Simple texts in English for beginners.

One way to learn English is to read. Regular reading on English language not only allows you to replenish your lexicon in the most natural, pleasant and accessible way, but also to observe practical use grammatical structures in finished texts.

If you regularly read works of art English-speaking writers, you learn "correct" English, which is different from spoken English.

In addition, you become familiar with the culture of the countries of the language being studied, have the opportunity to "observe" the natural behavior of the characters in the books in various life situations.

Easy texts in English for beginners can be divided into two types:

simple literary texts;
topics - short stories on certain topics.

At first, both children and adults can be recommended topics for the most simple themes- about yourself, about your family, about the daily routine, about the weather, about the holidays. Children are likely to be interested in stories about toys, about animals.

Topics

Here are examples of some of these light topic texts in English:

my family

Meet my family. There are five of us - my parents, my elder brother, my baby sister and me. First, meet my mum and dad, Jane and Michael. My mum enjoys reading and my dad enjoys playing chess with my brother Ken. My mum is slim and rather tall. She has long red hair and big brown eyes. She has a very pleasant smile and a soft voice. My mother is very kind and understanding. We are real friends. She is a housewife. As she has three children, she is always busy around the house. She takes care of my baby sister Meg, who is only three months old. My sister is very small and funny. She sleeps, eats and sometimes cries. We all help our mother and let her have a rest in the evening. Then she usually reads a book or just watches TV. My father is a doctor. He is tall and handsome. He has short dark hair and gray eyes. He is a very hardworking man. He is rather strict with us, but always fair. My elder brother Ken is thirteen, and he is very clever. He is good at Maths and always helps me with it, because I can hardly understand all these sums and problems. Ken has red hair and brown eyes. My name is Jessica. I am eleven. I have long dark hair and brown eyes. I am not as clever as my brother, though I try to do my best at school too. I am fond of dancing. Our dancing studio won The Best Dancing Studio 2015 competition last month. I am very proud of it. I also like to help my mother with my little sister very much. Our family is very united. We love each other and always try to spend more time together.

My family

Meet my family. There are five of us - my parents, my older brother, my little sister and myself. First, meet my mom and dad, Jane and Michael. My mom loves to read and my dad loves to play chess with my brother Ken. My mother is slim and quite tall. She has long red hair and big brown eyes. She has a very pleasant smile and a gentle voice. My mother is very kind and understanding. We are real friends. She is a housewife. Since she has three children, she is always busy around the house. She takes care of my baby sister Meg, who is only three months old. My sister is very small and funny. She sleeps, eats and sometimes cries. We all help our mother and give her a rest in the evening. Then she usually reads a book or just watches TV. My dad is a doctor. He is tall and handsome. He has short dark hair and gray eyes. He is a very hardworking person. He is quite strict with us, but always fair. My older brother Ken is thirteen and very smart. He is good at math and always helps me with it because I barely understand all these examples and problems. Ken has red hair and brown eyes. My name is Jessica. I am eleven. I have long dark hair and brown eyes. I'm not as smart as my brother, although I try hard at school too. Dancing is my hobby. Our dance studio won the Best Dance Studio 2015 competition last month. I am very proud of this. I also really love helping my mom with my little sister. Our family is very friendly. We love each other and always try to spend more time together.

Lunches for school

Every day in elementary school in America begins at 9.20 a.m. Children have classes till 3.15 p.m. At 12 o'clock children have lunch. Many boys and girls bring their lunch from home. But some of them go for lunch to a school cafeteria.
Mrs. Bradley prepares school lunches almost every weekday for her two children. Sometimes she gives the children money and they eat in the school cafeteria. But usually the children prefer to take a lunch from home.
This morning Bradley is making peanut butter and cheese sandwiches, the children's favorite. She puts two bottles of apple juice for the children to drink. She is going to put the sandwiches, some cherry tomatoes and two bananas in their lunchboxes. The lunchbox is easy for the children to carry to school.

school lunches

Every day in primary school in America starts at 9.30 am. Lessons for children last until 3.15 days. At 12 o'clock the children have lunch. Many boys and girls bring their lunch with them. But some go to lunch in the school cafeteria.
Mrs. Bradley cooks school lunches for her two children almost every working day. Sometimes she gives the children money and they eat in the school cafeteria. But usually children prefer to take lunch from home.
This morning, Mrs. Bradley makes peanut butter and cheese sandwiches, the favorite (sandwiches) of the children. She puts down two bottles of apple juice for the children to drink. She is going to put sandwiches, some cherry tomatoes and two bananas in their lunch boxes. It's easy for kids to carry a lunchbox to school.

