It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. She was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window. Among the newcomers were two young men, handcuffed together. In one coach there sat a pretty young woman dressed in elegant taste and surrounded by the luxurious comforts of an experienced traveler. And he adds, “Kisses without number.” The doors go shutting far in the distance, gently knocking like the pulse of a heart. Wandering through the house, opening the windows, whispering not to wake us, the ghostly couple seek their joy. And I think we can cut the ‘beautiful’, don’t you? Can’t you make her, well, more average?”Ĭompare with 'Girl' and Bradbury's story. “There was once a poor girl, as beautiful as she was good-” The first time I brought a date over she said, What’s with your dad and that pole? and I sat there blinking. On the Fourth of July the pole was Uncle Sam, on Veteran’s Day a soldier, on Halloween a ghost. American Stories for English Learners Text & MP3 Files There are 57 fifteen-minute MP3 files. Nothing else but this could have happened from the way we’ve lived.” Listen and Read Along - Text with Audio - For ESL Students - For Learning English. You don’t get too excited when you feel things are logical. “I always thought I would be frightened to death, but I’m not. Little Hans desire to remain the Millers friend ultimately proves fatal. In truth, he selfishly takes advantage of little Hans at every opportunity. The Miller claims to be a devoted friend of little Hans. The Last Night of the World by Ray Bradbury The two main characters in 'The Devoted Friend' are a poor man known as little Hans and a rich Miller. I wait with an odd sensation of something impending.
The window before my desk makes a little framed place like a picture. Little things are growing big in my mind. The Man in the Brown Coat by Sherwood Anderson Intermediate (B1) 687 words This is how you sweep a corner this is how you sweep a whole house this is how you smile to someone you don’t like too much this is how you smile to someone you don’t like at all. While the moral of this story may resonate with adult readers, it’s not so interesting (or appropriate) for children. She loved him as always, but she realized now it was only a boy and girl love.īased on his real-life experiences during the First World War, this simple story offers a taste of the ‘terse’ writing style of Ernest Hemingway (arguably the most influential writer of the 20th century). She was sorry, and she knew he would probably not be able to understand, but might some day forgive her. English learners of all ages and skill levels can appreciate it - and also practice their listening skills with this audio recording from LibriVox.
There are many versions of this classic fable, but this one by the famous American writer James Baldwin is both the shortest and the simplest. “Well, well!” he said, “now I know all about this beast.” The first one put his hand on the elephant’s side. One morning an elephant was driven down the road where six blind men stood. The Blind Men and the Elephant by James Baldwin