Learn English Through Stories (for Beginners in American English): Improve Grammar & Vocabulary with 23 Short Stories

By Jackie Bolen

Improve your reading skills, grammar, and vocabulary with these short stories in American English for beginners. 

 

What would it mean for your studies or career to be able to read freely in English? How about understanding more vocabulary? These short stories in English for beginners are designed to improve your English quickly and easily.

 

Jackie Bolen has more than 20 years of experience teaching ESL/EFL to students in South Korea and Canada. She has written these short stories in American English. With her help, you'll ace that next TOEFL, IELTS, or TOEIC reading exam.

Each of the 23 stories has practice exercises to test your reading comprehension and vocabulary. Do the discussion questions with a friend, teacher or classmate. 

 

Pick up a copy of the book today if you want to...

• Learn some new English vocabulary, including idioms and phrases
• Have a variety of authentic and interesting stories to read
• Improve your American English
• Read English fluently and confidently
• Improve your IELTS, TOEFL, or TOEIC scores
• Have some fun while learning English

Get your copy of ​​Learn English Through Stories (for Beginners in American English) by Jackie Bolen. It will help you stay motivated while consistently improving your English skills.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jackie Bolen
• Release date: Jul 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223777229

Book preview

Learn English Through Stories (for Beginners in American English):

Improve Grammar & Vocabulary with 23 Short Stories

Jackie Bolen

www.eslspeaking.org

––––––––

Copyright © 2023 by Jackie Bolen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher/author at the following address: Jackie Bolen: [e-mail].

Table of Contents

About the Author: Jackie Bolen.....................................................4

How to Use this Book.............................................................5

Mike's Part-Time Job..............................................................6

Becoming Vegan.................................................................9

A Trip to Vancouver.............................................................12

Trick-or-Treating................................................................15

The Sunshine Coast..............................................................18

Going for Sushi.................................................................21

Christmas in May...............................................................24

It's So Cold!....................................................................27

Canadian Football...............................................................30

What's That Noise?..............................................................33

A Bear........................................................................36

A Different Kind of Thanksgiving..................................................39

Tennis Lessons.................................................................42

Moving Day....................................................................45

Online Dating..................................................................48

Boxing Day Shopping............................................................51

Applying for University..........................................................54

The Summer Job................................................................57

The Edmonton Oilers............................................................60

A Summer BBQ................................................................63

Kiyo Goes Canoeing.............................................................66

The Blind Date.................................................................69

Going Camping.................................................................72

Before You Go.................................................................75

About the Author: Jackie Bolen

I taught English in South Korea for 10 years to every level and type of student. I've taught every age from kindergarten kids to adults. In my spare time, you can usually find me outside surfing, biking, hiking, or snowshoeing. I now live and teach English in Vancouver, Canada.

In case you were wondering what my academic qualifications are, I hold a Master of Arts in Psychology. During my time in Korea, I completed both the Cambridge CELTA and DELTA certification programs. With the combination of almost 20 years teaching ESL/EFL learners of all ages and levels, and the more formal teaching qualifications I've obtained, I have a solid foundation on which to offer advice to English learners.

I truly hope that you find this book useful. I would love it if you sent me an email with any questions or feedback that you might have.

ESL Speaking (www.eslspeaking.org)

Pinterest: (www.pinterest.com/eslspeaking)

YouTube: (www.youtube.com/c/jackiebolen)

How to Use this Book

This book is ideal for people who want to improve their reading comprehension skills and vocabulary.

I recommend doing the following:

−  Read one story a day, instead of all the stories in a single day! The best readers are those who do it consistently each day.

−  Be sure to do the questions for each story.

−  Pay attention to the vocabulary words in bold (letters that are darker). Try to guess the meaning of the word, considering the other words in the sentence before looking it up in a dictionary. After that, write down any words that you don't know in a notebook to review later. Also consider making flashcards for these new words.

−  Read the stories with a friend if possible. Discuss the questions together.

−  If you're using this book to improve your TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS reading scores, be sure to read the questions first so you can scan for the answers instead of reading every single word. After doing this, take more time to read the story in full.

Mike's Part-Time Job

Mike was a high-school student in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His parents gave him $20 each week as pocket money. It wasn't enough to always hang out with his friends and do fun things like going to the mall. Most of his friends had jobs and more money. This made Mike jealous because they could buy new clothes or snacks.

Mike had lots of free time, so he talked to his parents about getting a job. His mom said it was fine as long as he got good grades (A's and B's). She also said she could give him a ride to work or let him use her car if the place wasn't too far. The only problem was that Mike didn't have any work experience. But his friends didn't have any experience either when they got their first jobs.

Mike asked his friends at school about their jobs. They gave him some advice, like avoiding a restaurant or not doing landscaping.

Some of his friends worked at McDonald's, so Mike decided to apply there. The restaurant wasn't far from his school. One day after school, he walked there and saw a sign saying they were hiring. He went inside and asked an employee for an application form. They showed him where to find it on the wall. He sat down and filled it out. It asked for information like his name and phone number.

When he finished, Mike gave his application to an employee and asked to talk to the manager. The manager asked if