Reading in English. Adapted texts in English. Fiction for Easy Reading in English

In this article, we offer you simple texts in English for beginners with sound and translation. If you have already mastered, then it will not be difficult for you to read them.

The lyrics are written by a native English speaker with an Australian accent, the so-called aussie. Listen carefully, follow the text with your eyes, try to catch not only sounds, but intonation, rhythm, stress. Listen several times (the more the better), then start repeating after the speaker, and try to copy exactly all the shades of her speech.

We highly recommend reading an article on the topic, where, in particular, there are some practical useful tips from a very successful young polyglot Luca Lampariello on how to read texts in English correctly for beginners.

1. I am happy - I'm happy

2. Texts in English for beginners on the topic: What is it? - What is this?

I want to tell you a little about my family. My family is quite large. I have a mother, father, sister and brother. There are five of us in our family. My mother is 42 but she looks younger. She is not tall, but slim. Her hair is blonde and curly. Her eyes are grey. She is a doctor. She is very kind. My father is strong and handsome. His hair is dark and straight. His eyes are brown. My father is a programmer. It can also do many different things. He always helps us with our homework. I have an older sister. She is 19 and she is a student. She loves to cook and read. She looks like my father. She has many boyfriends. My little brother is only 12. Sometimes he is noisy, but mostly he is a very friendly boy. I am 16. I like to play football and listen to music. I am like my mother. I also have blond, curly hair and gray eyes. After I finish school I would also like to be a doctor and help people. We have grandparents. They live in the village. They don't work, they are retired. Sometimes they come to visit us and every summer we visit them and spend our holidays with them.

4 Appearance

We have a head, a face, two arms, two hands, a body with two shoulders, chest and belly, two legs, two knees and two feet. We have hair and two ears on our head. We have two eyes, a nose, a mouth on our face. We have 32 teeth and we have our tongue in our mouth. Our hair can be dark or light, straight or curly, long or short. Our eyes can be blue, green, brown, gray or yellow. We can have long or short, strong or weak arms and legs. We can be tall or short, thin or fat. Our skin can be white, yellow, brown or black.

We can be old or young. A man can be good-looking, or handsome. A woman can be very pretty, or beautiful. How would you describe yourself? I am not very tall, not very short. I'm not very old, but my hair is almost grey. I have blue eyes. My nose is straight. My ears are small. My face is a little tanned because I am often outside. What about you? How would you describe yourself?

5. Where are you from - Where are you from?

Where are you from?
I'm from Russia. And you?
I am from Germany. And you?
I am from Italy. And she?
She is from France. And he?
He is from Spain. And they?
They are from the Czech Republic.

We are from different countries, but we all want to learn English, don't we?
By the way, do you know where English is the native language? It is native to the UK, Ireland, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, in Ghana and the second national language in India.
English is now the most influential language in the world, spoken by more than a billion people on our planet.

Simple texts in English for beginners - a collection of short stories

What is the first thing a child is taught when he comes to school? Of course, the alphabet, and then reading and writing. Any teaching of a foreign language begins with the same. Is it possible to speak English without mastering the literacy? Yes, if you fully immerse yourself in language environment. But even under such ideal conditions as living in an English-speaking country, you will still feel like a child in the company of adults. Without a decent knowledge of English, it is not easy not only to live in an English-speaking country, but also to travel the world. Even the airport is much easier to navigate for those who know how to read English.

So, it is clear that in order to master the language, you will definitely need to learn how to read. Any foreign course is built in such a way that in the first lessons you learn the alphabet and pronunciation. At the initial stages, of course, you will need to make an effort to remember how certain letters and letter combinations are read. But having mastered English literacy in the first lessons, you can easily voice any text, even filled with unfamiliar words.

