Short English stories - adapted and original. For beginners, advanced and advanced. For those who are just starting to learn English or those who do not want to forget it. The best stories from English and American writers with gripping plots are especially suitable for those who are learning English on their own.

If you have looked at this page, dear reader, then you want to read something in English. You can choose book, story or short work, and at the same time watch its film adaptation. Let's travel together in time, say, to the XVIII century, get acquainted with the era, its typical characters, and at the same time with the greatest writers who lived at that time. They speak to us in a few centuries, putting words into the mouths of the heroes of their works. A good book is a relative concept. After all, we have different tastes, so you will find different works on our website. However, one thing is certain - all the books that we offer are worthy of reading them. It's not easy best books in English- this is classics of English and American literature. So, we open the book and go to another world. Don't get lost!

Everyone knows that laughter is the best cure for stress. Combine business with pleasure: Read these funny short stories and have fun practicing your English.

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

It was 7 years ago.
I was on my way to work.

I already drove up to the office, but I broke the rules road traffic- crossed the double solid line.
And there was just a traffic police officer.
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 listening and cannot say anything.

Then he laughed and said: "Girl, smile, you are so upset, I should have somehow made you laugh / cheer up", and then 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’s 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 people who have a lot of money are never satisfied and want to have more money all the time."
"As for me," he thought, if I had only enough for food, I would not 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 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,” the poor man replied. He quickly opened his bag and diamonds fell into his bag. The bag was getting heavy.
"Enough?" asked Destiny.
“Not yet,” the man replied, his hands trembling.
“You are the richest man in the world,” said Destiny.
"Yet! A bit more!" said the poor man.
At that moment, another diamond fell into an overflowing bag.
The bag slipped from the hands of the poor man and fell to the ground, and the diamonds became dust at the same moment.
Fate vanished, 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 traveling 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 renowned detective; in fact, he was the most famous detective of all time.
The author of the stories of Sherlock Holmes 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, to the hotel, where he was going to spend the night. The driver brought him to the hotel. When he received his fare, he said:
"Thank you so much Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."
"How do you know who I am?" Sir Arthur asked. He was very surprised.
“Well, sir, yesterday I read in the newspaper that you are going to Paris from the south of France. I also noticed that you have a haircut by a hairdresser in the south of France.
Your clothes and especially your hat say you are English. I put all these facts together and realized that you are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
“Excellent,” said Sir Arthur. "You were able to get to know me knowing very few facts."
“Besides,” added the cab, “your name is on both of your travel bags. It 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 ax. "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 ax. 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 ax, 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.
"Ouch! I've lost my ax, ”he exclaimed. "What should I do? Who can help me?"
Mercury heard the cries of the poor man and stood before him.
"What happened, poor fellow?" - 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 raised a golden ax. "Is this your ax?" - he asked. “No, it’s not mine,” was the answer from the woodcutter. Mercury dived a second time, and this time he raised the silver ax. "It's your?" - he asked. Again the answer was no. Mercury dived a third time and picked up the ax that the woodcutter had lost. “This is my ax,” the poor man exclaimed. “Yes, this is my ax. Now I can work again. "

Mercury was so pleased with his friend's honesty that he immediately gave him a gift from 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 went to the same place, dropped the ax into the river and shouted: “Oops! I lost my ax. What should I do? Who can help me?"
Mercury appeared as before, and when he learned that the man had lost the ax, he dived into the river. He raised the golden ax. Is this your ax? - he asked.
"Yes, it's mine," replied the woodcutter. "You are not telling the truth," said Mercury.
You will not 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

A long time ago, there was an elderly woman in England. She had a son who was a sailor. He traveled to different countries and always brought gifts to his old mother.

Once 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 woman was very happy to have such a nice present. But she didn’t know what to do with this 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 taste this tea. Finally the day of the tea party came. The woman called her guests into the dining room and placed a large platter 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 nobody told the old woman about it, but 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?" - asked the son, laughing.
“Of course I poured it out,” her 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. A bus conductor approached them and asked them to pay for the fare. Holding out one shilling, the woman says, "I need one ticket to Oxford."

