Category: L3 – Intermediate
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How the Narwhal Got Its Tusk
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Genre: Children’sSetting: GreenlandNew Vocabulary: Bolt of lightning, Exile, Flesh, Grumble, Harpoon, Igloo, Keen (ear), Migrate (illness), Narwhal, Raven, Rot, Tusk, Whittle, YankWord Count: 2831Original Author: Howard NormanA blind boy lives in Greenland with his parents and his aunt. The aunt is always complaining, so the boy’s mother sends her away, but one night, there is a storm and the boy hears his aunt being struck by lightning. The aunt goes mad, and only the blind boy can save her, but he’ll…
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The Water Monster
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Genre: HorrorSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Bend someone’s will, Brine, Flesh and blood, Froth, Make to do something, Mild, Seaweed, String of pearls, Swirl, Tea (food)Word Count: 753Original Author: Karel Jaromír ErbenDownload this episode as a PDF. Transcript Welcome to Easy Stories in English, the podcast that will take your English from OK to Good, and from Good to Great. I am Ariel Goodbody, your host for this show. Today’s story is for intermediate learners. The name of the story is The Water Monster. You can…
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The Path of Pins and Needles
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Genre: HorrorSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Get the better of you, Intestines, Pins and needles, Sense (verb), Sneak, Stray from, Tickle, Wet yourself, Wolf downWord Count: 2024Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyRed loves playing tricks on the adults in her village, so one day her mother sends her to bring bread and milk to her grandmother. On the way, Red meets a strange man, Wolf, who suggests they play a game: he’ll walk the path of pins, she’ll walk the path of needles, and they’ll see…
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The Elephant and the Hare (Intermediate)
An elephant is travelling to meet his family, bringing delicious honey as a gift. He stops to give a hare a ride over the river, but the hare smells the honey and can’t resist just having a taste…
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Four Windows
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Genre: PhilosophicalSetting: ModernNew Vocabulary: Aerosol can, Distort, Moral (story), Mundane, Pristine, Quirk, Rut, Scrub, Sleep in, WarfareWord Count: 1609Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyTwo people live in buildings next to each other: a clean man and a messy woman. Each day, they look through the window into the other’s flat and imagine what their life is like. But in the end, only one person knows the truth…
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Interview with Alastair about Pioneers of the Continuum
Recently, I worked with Alastair Budge on Pioneers of the Continuum, an eight-part audio drama featuring your favourite ESL podcasters as narrators. Today, we talk about Pioneers of the Continuum and Alastair’s other work. Alastair also hosts the English Learning for Curious Minds podcast, where you can learn about history and inspiring stories in accessible…
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The Rabbit Man
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Genre: ComedySetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Forefather, Graze (eating), Hare, Interest (money), Lira, Manor house, Peasant, Shirk your duty, Solidarity, Starve, StrangleWord Count: 1932Original Author: Fairy TalesHeorhiy lives happily as a peasant, but one day a rich man comes to his house and tells him he has a family debt. Heorhiy works three years to pay it off, but the rich man doesn’t want to let him go, so he thinks of a way to trick him…
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The Hunt
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Genre: Science FictionSetting: FutureNew Vocabulary: Baptise, Belly, Cave in (willpower), Crush, Curl up, Epiphany, Holy water, Hunter-gatherer, Intended recipient, Rock bottom, Transition, Whiskers, WombWord Count: 2568Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyYou have nowhere else to go. Beth left. Kai attacked. Faruq crashed. You hid. So one day, you go to that place you’ve heard about, where you can buy a certain drug. It’s a crazy idea, but maybe you’ll feel less lonely. Your cat is your only friend left, after all.
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Parts 3 & 4
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Banter, Bargain, Bind, Coarse, Decrepit, Dodge, Fellow (person), Flatter, Flinch, Handsome (a lot), Immortal, Long for, Make a mockery, Nick, Noble, Owe it to yourself, Prey, Sham, Sin, Solely, Tact, Tick (clock), Triumph, Vow, Waver, Wild boar, WreckWord Count: 4006Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyEvery day, the lord of the castle goes hunting and Gawain stays in bed, bantering with the beautiful lady. Each night, Gawain and the lord exchange their ‘gains’ for the day. But Gawain cannot stop worrying about meeting the Green Knight, and when the lady offers him help, he can’t resist…
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Parts 1 & 2
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Alliteration, Axe, Be on your guard, Bless, Blow (hit), Chapel, Chastity, Chatter, Chivalry, Court (royalty), Feast, Fruits of …, Hag, Holy, Hop, Knight, Lady, Lord (Middle Ages), Mass (religion), Offspring, Potion, Rhyme, Shield, Siege, Sire (verb), Spoils, Step in the ring, Suit of armour, Trencher, WickedWord Count: 2910Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyKing Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table lIve peacefully at Camelot. But on New Year’s eve, a terrible knight rides into the castle, made entirely of green. He gives them a challenge: a man must come and attack him with his axe, and if the Green Knight survives, he will attack the man…