How to learn to read English correctly. Some Tips

Learn to read in Englishcan be different. Someone resorts to the help of transcription. Others write down the pronunciation of English words using Russian letters. There are people who like to read aloud a lot. And someone focuses on audio files. In fact, all methods are good in their own way. When learning to read, it is not enough to learn letters, diphthongs and remember all the rules. In this matter, constant practice is important. Here are some tips to help you develop your skillsreading in english:

• Learn to listen to English speech. Oddly enough, but the ability to hear what the British and Americans say directly affects our ability to read. On initial stage very useful are adapted books provided with discs containing audio recordings of the texts themselves. Having before your eyes the text that the announcer reads, you learn to read correctly on a subconscious level.
• Try to read every day. Make it a rule to read English books for at least 20-30 minutes every day. Choose books according to your level of language proficiency. At the initial stage, you can read fairy tales and short stories. And in order to develop spoken language skills, it is also useful to occasionally look at English-language periodicals and blogs.
• Get used to writing in English. As you know, reading and writing are directly related. One follows from the other. If a manreads in englishat a decent level, then he will most likely state his thought on paper very competently. Acquaintance with native speakers is one of the most accessible and effective ways improve reading and writing skills. Communication in modern society often based on correspondence in chats and social networks. Therefore, having met a native speaker, you yourself will not notice how correspondence in English will become part of Everyday life. Introverts can be advised to keep a diary, which will be filled with entries in English.
• Teach English tongue twisters and poems. For example: Whether the weather be fine, or whether the weather be not. Whether the weather be cold, or whether the weather be hot. We "ll weather the weather whether we like it or not (The weather will be good or the weather will not be good. The weather will be cold or the weather will be hot. We will withstand any weather, whether we like it or not). Tongue twisters help practice the pronunciation of complex sounds. Poems enrich vocabulary.
• Practice your pronunciation. Spend time practicing those sounds that are unusual for Russian speakers. For example, the combination th is not given to every student the first time. And of course the easiest way to learn correct pronunciation- is to listen to the dialogues and monologues of native speakers. Modern TV series with English subtitles help to deliver the correct speech.

Reading in English. Alphabet

Suppose you wantlearn to read english from scratch. In this case, you will have to start from the very beginning, that is, from the alphabet, consisting of 26 letters.

English alphabet (alphabet)

There are 20 consonants and 6 vowels in English. Vowels include letters: A, E, I, O, U, Y.

In order to learn the alphabet faster, you can turn to children's songs. Bright cards with letters also help a lot.

There are a few letters in the English language that "behave" differently from the rest. So, almost all consonants in English make one sound. But X is an exception. This letter conveys two sounds at once. It is also worth paying attention to the last character in English alphabet. The pronunciation of Z depends on whether we are dealing with the British or American version of the language. In the first case, the letter is read as, in the second - as.

Also, the pronunciation of the letter R is very different between Americans and British. In the UK, this is a long sound a. In the American alphabet - ar.

Transcription

Read in Englishit will be much easier if you learn transcription, which is a system of signs used to record sounds. Since this or that letter may sound differently depending on what signs surround it, it can be difficult for a foreigner to read some words correctly without transcription. However, in Lately many students refuse to memorize the symbols of English phonetics. Indeed, thanks to the Internet, today you can easily listen to how the right word is read.

How to readconsonants

Remember, how to read in englishconsonants, quite simply. The fact is that you can easily find analogues in Russian for many consonant sounds. For example, the English Mm is, in fact, the familiar M[Em]. And in the word lemon, the pronunciation of the consonant L is similar to the Russian L. Also, analogues in our language can be found with the consonants N, B, F, Z.

The pronunciation of the letter C depends on what characters it is adjacent to. If C is followed by the vowels I, E, Y, then it will be read as [s]. For example, in the word cinema (cinema). Before other vowels, C reads like [k]: come (come), camel (camel), cake (cake).

The consonants T and D in English are very similar to Russian T and D, only they are most often pronounced with a breath. But the letter Q will always be accompanied by a vowel U. The letter combination Qu is pronounced like. For example, in the word queen (queen). The consonant G before the vowels I, E, Y will be read as [j] -. For example, orange (orange), badge (icon). Before all other letters, G is pronounced like [g]: game (game), gale (storm).

Another letter unusual for the Russian language is Jj, which is always pronounced as. This consonant is very common in the names of representatives English speaking countries: Jack (Jack), James (James), Jane (Jane).

