Online Reading & Listening for English-learners

 

INTRODUCTION


The best way to improve your English is to read and listen to as much easy-to-understand English as possible. If you want to learn more about learning English by reading and listening, take a minute to read two short articles that I have written called The Importance of Easy and The Secrets of Learning English.


Here is a list of places on the Internet where I have found good reading and listening for English learners. Look around. Find something interesting. Start reading and listening. Have fun. And improve your English!


If you have questions or comments, please send an e-mail to warren@successfulenglish.com.


THE LIST


All Levels / Lit2Go  / Read & Listen


  1. Lit2Go is a free collection of stories and poems from the Florida Educational Technology Clearinghouse.  The stories and poems are graded – from easy to difficult. You can read and listen to them on your computer or download them to your iPod or mp3 player.


All Levels / American Short Stories from VOA / Read & Listen


  1. These are simplified short stories by American authors from the Voice of America. Some of them are no longer available on the VOA web site, but you can still find them in the VOA archives. Some are easy; others are more difficult. Stories with small numbers are easier; stories with large numbers are harder.


  1. My students and I have enjoyed The Gift of the Magi, To Build a Fire, and The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County, and The Cask of Amontillado. Here is a list of the stories:


A Horseman in the Sky, Ambrose Bierce - 4.6

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Ambrose Bierce - 2.5

Paul’s Case, part 1, Willa Cather - 4.0

Paul’s Case, part 2, Willa Cather - 4.3

The Return of a Private, Hamlin Garland - 3.5

Feathertop, Nathaniel Hawthorne - 4.0

Rappaccini’s Daughter, part 1, Nathaniel Hawthorne - 4.8

Rappaccini’s Daughter, part 2, Nathaniel Hawthorne - 4.5

The Ambitious Guest, Nathaniel Hawthorne - 4.7

A Municipal Report, O. Henry - 3.8

The Gift of the Magi, O. Henry - 3.6

The Devil and Tom Walker, Washington Irving - 3.7

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving - 4.2

The White Heron, Sarah Orne Jewett - 4.0

John Henry, traditional story - 4.5

Keesh, Jack London - 2.1

The God of His Fathers, Jack London - 3.2

The Law of Life, Jack London - 2.0

The Story of an Eyewitness, Jack London - 4.6

To Build a Fire, Jack London - 2.3

Bartleby, Herman Melville - 3.3

Benito Cereno, part 1, Herman Melville - 5.0

Benito Cereno, part 2, Herman Melville - 5.8

Benito Cereno, part 3, Herman Melville - 5.4

Paul Bunyon, traditional story - 4.5

The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allen Poe - 3.6

The Diamond Lens, part 1, Fitz-James O’Brien - 4.6

The Diamond Lens, part 2, Fitz-James O’Brien - 4.4

Luck, Mark Twain - 5.0

The Californian’s Tale, Mark Twain - 2.7

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County, Mark Twain - 4.9

The Line of Least Resistance, Edith Wharton - 4.1


Low Intermediate and Higher / Marvel Comics / Read


  1. Reading comics is an excellent way for you to improve your English ability. The pictures help you understand the story so you can absorb, or pick up, more English. Marvel Comics recently began to make their comics available online. About 2500 comics are available now, and Marvel is adding about 20 new comics each week. The only bad news: you have to subscribe to them. Fortunately, a subscription costs only about $5.00 a month.


Intermediate / VOA Special English  / Read & Listen


  1. The Voice of America provides news and special features with easy-to-understand English for English learners. You can read and listen to them on your computer or download them to your iPod or mp3 player.


Intermediate, Advanced / ESL Podcast / Read & Listen


  1. The ESL Podcast is the possibly the best source for reading and listening on the Internet. It is produced by Dr. Jeff McQuillan and Dr. Lucy Tse, leading experts on language development.

  2. Each week they create two new podcasts about interesting aspects of American life and culture. Each podcast begins with a short conversation at slow speed. After the conversation, Dr. McQuillan clearly explains the ideas and language used in the conversation. At the end of the podcast, the conversation is repeated at normal speed.

  3. Once a week, Dr. McQuillan hosts a podcast called The English Cafe. In The English Cafe, he answers questions about English and life in the United States.

