Welcome to Easy Stories in English, the podcast that will take your English from OK to Good, and from Good to Great!
Learning a language is hard. With Easy Stories in English, you can learn English the natural way, without studying lists of vocabulary or complicated grammar rules. Every week, Ariel Goodbody, author and language teacher, will present a story adapted to your level of English. The stories will be hilarious, dramatic, and entertaining, but never too difficult. If you’re learning English and are tired of boring textbooks, then this is the podcast for you.
- All levels
- Announcements
- L1 - Beginner
- L2 - Pre-Intermediate
- L3 - Intermediate
- L4 - Advanced
Whose Child Is It?
Two women come to the king with a baby. Both say that the baby is theirs. Who is the real mother? The king must decide.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The End
One day, God came down and took all life from earth. Except humans. But how can you survive in a world without life?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Sisters, Sisters
Angeline and Annabelle are a classic sister act. Annabelle writes the songs and they sing together, but Angeline gets all the compliments. When a music producer offers a deal to Annabelle, she realises she can't let the opportunity go. But what starts as a harmonious collaboration soon turns into...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
I Bet I Could Taste It
In this episode, I present the story I won second prize with in the 2022 Summer Reflex Fiction flash fiction competition, and I also talk about my recent ADHD diagnosis.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Last King of the Britons
King Herla is fighting a war against the Saxons and winning. A group of dwarves comes to his wedding and makes a deal with him: if they can come to his wedding, then in the future the king will go to the dwarf king's wedding. He thinks the dwarves...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Boy Who Knew No Fear (Beginner)
One day, a young man called Anders hears his brother say, 'Oh, those scary stories make me shudder!' 'I wonder what it means to shudder?' Anders thinks, and he goes out on a journey to find out.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Hector the Snail
Hector is a snail, so of course he's very slow. But he dreams of becoming fast. He decides to find a wizard and ask the wizard to swap his body with an ostrich's. What could go wrong? Well, a lot, actually...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Digital Fugitive
The war is raging on, and the government needs a part from her wheelchair. The only problem is, her wheelchair is now a part of her body. And she's illegally modified it.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Turnip Princess
A young man called Arran hates eating his vegetables. One day, his mother locks him out. Arran finds a house with a strange old woman inside, and a dog that talks. Will he find his way home, and will he discover the secret of the house?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
His Latest Experiment
God is trying to make humans, but something is wrong. His calculations look right, but the humans are staying babies for fifty years. What is the problem?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The North Wind and the Sun (Pre-Intermediate)
The North Wind and the Sun are always arguing about what true power is. Does power come from strength, or from kindness? So the North Wind challenges the Sun to a competition to see who is right.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
A Lucky New Year
Harold has terrible luck. Bus shelters collapse on him, he makes his dates vomit, and no matter how many good-luck charms he wears, his luck won't change. So he decides that this New Year's Eve, he's going to follow every tradition and superstition in the world, to see if...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
I’m Back!
Easy Stories in English is back! But there are a few changes: 1. There will only be a new episode once a fortnight (once every two weeks) 2. I am stopping teaching 3. I am going to start scripting the conversation section instead of improvising it 4. The email newsletter will just contain...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
I have to pause the podcast
Update from 04/06/2022: The podcast is returning! Listen out for an official announcement on 14th June.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Very Hungry Dragon (Beginner)
She flew down and took the roof off the cart. The people with the cart saw her and ran away. Grella laughed, and picked up the cart in her hand. She emptied it into her mouth, eating all of the jewels in one go. Grella understood now. Her mother had...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Tattoo
‘I know you think you don’t want it,’ said Gary’s girlfriend, Claire, ‘but just think. When you turn 18, most of your friends will have their tattoos already. People will want to see yours. Look, you can tell them that you’re getting it later, that you couldn’t book an...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Flesh and Blood We Share
It was the place he and Bulan had first kissed. Hale fell to his knees and threw up all his beer onto the dirt. The edges of his armour plates cut into him, and he felt like a skeleton dancing inside it, like a sorcerer had used magic on him...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
One-Eyed, Two-Eyed, Three-Eyed (Beginner)
Suddenly, the goat started changing. It grew long and square, and became a big white table. And on the table were all kinds of food: bread, cheeses, jams, pickles, tomatoes, olives, and so on. The girl was hungry from the work, so she ate lots and lots of food,...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Have You Seen This Woman?
