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May 9, 2024 · These 34 easy English short stories will make you think while expanding your English vocabulary! Check out these engaging short reads for long-term English language learning. Don't be fooled by their length—these classic fables and award-winning short stories in English prove that you can pack big ideas into few words.
Today, we would like to share with you 101 short stories that you can use for learning English. Before we start, we need to know why learn English through short stories. With English stories, you can: Understand deeper and broaden understanding. Know more vocals and how they are used in real contexts.
Reading short stories in English is a great way to improve your language level. In this section, read our short stories that were specially written for English language learners. There are two sections, one for lower level learners (A2/B1) and one for higher levels (B2/C1).
- Washington Irving, “Rip Van Winkle” (1819) and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1820) I agonized over whether I should pick “Rip Van Winkle” or “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” from Irving’s oeuvre.
- Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” (1843) Poe’s early stream-of-consciousness horror story, unreliable narrator and heart beating under the floorboards and all, is certainly one of the most adapted—and even more often referenced—short stories in popular culture, and which may or may not be the source for all of the hundreds of stories in which a character is tormented by a sound only they can hear.
- Herman Melville, “Bartleby, the Scrivener” (1853) Once, while I was walking in Brooklyn, carrying my Bartleby tote bag, a woman in an SUV pulled over (on Atlantic Avenue, folks) to excitedly wave at me and yell “Melville!
- Ambrose Bierce, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (1890) I will leave it to Kurt Vonnegut, who famously wrote, “I consider anybody a twerp who hasn’t read the greatest American short story, which is “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” by Ambrose Bierce.
- Short Stories from Reedsy Prompts
- Who Writes Reedsy’S Short Stories?
- Discover Short Stories of All Genres and Subjects
Short stories may be small, but they are mighty! With the weight of a novel stripped away, great short stories strike directly at the heart of their topics. Often maligned as the novel’s poor cousin, the short story medium has produced some of the most beloved works of fiction. From the eerily-accurate predictions of Ray Bradbury to the spine-chill...
Here at Reedsy, we're looking to foster the next generation of beloved authors. To that end, we've been running a weekly writing contest for over six years — and these short stories are the thousands of entries we've received over that time. Our writers come to the contest from all experience levels to hone their skills through consistent practice ...
Centered around themed writing prompts, these short stories range across all forms, genres, and topics of interest. Simply filter by the genre that appeals you most, and discover thousands of stories from promising new writers around the world. Maybe you want to read something new, but don’t want to choose a genre? We’ve gathered our favorite entri...
The following short stories are well known, classic stories in the public domain, all with WordChecker to help with vocabulary. For ESL learners. Each of these three short stories in British English includes vocabulary help, vocabulary quiz and comprehension quiz.
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Do you enjoy reading stories? In this section, read our entertaining short stories specially written for pre-intermediate (CEFR level A2) or intermediate (CEFR level B1) learners. You will improve your reading fluency and comprehension and develop your vocabulary.