Giraffes

There are different kinds of animals on our planet, and all of them are very important for it. For example, everybody knows that the sharks are dangerous for people, but they are useful for cleaning seawater. There are two types of animals: domestic (or pets) and wild. People keep pets in their homes. And some wild animals are very dangerous. Domestic animals live next to people, whereas wild animals’ “homes” are forests, jungles, oceans and so on.
Giraffes are very beautiful and unusual animals. They are the tallest land animals in the world. Giraffes can reach a height of 5.5 m and a weight of 900 kg. They are famous for their long necks. But does anybody know that giraffes have a very long tongue? They can even clean the ears with it! Giraffes are usually yellow or light brown with dark stains. Giraffes live in African savannas. They can live from 20 to 30 years. It is interesting to know that giraffes sleep only for a few minutes at a time. They sit down on the ground and bend their long neck down.
Giraffes do not hunt. They eat leaves, grass, and fruit. Due to their long neck, they can reach the highest leaves on the trees that other animals cannot eat.
You can often meet giraffes in city Zoos. They are very friendly and all the children like them very much.

giraffes

There are many on the planet different types animals, and they are all very important to her. For example, everyone knows that sharks are dangerous to humans, but they are useful for cleansing sea water. There are two types of animals - domestic (or pets) and wild. People keep pets in their homes. And some wild animals are very dangerous. Domestic animals live close to people, while the "homes" of wild animals are forests, jungles, oceans, and so on.
Giraffes are very beautiful and unusual animals. They are the tallest land animals in the world. Giraffes can reach a height of 5.5 meters and a weight of 900 kg. They are famous for their long necks. But does anyone know that giraffes have a very long tongue? They can even clean their ears! Giraffes are usually yellow or light brown with dark spots. Giraffes live in the African savannas. They can live from 20 to 30 years. It is interesting to know that giraffes sleep no more than 20 minutes at a time. They sit on the ground and bend their long necks.
Giraffes don't hunt. They eat leaves, grass and fruits. Thanks to their long necks, they can reach the very top leaves on trees that other animals cannot eat.
You can often meet giraffes in city zoos. They are very friendly and the children love them very much.

Fiction for Easy Reading in English

As for literary texts, it is advisable for beginners to choose adapted books. Now you can pick up works of art for any level of language proficiency, with dictionaries, comments and translation. At the initial stage, short and easy texts for reading in English are suitable, as well as specially adapted books of the first three levels of complexity (starter, beginner, elementary). You don't have to look up every unfamiliar word in the dictionary. As you read the story, try to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words. If the book you have chosen corresponds to your level, then there will not be too many such words, and you will be able to understand the meaning of what you read.

Here are some of the works of English and American writers that are easy to find in an adapted version in English. All these books have been translated into Russian and are well known to Russian readers, which, of course, will provide additional assistance when reading them in English.

How to get the best out of reading

So, you have decided to build your English base by reading English books. But finding and reading texts in English for beginners is only half the battle. For a good result, you need not only to read, but also to work with the material read. Here are some tips on how to do it.

Look for English texts with audio accompaniment. So you can not only increase your vocabulary, but also control and improve your pronunciation.
Look for English texts with tasks after them. These can be questions, various exercises for choosing words or correct options, etc. This will give you an additional opportunity to fix new words in memory and work out grammatical constructions.
If there are no exercises after the texts, try the "Why" -questions method. It lies in the fact that, based on what you read, you yourself can make up several questions for yourself, starting with “Why?”. Moreover, it is better if the text does not contain a direct answer to your questions and you have to reason or think something while answering them.
Try using text to compose brief retelling, no more than 7-8 sentences. It is advisable to use new words. Learn the retelling by heart. Speak it out loud.

Online text comprehension exercise for beginners

Read the text and do the tasks.

The trip to my Granny

Yesterday I visited my Granny in the countryside. We go there every weekend and I enjoy these trips. But not this time. It was raining cats and dogs, our car broke several times and we were all very tired. But when we saw the Granny, I forgot about the difficulties.

Answer the questions

Indicate whether the statements in the text are true (true - correct, false - incorrect)

Write a sentence that reflects the main idea of this text.

