Welcome to ESL Reading Generic_A6_colour

Free graded reading materials for English language learners

New:

True Stories:

Did that really happen?

Funny news stories for English language learners first published in Ming Pao Daily

Flying Monkey
Elvis Lives
Lightning Strikes
How fast is your wheelchair?
Raining Cows
Wrong Number
The Perfect Pet?

Longer Stories

The Marble Finger by Edith Nesbit
Why do the locals fear the two marble statues in a country church?

Classic horror story from the writer of 'The Railway Children.

ESL Reading level guide - Pre-Intermediate

The Signalman by Charles Dickens

A man was standing by the red light near the tunnel. ‘‘Look out!" he was calling. "Hello! You down there! Look out!'’

Print friendly PDF version has a glossary, activities and notes. With links to text & audio recording of original.

ESL Reading level guide - Intermediate (some unfamiliar vocab but within narrow range). Length: 2,535 words

The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson
A strange tale of grave robbing and murder in 1820's Edinburgh.

ESL Reading guide - Intermediate (long but story easy to follow). Length: 3,374 words

The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
Classic adventure story in print friendly PDF version (two parts)

ESL Reading guide - Intermediate (IIllustrations & glossary will help comprehension of difficult vocabulary).

Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell - Advanced
Simplified version of the complete text (pdf) here.

Extract here

You can read the complete unabridged, unsimplified text here.

The English Language
The Story of The Beatles
The Story of Football.