English for advanced students
Do not assume that all stories are easy to read: a small length does not necessarily mean simplicity. Short texts can be written using complex grammatical structures.
Here is the beginning of Edgar Allan Poe's story “The Oval Portrait”. His writing style is much richer, but also much more difficult to understand.
The chateau into which my valet had ventured to make forcible entrance, rather than permit me, in my desperately wounded condition, to pass a night in the open air, was one of those piles of commingled gloom and grandeur which have so long frowned among the Appennines, not less in fact than in the fancy of Mrs. Radcliffe. To all appearance it had been temporarily and very lately abandoned. We established ourselves in one of the smallest and least sumptuously furnished apartments. It lay in a remote turret of the building. Its decorations were rich, yet tattered and antique. Its walls were hung with tapestry and bedecked with manifold and multiform armorial trophies, together with an unusually great number of very spirited modern paintings in frames of rich golden arabesque.
The castle into which my footman ventured to break into, so that I would not be left in the street in my deplorable state at night, was one example of the mixture of gloom and grandeur that still frowns among the Apennines no less than in the imagination of Madame Radcliffe. From the looks of it, it seemed that the castle had been abandoned temporarily and only recently. We settled into one of the smallest and least luxuriously furnished apartments. He was in the far tower of the building. Its decoration was rich, although it had long since fallen into disrepair. The walls were covered with tapestries and decorated with a variety of war trophies, along with an extraordinary big amount very inspired paintings of our days in golden frames with arabesques.
Another example thatstories in Englishoften not easy to understand - O. Henry's story “The Dream”. The piece begins like this:
Murray dreamed a dream.
Both psychology and science grope when they would explain to us the strange adventures of our immaterial selves when wandering in the realm of “Death"s twin brother, Sleep.” This story will not attempt to be illuminating; it is no more than a record of Murray's dream. One of the most puzzling phases of that strange waking sleep is that dreams which seem to cover months or even years may take place within a few seconds or minutes.
Murray had a dream.
Psychologists and scientists alike are at a loss to explain the strange adventures of our immaterial self as we wander in the realm of the “twin of death” - the realm of sleep. This story is not meant to be explanatory, it is merely a description of Murray's dream. One of the most confusing aspects of these strange dreams is that in our dreams, months or even years seem to pass, but in reality only a couple of seconds or minutes.
In the article, we analyzed short passages to show how effective it is to read stories in English. You can choose collections of your favorite author or get acquainted with the work of various writers through their stories: in the variety of works, everyone will find something they like.