In world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing !

You will find even more simple texts and online exercises in the tutorial. online service Lim English. Sign up and start learning!

Reading is to our mind what the gym is to our body. In this article, we will give you links to 7 sites with texts to read in English. Try to "pump" your brain!

1. English as a Second Language

This site is suitable for beginners with a level and. All texts are short, they use simple words and elementary grammar - the three tenses of the Simple group. Try to read at least 2-3 texts daily, it will only take 5-10 minutes.

The topics of the texts are different, often they are small jokes. All words are chosen in such a way that the student not only reads texts in English, but also expands his vocabulary. So, you can learn the first phrasal verbs frequently used words and expressions.

Feature of this resource: Each text is accompanied by an audio recording. The speaker speaks clearly and slowly, which is exactly what beginners need to learn to understand English by ear.

2. English Online

This resource was created specifically for learners of English with a level and above. The texts are not very long, but are full of useful expressions and words.

Articles on various topics are adapted specifically for students: the most frequently used vocabulary and simple grammatical constructions are used. At the moment, several hundred texts on various topics are available for reading on the site. All of them are quite interesting, so this resource contains the optimal proportion of education and entertainment.

Feature of this resource: In all articles, you will see words in bold. This is the vocabulary that you are offered to study. After the text of the article you will find English-English dictionary with these words. Thus, the site performs an important function - you can learn new vocabulary on it in context.

3. Short Stories

And this site is suitable for all lovers of fiction. There are no adapted texts or dictionaries here, only the stories of English-speaking authors in their unaltered form.

The site presents 8 popular genres: children's literature, detective story, science fiction, horror, humor, non-fiction, romance, science fiction. If you are at the Pre-Intermediate level, try reading children's stories. In these texts, the characters speak quite in simple terms and at the same time their speech is lively, unadapted. From the level you can try to read any stories, it is better to start with small texts of your favorite genre.

Feature of this resource: the variety of genres of stories on this site will not let even the most demanding reader get bored. In addition, you can sort stories by length. To do this, select any of the genres you are interested in and click on the All stories button, in the tab that opens, you can select stories from 1-2 to 30+ pages long. This is quite convenient: you can choose the text for yourself depending on the availability of free time.

4. Breaking News English

The site is suitable for students from Elementary to who want to keep up to date latest news and improve English. News are sorted by date - from the most recent to the oldest. Sources are indicated for each - if you are interested, you can read them in the relevant media and compare the presentation of information.

For all news, there are reading, listening, vocabulary and writing exercises.

Feature of this resource: the same news is adapted to several levels - see what words and grammatical structures can convey the same information.

5. Infosquares

This site contains only a few dozen texts, but it is worthy of your attention. The resource is suitable for classes for students with an Intermediate level and above.

The resource differs from previous sites in that your task now is not just to read the text and understand the main idea, but to catch even the smallest details. On the tab with any article, you will find not only a link to the text itself, but also a test to check reading comprehension. Therefore, we advise everyone who is preparing for an English exam to pay attention to this resource, because you can “rehearse” the Reading section on this resource.

Feature of this resource: The main purpose of this site is to check how well you understand the text. Therefore, we recommend that you study on this site about once a month, and read other articles the rest of the time. In this way, you will see how quickly your English reading skill is developing and how attentive you are when reading.

6. Study Zone

This site is similar to the previous one: a small amount of materials is more than offset by the presence of various exercises that test understanding of the text. Here you can study with the level of Pre-Intermediate and above.

Feature of this resource: Of course, the main advantage of this site is the presence of exercises for understanding and memorizing the text. In addition, we must pay tribute to the authors of the site - they have collected for you interesting stories and presented the information in a convenient way.

7. Dreamreader

This resource will be of interest to those who like to read various informative and entertaining articles on the Internet. The site is suitable for students with an elementary level and above.

Most of the texts on this site are presented in the Fun English and Academic English sections. The beauty of the articles is that they are written, albeit in a simple, but lively language. And the topics discussed in the articles are relevant and cover a variety of aspects of life: from body language to fast food, from UFOs to "cat" idioms. Each of the texts is accompanied by a series of questions to help check how well you understood what you read.

Feature of this resource: the site is a 2 in 1 tool. You can not only read the article, but also listen to it. Moreover, the audio recording is suitable even for those who have difficulty with perception. English speech aurally. The speaker speaks clearly and rather slowly, so you can practice your listening skills, and the text will become your assistant in this matter.

