Options: a Short Crime Story for English Learners: Short Stories for English Learners. But not for Children.

By Richard Gardner

Two young criminals meet in a bar and later have contact with the police: one is confident, the other cautious. Who is right? 

This short story is for 'advanced beginner' to 'intermediate' English learners (CEFR A2/B1). A grammar section at the end uses the story to highlight some grammar points.

A short story, with grammar notes, for less than the price of an espresso coffee.

A short story for English learners. But not for children.

Enjoy!

(Warning: this story has themes of police, crime, alcohol, and drugs.)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Gardner
• Release date: Feb 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781739763107

Richard Gardner

Airman, soldier, teacher, writer: Richard has a technical background in aviation, is a Master of Arts in technical writing, and is an English language teacher. He has lived in Germany and Spain, and he worked in UK inner-city communities for several years. These days, Richard lives on the southwest coast of England and specialises in teaching Business, Technical, and Aviation English. Richard is not only a language teacher but also a language learner. He studies German, French, and Spanish. He knows how important reading is for language learning. Reading outside the classroom. Reading for fun. So, Richard started writing stories. Stories that he would like to read as a learner. Stories that his adult learners like to read. Stories for English learners. But not for children.

Book preview

Reading stories in another language

New Words

THERE WILL BE NEW WORDS when you read this book. This is normal when learning a language. Learn to be comfortable with not knowing. 70% is OK. It is a skill.

Try not to stop and use a dictionary for every new word. Read with a flow from start to finish. You could read quickly, or you could read slowly. It does not matter. Often, a new word becomes clear from the story.

Reading Tips

MAYBE YOU WANT TO READ a short story for fun without a language lesson. Good! This story is for you. I hope you enjoyed the story.

Maybe you want to read and learn some English. Good! I wrote this story for you too. Now, read it again. This time, read it more carefully. Look at the detail. Study the structure and the words. There is a short grammar section at the end.

Translating with e-readers and Translation apps

IF YOU ARE USING AN e-reader, you can often use the reader to translate when you highlight a word. Or you can copy the text and paste it into a translator app.

Deepl is a good translation app. You can copy/paste text into DeepL and get a translation in most languages. You can compare English vocabulary and grammar with your own language.

Linguee offers a good dictionary.

Enjoy!

Options

A short crime story for English learners. But not for children.

Language level: advanced learner to intermediate

(CEFR A2/B1)

JASON IS SITTING ALONE at a table in the corner with a half-empty glass of beer. Soon, he must go home to his cold apartment. He never has money to pay for the heating. The bar is warmer.

As they enter the bar through the main door, Jason hopes that they haven’t seen him. A few people stop talking. A few heads turn to look. The police are a problem, an angry competitor is even worse. People talk again. No one has