She was singing. She was drunk, I think, the way she sang. Maybe she had drunk a big glass of vodka. But her singing was good. She sounded sad, but the music was good. We were all so surprised to see her there.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Sleeping Beauty (Advanced)
Della stopped suddenly. The fairy’s face changed, filling with anger. She jumped towards the wings, and her spell was broken. The guards ran forward, grabbing her thin arms and easily holding her back. ‘If she will not give me my wings, then let her suffer like me! If I cannot...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
It’s a Small World
‘You know, for an apocalypse, we live quite well.’ The soldier was eating seeds with honey. Normally, the food would have been very small, but he was small, too. So each seed was the size of his head. They were sitting in a small house made of dried grass. ‘You know...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Shadow Club #12: The Elephant in the Room
‘No!’ said Max, shaking his head. ‘You don’t understand. I want to do this. Not just because I’ll have more time for Heroes of Forever. If you’re all busy at the academy, one of us has to deal with the sh—I mean, one of us has to stay and...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Strange Friends (Intermediate)
But as the weeks passed, she thought more and more about the fat, and her thoughts began to turn selfish. She fantasised about going and eating the fat. It would taste so good! So the cat came up with a plan. She came to the mouse and said, ‘Dear mouse,...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Shadow Club #11: Fighting Cats and Fighting Bulls
‘Here you go,’ I said, giving her the book. ‘Los Gatos Luchadores. You like cats, right?’ Willow looked up at the word ‘cat’, and then her eyes grew wide. ‘Fighting Cats!’ She grabbed the book out of my hands and immediately started reading it. It was a Spanish translation of a Fighting...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Tightrope Walker
The people began to shout and cheer: ‘You can do it!’ ‘He’s three quarters of the way across!’ ‘Just a bit more!’ Everyone’s hearts were open to the tightrope walker. They did not imagine him dying now. They imagined him making it to the end. They imagined the feeling,...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Shadow Club #10: An Easy Game
So Saturday came, and I woke up nice and early to go to the football match. Normally, I’d be excited, but today my stomach clenched and I felt tired before the game even began. ‘I just have to make it through this,’ I told myself. ‘It’s half term afterwards and...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Misty the Snake
Why could nobody understand it? I loved Marmite, and so did my pet snake, Misty. Well, she wasn’t my pet. She was my ex-boyfriend’s. But I loved her more than him. And she loved me, too. As soon as that letter had come through the door, I knew it. I...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Shadow Club #9: Now We Know
A scream came from the school, interrupting her. I jumped off the wall. ‘That was Max!’ We ran inside and up the stairs to the library. I threw my bag off my shoulder, pulling out my golf club. I saw Larry taking out his boxing gloves and Bethany getting her boots...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Big Peter and Little Peter
As Little Peter rode his horse, he held the basket so that the priest could not get out. ‘Help! Help!’ shouted the priest. ‘Shh!’ said Little Peter. ‘Do you hear that?’ They were by a river, and the priest listened to the water. ‘Most baskets do not talk, so if you can talk,...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Shadow Club #8: Ready to Fight
The door to the classroom opened, and we all turned around. Mr Burne stood there. Then he saw Bethany, who was still holding his notebook in the air like, well, like a weapon. She gasped, but it was like she couldn’t move. None of us could move. For a...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The King’s New Clothes
‘My dear king,’ said the first brother. ‘We have travelled through the whole country, and we have heard all sorts of stories about your fantastic outfits.’ ‘You have?’ said the King, satisfied that his efforts were being seen. ‘How wonderful.’ ‘We have a proposal,’ said the second brother. ‘We wish to...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Shadow Club #7: A Group Project
Later on, in history class, Mr Pearson announced we were going to do a group project, to prepare for our coursework. These teachers just wouldn’t give us a break, would they? I knew that we were in year 10, but it wasn’t like our exams were tomorrow! ‘You’ll be working...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Jack and the Beanstalk
In the morning, he noticed there was less light in his room than usual, and when he went to the window, he saw why. Overnight, a beanstalk had grown, and it was huge! It rose above him like a tower, thick as an oak, and reached far away into...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Shadow Club #6: Just a Stick
‘Y-yeah, I… Oh no!’ He turned around suddenly, and started shaking with fear. I looked where he was looking, and there it was. The shadow was long, tall and thin, like a snake standing on its tail.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
A Holiday Gone Wrong
I flew several feet into the air, still unable to scream, and I landed precisely on my right leg. CRACK Pain exploded through me, and now the screaming came. It felt like my leg had been torn apart, and when I looked down, I saw the white flash of bone. I...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Shadow Club #5: Bullies or Heroes?
I did my best. If I didn’t know the answer to something, I just thought of my own name. I made some wonderful new elements: Rickium, Larrium and Maxium. I wasn’t going to get any marks for them, but at least I had some fun. As soon as we came...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Why You Must Read (Introduction to my new book)
‘Why do I need to read in English?’ My students often ask me this. They think, ‘I go to classes, I do my homework, I watch films in English. Why should I read books?’ Actually, reading is the best way to improve your English. I will tell you why.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Shadow Club #4: Hunting for Shadows
‘Hey, what are you three losers up to?’ I turned around. Bethany was standing right next to us. She was the only girl in our team, and none of the other boys liked her very much. Sure, when we were on the field, we were a team, but it was...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Little Frog with the Big Mouth (Pre-Intermediate)
One day, the Little Frog with the Big Mouth woke up and thought, ‘I don’t feel like eating flies today. I have eaten flies every day of my life. How about a change?’ But the Little Frog with the Big Mouth had never eaten anything else before. He didn’t know...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Shadow Club #3: A Strange Kind of Club
‘Shadows,’ said Max. ‘Let’s call them shadows. They’re all dark, and they change shape. Just like a shadow.’ ‘Max,’ I said, ‘this isn’t a video game, you know.’ ‘I know, but we’ve got to have a name for them.’ ‘Ugh,’ I said. ‘Fine then. We’ll call them shadows.’
Podcast: Play in new window | Download