Below we provide a list of all English consonants with transcription:

Bb-[b]

Cc - [s] or [k]

Dd-[d]

Gg - or [g]

Hh-[h]

jj-

Kk - [k]

Ll-[l]

mm - [m]

Nn-[n]

Pp-[p]

Qq-

Rr - [r]

Ss - [s] or [z]

Tt - [t]

Vv - [v]

Ww-[w]

xx - or

Zz - [z]

Vowels

Reading in English for Beginnersusually complicating is not consonants, which are often read in the same way as they sound in the alphabet, but vowels. There are only 6 vowels in English, but the problem is that each of them, depending on the position in the word, can have several reading options. Much is determined by whether the letter is in stressed or unstressed position. For stressed vowels, there are 4 types of syllable in English:

1. An open syllable is a syllable ending in a vowel or a consonant (with the exception of R) followed by a silent E. The stressed vowel in open syllable read as it is pronounced in the alphabet. For example, plane (plane), placement (room), he (he).
2. A closed syllable is a syllable that ends in one consonant (with the exception of r) or several consonants. The stressed vowel in such a syllable is transmitted in a short and clear sound. The vowel A is pronounced as the middle between e and a [æ]. For example, cat (cat). The letter O in stressed position in a closed syllable sounds like [ɒ] in the word dog (dog), E - like [e] (for example, ten - ten). The vowels Y and I in a closed syllable are pronounced like [i] (little - small, myth - myth). Finally, stressed letter U will be reminded somewhat slurred short sound and [ʌ] (cut - cut).
3. If a stressed vowel is followed by the consonant R alone or in combination with other consonants, then the vowels will be read as follows:

• a [ɑː] - long Russian sound a - park (park)
• o [ɔː] - lingering long Russian sound o - sport (sport)
• e [ɜː] - resembles the Russian sound ё in the word "honey" - fern (fern)
• y [ɜː] - byrd (bird)
• i [ɜː] - first (first)
• u [ɜː] - burn (burn)

1. If the consonant R follows the stressed vowel in combination with any vowel, then the syllables are broken down into diphthongs or triphthongs (complex sounds consisting of two or three letters pronounced as one). In this combination, the vowel A sounds like [ɛə]. For example, in the word fare (fare, fare). The vowel O in the fourth type of syllable will be pronounced as a long Russian sound O [ɔː]. An example here is the word more (more). The vowel E under stress is pronounced as something of a fusion between Russian I and A [ɪə], for example mere (only). Y and I with the fourth type of syllable are read as. For example, in the words fire (fire) and tire (tire). The letter U turns into a sound (during - during).

Learning to readconsonant diphthongs

At the initial stages of learning a foreign language, students will also need to find the answer to the question,how to read in englishdiphthongs. This term refers to combinations of two letters that give one sound.

Table of English diphthongs. Consonants

How to readvarious combinations of vowels?

If you are seriously wonderinghow to learn to read in english, you will also have to study diphthongs with vowels. Here are some of them:

1. ai, ay, ei, ey - - aim (goal, task)
2. ai - - air (air). Before consonant R
3. ae - [ɪ:] - aegis (patronage, aegis)
4. au - [o] - autumn (autumn)
5. ea, ee - [ɪ:] - meal (food). Only if the vowel is not followed by an R
6. ea, ee - [ɪə] - dear (dear). In position before R
7. ie - [ɪ:] - field (field).
8. oa - or - boat (boat)
9. oi, oy - - enjoy (enjoy)
10. oo or [u] or - moon (moon), book (book), poor (poor)
11. ou - - ground (earth). In the middle of a word

Silent consonants

Those who reads in englishfor quite a long time, they rarely remember all the rules for pronouncing diphthongs. And even more so in the process of reading, not everyone pays attention to the fact that some consonants are dumb. But at the initial stage of learning, it is important to remember that the following letters are not read in English:

• G and K before N at the beginning and end of a word. Foreign (foreign)
• B and N after M. Autumn (autumn)
• W before R. Wrong (wrong)
• P before N and S. Psychology (psychology)

Learn to read English from scratchyou can do it yourself. Do not try to cover everything at once, learn the sounds gradually. After you learn a diphthong or a letter, do not forget to fix the result by doing special exercises for pronunciation.

In fact, there are a lot of rules for reading in English and exceptions to them, we have considered only the main ones. True, it is not necessary to learn them all. As you memorize new words, memorize their pronunciation and spelling immediately. So you will not have an urgent need to master all the rules of reading.