Looking at the child, the conductor asked his mother: "How old are you, young man?"
The woman started to speak, but the conductor stopped her and the boy said: "At home I am four years old, and on buses and trains I am 2.5".

The woman took another sixpence from the bag and handed 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 MPs told him that the actor could also easily enter parliament.
“No thanks,” the actor replied.
"I would rather 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 large and had dirty paws. The woman asked: "The conductor, can a dog sit on a seat, like other passengers, if I pay for her fare?"
The conductor looked at the dog and replied: "Of course, madam, the dog can sit, but it, like all passengers, should not sit with its 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 at a large school in an American city. She had boys and girls in her class, whom she loved to teach. they grasped everything on the fly and carefully studied the material. Once she said to the children:
“People of many Asian countries wear white clothes for the funeral, while in America and Europe we wear white clothes for the holiday when we are happy. What color will a girl wear clothes in our country when she gets married? "
“White, Miss, because she is happy,” Maria replied.
“Okay, Mary,” 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 we have men wear black clothes when they get married?"

Translated texts are the next step after mastering basic vocabulary and basic grammar rules in any language, including English.
Most often, the so-called parallel texts are used: this means that the English part in them is accompanied by a Russian translation. It can be read like this:

1. First read in full English version and then Russian
2. Read and translate in snippets

The second option is preferable for beginners.

Topical English texts for beginners

Most Popular Text Themes:

• biography and stories about myself
• everyday life (at home, in the family, at a party)
• urban society (shopping, streets, transport, institutions, etc.)
• employment and business
• health, sports
• nature, animals
• trips, excursions, travel
• politics and journalism
• culture (books, films, exhibitions, etc.)
• abstract topics (religion, psychology, philosophy, discussions where one's attitude to something is expressed), etc.

The topic is listed in order of increasing difficulty. For beginners, it is best to use the initial topics of the list and then gradually complicate the texts.

Sample parallel text with translation

The young man is preparing to pass an interview with the director of the company and has prepared the following text in English:

I am the beginning programmer. I am interested in only technique and computers during all my life. Mechanical cars and planes were always my favorite toys, and physics and mathematics were my favorite subjects. When the first computer had appeared when I was 10, it replaced everything. I sat in front of it all days and nights, having forgotten about sleep. I could play and communicate with friends continuously. When I had grown up, it became interesting for me how these games and programs were created. Soon I came to believe that programming is that unique area which is really important for me. I entered the university on the specialty of programming after school. Learning was not easy, but it was justified for my interest. I made my first website at once after I had graduated the university. Then information technologies became interesting for me and I even finished an Internet class on this subject by dint of the one international educational platform. I believe the protection of information against hacker intrusions is the main problem of our time today. When I have found that a programmer in this area is required to your company, I was very happy, as your company is doing high technologies. The robotics connects my childhood memories with dream of the future. I 'm going to register in courses of lectures on a robotics, incidentally. I think, it will expand my opportunities and I would be still more valued and preferable employee for you.

Translating to Russian language:

I am an aspiring programmer. All my life I was only interested in technology and computers. Mechanical cars and airplanes have always been my toys, and my favorite subjects at school were physics and mathematics. And when, at the age of 10, I got my first computer, it replaced everything. I sat behind him day and night, forgetting about sleep. I could continuously play and chat with friends. As I grew up, I became interested in how these games and programs are created with the help of which all this works. I soon came to the conviction that programming is the only area that really matters to me. After high school, I entered the university, majoring in programming. It was not easy to study, but it was justified by my interest. Immediately after graduation, I made my first website. Then I became interested information technology, and even completed an online course on this topic using one international educational platform. I believe that protecting information from hacker intrusions today is the main problem of our time.

