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Enjoy a variety of short stories in English by famous and lesser-known writers, grouped by category to suit your mood. Find witty, introspective, moral, other-worldly, feel-good, dramatic, and political stories to read in five minutes or less.
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.
Browse and read thousands of short stories in various genres and categories, submitted by writers to weekly writing contests. Sign in with Google to join the contests, follow authors, and win prizes.
- 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.
Read entertaining short stories in English that were written for pre-intermediate to advanced learners. Each story has interactive exercises to help you improve your reading fluency, comprehension and vocabulary.
Read short stories in English with vocabulary help and quizzes. Choose from different levels and genres, from classic stories to contemporary tales.
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Enjoy a collection of 160 short stories from various authors, genres and periods. Find classics like The Tell-Tale Heart, The Necklace, The Open Window and more.