There are many other sites on the Internet with texts in English. However, we have recommended the most informative and useful ones for you to study. Read with pleasure, and let English be your best entertainment, an enjoyable activity.

Friends, you already know that learning English is divided into levels: elementary, basic, intermediate, professional, etc. Each of these levels gives a person certain knowledge of the English language, corresponding to this level of education. Therefore, each level has its own requirements and its own degree of difficulty in learning the language.

Today we will pay attention to reading in English at the Intermediate stage or the average, intermediate level. What books, what texts are suitable for those who study English at the level of Pre Intermediate, Intermediate Upper Intermediate, what can you read to improve your knowledge of English and enrich your vocabulary?

Reading skills at pre-threshold, intermediate and advanced levels have significant advantages over previous levels. At these stages of training, you have a good understanding of the literature of these levels. You are able to read and understand articles on the Internet, in newspapers and magazines. You can start reading simple literature in the original, understand the meaning and main idea material read.

Let's start with reading at the Pre-Intermediate level. Since this is a pre-threshold level, that is, a stage up to the middle level, here texts and books almost do not differ from reading on basic level. What can be read at the Pre level? Pay attention to the following authors and their works:

David A. Hill
Isaac Asimov "I, Robot"
Jack London "Call of the Wild"
Stephen Colbourn "Robin Hood"
David Morrison

Since the Intermediate level is an average, intermediate level of language learning, texts and books in English should be of medium complexity. This means that the reader must capture the main meaning, the essence of the story or the book as a whole, despite the fact that he still encounters unfamiliar words.

Short stories and short stories are perfect for reading at an intermediate level. If you want your reading to be not only useful, but also exciting, then we bring to your attention:

Humorous stories O'Henry (O "Henry)
Ray Bradbury stories
Detective stories by Sara Paretsky
The famous stories of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson by Arthur Conan Doyle

And finally, books in English at the Upper level. This stage of learning is more difficult than the previous one, therefore, the reading will be the same:

Herman Melville "Moby Dick"
Peter Abrahams Mine Boy
Alan Maley "A Tangled Web"
Margaret Johnson Jungle Love
John Stainbeck "Of Mice and Men"
Margaret Johnson

These three levels are somewhat similar, but they also have significant differences. The Pre stage prepares us to learn English at an intermediate level; the intermediate level itself equips us with the base for the Upper level, and so on. Accordingly, the reading goes in ascending order.

How to read with benefit?

Get a notebook or notebook in which you will write down all the words you do not know.
Pay attention to the context in which a particular word is used.
Translate the words in writing.
Make up phrases, sentences, a short story with them.
Use new words in short dialogues.
Make a written outline of the passage you read.
Retell the passage aloud in English.
Work in this order with each chapter or passage you read.

Thus, your reading will be productive, and very soon you will achieve good results in working with English vocabulary.

Learning English can be a daunting task. There are many ways to help overcome various problems related to grammar, spelling, pronunciation and even. One of them is the method of active reading. The more you read texts in English, the more your understanding of the English language develops. And as a result, the faster you will learn to read and speak English. Independent reading is quite effective, besides it strongly motivates to study. When you read on your own, and not with a teacher, you yourself choose texts that will certainly be of interest to you, in contrast to the texts proposed by the teacher. As a result, you will read more willingly and, accordingly, memorize more new words.

English are useful teaching tools, but newspapers, magazines and books in English can be equally useful. From them you will find popular English expressions, phrases, grammatical constructions and words that will greatly expand your vocabulary.

What is reading for?

Reading in English is one of better ways replenish vocabulary. The context of articles, stories and dialogues helps to reveal and understand the meanings English words that you encounter for the first time. Also, with the help of reading, you repeat already familiar words, thereby better remembering them.

Reading helps to concentrate thinking in English. When you read books in English, hundreds of English words, set phrases, and grammatical structures are deposited in your memory. They will come in handy later on writing and in exercise. Over time, you will stop thinking every time which tense form of the verb to use, how to punctuate, 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, and this can serve as a model for your own writing. Regular reading stimulates the imagination and creativity, helps to learn to write more meaningfully and original.