When I found out that your company needs a programmer in this area, I was very happy because your company is engaged in high technologies. Robotics connects my childhood memories with a future dream. By the way, I'm going to enroll in a lecture course on robotics. I think this will expand my capabilities and make me an even more valuable and preferred employee for you.

Look for more ready-made texts in English.

Many teachers include independent extracurricular reading in their curriculum. Some people ask to read passages from classics or adapted versions of books, but short stories that can be printed and distributed to students are much better for this purpose, so that they do not have to buy the whole book. After all, everyone knows that reading interesting, correctly selected texts in English is the most effective way to expand your vocabulary. This is done as follows - as a homework assignment, the student receives a short story in English, which he needs to read, translate and comprehend several times. Some teachers also provide audio texts that allow, in addition to new words, to memorize the correct pronunciation. After appropriate work with the story, the student should be able to retell the plot of the work during the lesson, answer questions and take part in the discussion of the content of the story read.
Such work requires a huge amount of short and most importantly interesting texts in English. Many responsible educators spend an incredible amount of time finding short stories in English that meet these criteria. The found works should, among other things, also be suitable for the level of language proficiency, and of course, as we noted earlier, arouse interest in reading. As a result, you have to look through dozens or even thousands of articles, stories and books to collect a collection of interesting short texts to read.
On this page, we will post links to selected for a long time short texts in English for beginners and those who are improving their level for downloading and reading online. Thus, those who master the language themselves and want to read interesting works in English, as well as teachers who are preparing for classes, will be able to quickly download small articles, stories and short stories in English without wasting time on long searches for material for classes and study.

Texts in English are divided into several categories:

Some of them are also equipped with audio recordings, which can be downloaded along with the story. Most are adapted, but not all. The content of the texts is quite different in terms of topics, it can be both informational articles from the BBC, and individual episodes from the works of Mark Twain, O. Henry, Charles Dickens, Jack London, or short stories of little known British and American authors.
The list of materials is regularly updated with new works!
Read with pleasure! After all, the enjoyment of the learning process is the key to getting the results you want as soon as possible.

Some users are looking for a specific story in English, on a specific topic, for example, about themselves or their family, and do not find them in this section. The fact is that such stories are usually called essays in English or and are located in another section of our website. Also on our website you can download collection of topics in English and choose the themes that are right for you.

In addition, you may be interested in complexities, from very simple 200-300 words to more difficult 2-4 thousand unique words.

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Learning English can be challenging. 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 your understanding of English develops. As a result, the faster you learn to read and speak English. Self-reading quite effective, moreover, it is highly motivating to learn. When you read on your own, and not with a teacher, you yourself choose the texts that will certainly be of interest to you, in contrast to the texts suggested by the teacher. As a result, you will read more willingly and, accordingly, memorize more new words.

English are useful learning tools, but newspapers, magazines and books in English can be just as useful. From them you will learn 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 identify and understand 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, fixed phrases, and grammatical constructions are stored in your memory. Later they will be useful to you in writing and in doing exercises. Over time, you will stop thinking every time what 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, helps to learn to write more meaningful 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 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. After starting to read every day, after a while you will learn to look less and less in the dictionary, and then completely abandon it.

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Reading is an activity that can be of interest to all age groups and students of any level of English proficiency.

Texts for children

English texts for children are usually limited to a small list of topics that any student and child can understand. As a rule, these are simple, sometimes funny and amusing, stories about animals, family members, nature, and surrounding objects. English texts for children use the simplest vocabulary and short sentences... These stories are easy to follow 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 children's texts; the same basic words and phrases are used here. As for grammar, here the temporal forms of verbs, complex and compound words, subordinate clauses begin to appear.

Medium difficulty texts

English texts of medium difficulty already include a long list of topics: professions, work, study, relationships with family and friends, music, art, history, social problems, invented stories. Difficult vocabulary is used here, there are professional terms, but in general the themes 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 outdated ones.