The Sound Word service makes it easy to find out transcription, pronunciation and translation of English words online.

To use it, you need to enter a word and click "Search". After a short pause, he gives out a transcription English word, pronunciation and translation. For convenience, two options are offered: British and American. You can also listen to pronunciation options online.

What is transcription?

Phonetic transcription- this is a graphic recording of the sound of the word; pursues the goal of accurate graphic recording of pronunciation. Each individual sound must be separately recorded in the recording. Phonetic transcription is written in square brackets; special phonetic symbols are used for recording.

Why do we need transcription of English words?

Know English transcription healthy. This makes it easy to read and correctly pronounce an unfamiliar English word on your own, without outside help. It is enough to look into the dictionary or use online services. Everyone knows that reading English words is a rather specific process, based not on the “folding” of words from letters, but rather on the transformation of letter combinations into combinations of sounds. Of course, there are certain reading rules that you need to know and apply. But there are many more words that do not obey these rules. This is where transcription comes to the rescue, allowing you to find out the correct pronunciation of the English word, and, accordingly, its reading.

"Harry Potter" in English is read not only very easily, but much more interesting than in Russian. There is nothing to say about Alice in Wonderland: no matter how many talented translations there are, all puns can only be fully appreciated in the original. In general, reading in English is correct and useful. And we will help you choose a book for your level, so that it is also pleasant.

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The more that you know, the more places you'll go.

Dr. Seuss

Any English-speaking child will confirm: Dr. Seuss will not advise bad. If you love to read, but are afraid to start with a voluminous and full-bodied English novel, don't worry. Especially for educational purposes, publishing houses produce adapted books in English: for beginners, for the intermediate level, and so on. Yes, you will get a complete picture of the work of art a little later, but congratulate yourself on the first read English book You can already from the Elementary level!

1. Reading in English increases vocabulary

Reading on foreign language enriches lexicon even if we don't realize it ourselves. Of course, in order to learn new vocabulary more effectively, it is better to read a book, writing out unfamiliar words and memorizing their translation. When choosing books to read, be guided by your learning goals: if you need colloquial speech, pay attention to modern “light” prose, but if you want to master special vocabulary, the most obvious advice is to read literature from your professional interests.

2. Reading improves spelling

English spelling is full of mysteries and surprises. The spelling of many words defies logic: you just have to memorize. And the best way to do this is to read more English-language literature so that the images of words are stored in memory.

3. Reading expands your horizons

E-books and blogs, news sites and feeds social networks: reading in the twenty-first century has reached a new level. A single information space makes it possible to learn about what is happening in the most remote corners of the world, to join the world's cultural and scientific heritage.

4. Reading in the original language boosts self-esteem

Listen to how you feel when you finish the last page of your first English novel: the sweetest feeling. “She reads Orwell in the original” sounds proud! Any psychologist will tell you that motivation is important when performing any task. So do not miss the opportunity to praise yourself once again, this one is not at all superfluous! :)

How to choose a book to read

• Choose adapted books in English for your level (see the list of recommended books for levels A2-C1 later in the article).
• Choose works according to your ability: start with short stories, gradually moving to larger literary forms.
• The more exciting the learning, the more effective it is: try to find books that are interesting for you. Detectives, thrillers, mysticism are suitable - or any other topic that awakens your imagination and makes you read the book to the end.

Children's books in English

If you know only a few hundred words in English, pay attention to children's literature: many children's books are also interesting for adults. In addition, children's literature, as a rule, is generously provided with illustrations, which helps to understand the plot.

Fun Fact: famous children's writer Dr. Seuss, discussed earlier in our article, wrote his the best book The Cat in the Hat("The Cat in the Hat"), using only 220 words. This list of the first children's words was compiled by the publisher, obliging the author to use them in his work: everything to earn the love of the target audience!

Free English-language children's books can be found on the Internet. For example, on the KidsWorldFun resource.

Comics in English

Like children's literature, comics are a great way to start reading in a new language. There are a great many genres of comics: there are comics for children, for adults, entertaining and educational.