If you want to become an experienced, "skillful" reader, it is advisable to read and translate at least a few pages a day. If you do not have enough free time for this, take books, magazines and newspapers with you on the road, read on public transport or in a long queue. Starting to read every day, after a while you will learn to look into the dictionary less and less, and then completely abandon it.

Free lesson on the topic:

Irregular Verbs English: table, rules and examples

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Reading is an activity that can be interesting for anyone age groups and students with any level of English proficiency.

Texts for children

English texts for children are usually limited to a small list of topics understandable to any student and child. As a rule, these are simple, sometimes funny and funny stories about animals, family members, nature, 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 for students. Beginner levels(beginner) and Elementary (elementary). 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 children's texts; here we use the same base words and expressions. As for grammar, tense forms of verbs, compound and compound words, subordinate clauses begin to appear here.

Texts of medium complexity

English texts of medium complexity already include a large list of topics: professions, work, study, relationships with family and friends, music, art, history, social problems, invented stories. It uses complex vocabulary, there are professional terms, 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 constructions in texts of medium complexity - almost all of them can be found here, with the exception of the most complex and obsolete ones.

There is a myth that only English speakers can read original books. But today you will be convinced that even a beginner is able to master literary work and understand its meaning (especially if these are adapted books in English for beginners). In addition, you can always click on an unfamiliar word and see its translation.

Why is it so important to read books at an elementary level?

First, reading books guarantees a deeper immersion in the language than texts from textbooks.
Secondly, this is a huge plus for self-esteem and motivation, which is very important for further language learning.
And, finally, this is one of the easiest and most interesting activities, if the appropriate literature is selected.

That's why we found for you the best adapted versions of foreign works(just follow the links). All books have been rewritten by professional linguists and significantly reduced: the average volume of a simplified version is about 10-20 pages, which is quite realistic to read in one evening.

A story about the friendship of two smart mice from France and Great Britain, who are concerned about the fate of Shakespeare's cultural heritage. This book uses direct speech a lot, which means you won't have problems speaking English in the future.

by Mark Twain (beginner - 7 pages)

It's hard to find someone who hasn't heard about the thrilling adventures of Tom Sawyer. And reading about them in the original is even more fun. The vocabulary of the story is suitable even for those who "yesterday" began to learn English.

by Sally M. Stockton (elementary - 6 pages)

An ageless tale of a brave archer who fights for justice. After reading the book, you can watch one of the many film adaptations.

by Andrew Mathews (elementary - 6 pages)

A beautiful story about a teenage girl, Susie, living in the shadow of her more attractive friend Donna. Susie hates her freckles and thinks they make her look ugly. Find out how the story ends and whether Susie's attitude towards herself will change.

by John Escott (elementary - 8 pages)

In our selection there was a place for a story about ghosts. The author has a very bright style of narration, so it is difficult to break away from the story. So, you can easily master 8 pages in one go.

by Mark Twain (elementary - 9 pages)

Another work of Mark Twain in our selection will delight you with the story of Huckleberry Finn. A great chance to remember your childhood. The adapted version of this children's book is a real boon for the beginner!

More than ten pages - success! Simple books in English for beginners

by Peter Benchley (elementary - 12 pages)

An adapted version of the famous "Jaws" - a novel about a great white shark attacking vacationers in a resort town (brrr, horror!). The long, common sentences may make the book difficult for the elementary level, but we believe that 12 pages is no problem for you.

by Lewis Carroll (elementary - 13 pages)

A wonderful opportunity to once again be in Wonderland and learn the names of the characters in English. The book is read very quickly and easily - tested on my own experience in elementary school.

by Jack London (elementary - 15 pages)

A heartbreaking story about the life of a dog during the gold rush. The book focuses on the relationship between man and animals. In my opinion, this work is one of the best in our selection in terms of plot and style of writing.

by Roger Lancelyn Green (elementary - 16 pages)

A great opportunity to get acquainted with the exploits of King Arthur and the famous knights of the round table. Welcome to the era of the English Middle Ages.

For those who are serious. Reading books in English for beginners

The second story by Arthur Conan Doyle, dedicated to the investigations of Sherlock Holmes. In the simplified version of the work, the beauty of the story and the mystery of this detective story are perfectly preserved.

by Elizabeth Gaskell (pre-intermediate - 51 pages)

The novel "North and South" describes the confrontation between manufacturers and aristocrats during the industrial revolution in England. The book will appeal not only to fans of the romantic classics performed by Jane Austen, but also to those who like historical works.