  4. Each podcast is accompanied by a 10-12 page study guide that you can download and print. You can subscribe to the study guide on the ESL Podcast web site.

NEW! / Intermediate, Advanced / ESL Podcast Blog / Read


  1. Several times a week, Dr. Jeff McQuillan and Dr. Lucy Tse write interesting articles and answer questions from listeners to the ESL Podcast. Improve your English and learn more about life in the United States from these interesting, helpful, and easy-to-understand blog entries. Read the Blog here or subscribe to it here.


NEW! / Intermediate, Advanced / Improve Your English and Learn More about Life in the U.S. / Read & Listen, some Video


  1. The California Distance Learning Project is a great way to learn about life in the U.S. - working, law & government, family, school, health & safety, housing, money, science & technology, services, going places, and nature. This is an excellent large collection of interesting topics for reading, listening, and viewing. Click on the pictures to go to each area.


  1. Here is a study plan for using this web site.


NEW! / Intermediate, Advanced / VOA Special English: A TV show you can understand! / Read & Listen


  1. Voice of America (VOA) Special English now has a weekly, easy-to-understand TV show. Here is Dr. Jeff McQuillan’s introduction to the TV show on the ESL Podcast blog.


Intermediate, Advanced / LoudLit.org / Read & Listen


  1. LoudLit.org calls itself “literature for your eyes and ears”. It is a growing collection of stories that you can read and listen to on your computer or download to your iPod or mp3 player.


Intermediate, Advanced / Reader’s Digest True Stories / Read & Listen


  1. The Reader’s Digest is a popular American magazine that is published in many different languages. Their True Stories are especially interesting. Some of them are for reading; others are for reading and listening.


  1. Use this link to go to the True Story page. Then use the menu on the left side of the page to find stories on different topics, such as action & adventure, drama, inspiration, heartwarming, true crime, everyday miracles, and weird & wacky. The True Stories are probably best for high intermediate English learners.


High Intermediate, Advanced / National Geographic / Read, some Video


  1. The Internet ediition of this popular magazine contains interesting articles and wonderful photography about the life we share on planet Earth - people, places, animals, history, and more.


High Intermediate, Advanced / U.S. News & World Report / Read


  1. This is a good weekly news magazine. Click on the picture of the magazine cover (on the left side of the home page) to see a list of articles.


High Intermediate, Advanced / Time / Read


  1. This is the daily Internet edition of a popular weekly news magazine.


NEW! / High Intermediate, Advanced / The Smithsonian / Read, some Video


  1. High-interest magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution. Content includes history and archaeology, people and places, science and nature, arts and culture, and travel. Includes both text and video content.


Advanced / iTunes U / Listen, some Reading, some Video


  1. iTunes U provides many hours of free, interesting lectures, interviews, and special features from leading American universities and colleges, like Stanford, Duke, MIT, and Berkeley. These are best for advanced English learners. They are especially good for students who want to become familiar with academic English. For more information about using iTunes U, read my article, Prepare for Academic English at iTunes U.


NEW! / Advanced / The Atlantic / Read, some Listen & Video


  1. The Atlantic Monthly - also known as The Atlantic - is an American magazine that began in Boston in 1857. The Atlantic was originally created as a literary and cultural magazine. Today it is a more general magazine that focuses on foreign affairs, politics, the economy, and cultural trends. The web site includes text and multimedia content, such as audio, video, and slideshows.



Advanced / TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) - inspiring video talks. / Video, some Reading


  1. You can explore this exciting collection by theme - like Master Story Tellers - talk title, or speaker. And now you can find talks rated inspiring, funny, and jaw-dropping (amazing). Listen to brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor describe her personal experience with a massive stroke (when the brain doesn’t get enough blood). Or listen to deaf Scotch percussionist Evelyn Glennie talk about how to listen. My students loved her!


  1. Some of these may contain difficult language, but upper intermediate and advanced English learners will be able to understand a lot of them. Some of them include transcripts (a printed copy of the talk)


Advanced / VOA English VOA-in-Depth American Life Series / Read & Listen


  1. The American Life Series has many interesting articles on a wide variety of topics for more advanced English learners. You can listen to them and read them on your computer or download them to your iPod or mp3 player.