Film scripts in English

One of the tested and effective methods learning a new language, recommended by many polyglots - to read books in the target language that are already familiar in translation. The same applies to film adaptations: it is useful to read the scripts of the films you have watched. Advantages: the context is known, the plot is clear, you can guess the meaning of new words in the course of the story.

Books in English about personal development and professional literature

By reading them, you kill two birds with one stone: you study the vocabulary that is relevant to you in English and learn new things on an important topic for you. If you are keenly interested in something, why not read about it in English? Another advantage of such literature is that it is easier to read than fiction novels. The style is simpler, the vocabulary is limited to the topic under consideration.

3 "life hacks" for novice readers of English literature

It is not necessary to understand every word

Context is king(context - king)! If you have grasped the main idea of ​​the story, that is enough. Moreover, if you understand everything you read, most likely you have taken a book of a too low level for yourself. Try to find such books where about 70% of the vocabulary will be familiar (the rest will have to be written out and learned).

Read English aloud

It may seem strange, but reading has proven itself to improve pronunciation and listening - if it is reading aloud. By reading aloud, you tune in to the sound range of the language being studied. However, it is important to work on pronunciation and in addition to reading, otherwise the incorrectly “guessed” pronunciation of a particular word may annoy you for years afterwards.

Listen to audiobooks while reading in English

When learning English, in which the same combination of letters can be pronounced in a dozen different ways, it is very important to pay attention to the correct pronunciation of new words. We have already written about the format. When reading an English-language book, you listen to its audio version, voiced by native English speakers. Very handy for learning pronunciation!

Books adapted for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of English (A2-C1)

Level A2 - pre-threshold level (waystage level, elementary level)

	The Fisherman and His Soul - The Fisherman and His Soul Oscar Wilde Level: initial (elementary) Genre: romantic fairy tale Volume: OK. 30000 characters English variant: British A poignant romantic tale about the crazy love of a fisherman dolphin and a mermaid. Download audiobook: mp3 (8 files, 52 minutes, 48 ​​Mb)
	Dracula Bram Stoker Level: initial (elementary) Genre: mysticism, horror Volume: OK. 50000 characters English variant: British A chilling story of eternal love and eternal damnation: this is where all the vampire sagas of our time came from.
	Million Pound Bank Note - The Million Pound Bank Note Mark Twain Level: initial (elementary) Genre: adventure, humor Volume: OK. 25000 characters English variant: American A witty and instructive story about the adventures of a poor man with a million pound note in his pocket. Download audiobook: mp3 (8 files, 30 minutes, 28 Mb)
	Mr Bean in the city Bean In Town Level: initial (elementary) Genre: humor Volume: OK. 20000 characters English variant: British Mr. Bean will always find adventure for his wild little head! The eccentric eccentric continues to amaze and amuse the reader. Download audiobook: mp3 (2 files, 31 minutes, 30 Mb)

Level B1 - threshold or intermediate level (threshold or intermediate)

	The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde Level: medium (intermediate) Genre: fiction Volume: OK. 80000 characters English variant: British What is more important, the beauty of the face or the beauty of the soul? An incredible story about a beautiful mask and the terrible essence of a person. Mr. Grey, are you not the prototype of the hero of "Fifty Shades of Grey"? ..
	Appointment With Death Agatha Christie (Agatha Christie) Level: medium (intermediate) Genre: detective Volume: OK. 125000 characters English variant: British Christie, Poirot, detective. A must read!
	Forrest Gump - Forrest Gump John Escott Level: medium (intermediate) Genre: drama Volume: OK. 45000 characters English variant: American The book is about a man whose fate makes you believe in the impossible.
	Three Men in a Boat Jerome K. Jerome Level: medium (intermediate) Genre: humor Volume: OK. 50000 characters English variant: British Three cheerful friends decided to go on a trip. What came of it - read in the original.

Intermediate level of English (intermediate, B1-B2)

Reading is to our mind what the gym is to our body. In this article, we will give you links to 7 sites with texts to read in English. Try to "pump" your brain!

1. English as a Second Language

This site is suitable for beginners with a level and. All texts are short, they use simple words and elementary grammar - the three tenses of the Simple group. Try to read at least 2-3 texts daily, it will only take 5-10 minutes.

The topics of the texts are different, often they are small jokes. All words are chosen in such a way that the student not only reads texts in English, but also expands his vocabulary. So, you can learn the first phrasal verbs, frequently used words and expressions.

Feature of this resource: Each text is accompanied by an audio recording. The speaker speaks clearly and slowly, which is exactly what beginners need to learn to understand English by ear.

2. English Online

This resource was created specifically for learners of English with a level and above. The texts are not very long, but are full of useful expressions and words.

Articles on various topics are adapted specifically for students: the most frequently used vocabulary and simple grammatical constructions are used. On this moment Several hundred texts on various topics are available for reading on the site. All of them are quite interesting, so this resource contains the optimal proportion of education and entertainment.

Feature of this resource: In all articles, you will see words in bold. This is the vocabulary that you are offered to study. After the text of the article, you will find an English-English dictionary with these words. Thus, the site performs an important function - you can study on it new vocabulary in the context.

3. Short Stories

And this site is suitable for all lovers fiction. There are no adapted texts or dictionaries here, only the stories of English-speaking authors in their unaltered form.

The site presents 8 popular genres: children's literature, detective story, science fiction, horror, humor, non-fiction, novel, science fiction. If you are at the Pre-Intermediate level, try reading children's stories. In these texts, the characters speak quite in simple words and at the same time their speech is lively, unadapted. From the level you can try to read any stories, it is better to start with small texts favorite genre.

Feature of this resource: the variety of genres of stories on this site will not let even the most demanding reader get bored. In addition, you can sort stories by length. To do this, select any of the genres you are interested in and click on the All stories button, in the tab that opens, you can select stories from 1-2 to 30+ pages long. This is quite convenient: you can choose the text for yourself depending on the availability of free time.

4. Breaking News English

The site is suitable for students from Elementary to who want to keep up to date latest news and improve English. News are sorted by date - from the most recent to the oldest. Sources are indicated for each - if you are interested, you can read them in the relevant media and compare the presentation of information.

For all news, there are reading, listening, vocabulary and writing exercises.

Feature of this resource: the same news is adapted to several levels - see what words and grammatical structures can convey the same information.

5. Infosquares

This site contains only a few dozen texts, but it is worthy of your attention. The resource is suitable for classes for students with an Intermediate level and above.

The resource differs from previous sites in that your task now is not just to read the text and understand the main idea, but to catch even the smallest details. On the tab with any article, you will find not only a link to the text itself, but also a test to check reading comprehension. Therefore, we advise everyone who is preparing for an English exam to pay attention to this resource, because you can “rehearse” the Reading section on this resource.

Feature of this resource: The main purpose of this site is to check how well you understand the text. Therefore, we recommend that you study on this site about once a month, and read other articles the rest of the time. In this way, you will see how quickly your English reading skill is developing and how attentive you are when reading.

6. Study Zone

This site is similar to the previous one: a small amount of materials is more than offset by the presence of various exercises that test understanding of the text. Here you can study with the level of Pre-Intermediate and above.

Feature of this resource: Of course, the main advantage of this site is the presence of exercises for understanding and memorizing the text. In addition, we must pay tribute to the authors of the site - they have collected for you interesting stories and presented the information in a convenient way.

7. Dreamreader

This resource will be of interest to those who like to read various informative and entertaining articles on the Internet. The site is suitable for students with an elementary level and above.

Most of the texts on this site are presented in the Fun English and Academic English sections. The beauty of the articles is that they are written, albeit in a simple, but lively language. And the topics discussed in the articles are relevant and cover a variety of aspects of life: from body language to fast food, from UFOs to "cat" idioms. Each of the texts is accompanied by a series of questions to help check how well you understood what you read.

Feature of this resource: the site is a 2 in 1 tool. You can not only read the article, but also listen to it. Moreover, the audio recording is suitable even for those who have difficulty with perception. English speech aurally. The speaker speaks clearly and rather slowly, so you can practice your listening skills, and the text will become your assistant in this matter.

There are many other sites on the Internet with texts in English. However, we have recommended the most informative and useful ones for you to study. Read with pleasure, and let English be your best entertainment, an enjoyable activity.