Every English printable, chapter by chapter

10 words · The handful of words that appear in almost every English sentence: the articles and the words that point at things.

10 words · The pronouns: how to talk about yourself, the person you speak to, and everyone else.

When to use a, an and the - the small words English learners get wrong most often.

10 words · The most common verbs. With these you can already say what people do and how things are.

How English says what is true now and what happens again and again - the everyday tense.

10 words · The small joining words - and, but, of, to - that hold a sentence together.

Your first graded reader. Every word is one you have just met - read it through and see how much you already understand.

10 words · ranks 101-110

10 words · ranks 111-120

10 words · ranks 121-130

10 words · ranks 131-140

How English says what is happening right now - am, is or are plus a verb ending in -ing.

10 words · ranks 141-150

10 words · ranks 151-160

10 words · ranks 162-171

How English talks about finished actions in the past - regular -ed endings and the common irregular verbs.

10 words · ranks 172-181

10 words · ranks 182-191

9 words · ranks 192-200

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-200 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 201-210

10 words · ranks 211-220

10 words · ranks 221-230

10 words · ranks 231-240

The two everyday ways English looks ahead - 'will' for decisions and predictions, 'going to' for plans you can already see coming.

10 words · ranks 241-250

10 words · ranks 251-260

10 words · ranks 261-271

How English links the past to now - 'have' or 'has' plus a past participle, for things that have happened by this moment.

10 words · ranks 272-281

10 words · ranks 282-291

9 words · ranks 292-300

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-300 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 301-310

10 words · ranks 311-320

10 words · ranks 321-330

10 words · ranks 331-340

The little helper verbs that change a verb's meaning - can, could, must, should, may and might, for ability, permission and obligation.

10 words · ranks 341-350

10 words · ranks 351-360

10 words · ranks 361-370

The small words that fix things in place and time - in, on, at, to, from and the rest, and how to choose the right one.

10 words · ranks 371-380

10 words · ranks 381-390

10 words · ranks 391-400

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-400 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 401-410

10 words · ranks 411-420

10 words · ranks 421-430

10 words · ranks 431-440

How English talks about 'if' - the zero, first, second and third conditionals, and which one to reach for when.

10 words · ranks 441-450

10 words · ranks 451-460

10 words · ranks 461-470

The verb-plus-particle pairs that native speakers live on - get up, look after, put off - and how to tell the separable ones apart.

10 words · ranks 471-480

10 words · ranks 481-490

10 words · ranks 491-500

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-500 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 501-510

10 words · ranks 511-520

10 words · ranks 521-532

10 words · ranks 533-542

When a verb follows another verb, does it take '-ing' or 'to'? Enjoy doing, want to do - the patterns that decide which one, and the verbs that take either.

10 words · ranks 543-552

10 words · ranks 553-562

10 words · ranks 563-572

How English puts the spotlight on what happened rather than who did it - 'the bread is made here' - with the verb 'be' plus a past participle.

10 words · ranks 573-582

10 words · ranks 583-592

8 words · ranks 593-600

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-600 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 601-610

10 words · ranks 611-620

10 words · ranks 621-630

10 words · ranks 631-640

The common verbs that do not add '-ed' in the past - go/went, take/took, dig/dug, shake/shook - and the patterns that make them easier to remember.

10 words · ranks 641-650

10 words · ranks 651-660

10 words · ranks 661-670

A map of the tenses you have met so far - past, present and future, simple and continuous - and how to choose the right one for what you mean.

10 words · ranks 671-681

10 words · ranks 682-691

9 words · ranks 692-700

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-700 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 701-710

10 words · ranks 711-720

10 words · ranks 721-730

10 words · ranks 731-740

How English compares things - bigger, the biggest, more careful, the most careful - the syllable rules and the common irregulars (good, better, best).

10 words · ranks 741-750

10 words · ranks 751-760

10 words · ranks 761-770

How to tell someone what another person said - 'she said she was tired' - and the way the tense shifts back one step when you report it.

10 words · ranks 771-780

10 words · ranks 781-790

10 words · ranks 791-800

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-800 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 801-810

10 words · ranks 811-820

10 words · ranks 821-830

10 words · ranks 831-840

How to add information about a noun with who, which, that, whose, where and when - and when the commas go in and when they stay out.

10 words · ranks 841-850

10 words · ranks 851-860

10 words · ranks 861-870

The words of amount - some, any, much, many, a lot of, a few, a little - and how the choice depends on whether a noun can be counted.

10 words · ranks 871-880

10 words · ranks 881-891

9 words · ranks 892-900

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-900 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 901-910

10 words · ranks 911-920

10 words · ranks 921-930

10 words · ranks 931-940

How English talks about the past that is no longer true - 'I used to live here', 'we would visit every summer' - and why 'used to' and 'would' are not always swappable.

10 words · ranks 941-950

10 words · ranks 951-960

10 words · ranks 961-970

The little words of degree and result - so tall, such a day, too hot, big enough - and where each one goes in the sentence.

10 words · ranks 971-980

10 words · ranks 981-990

10 words · ranks 991-1000

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-1000 ceiling.

A busy early morning at the street market.

Two old friends catch up after a long time apart.

A visitor asks the way and just makes the train.

A family keeps a secret and throws a birthday surprise.

Two bored children turn a wet day into the best one.

A missed bus becomes a good morning after all.

A grandmother teaches a child to cook the family meal.

Feeling ill, a visit to a kind doctor, and relief.

Nerves, a small mistake, and pride by the end of the day.

A shy hello over the fence grows into friendship.

5 words · Barely swearing. You will hear these on daytime television and from people who would never use anything stronger.

6 words · Common in ordinary speech among friends. Still not for a meeting, an exam, or anyone's grandmother.

7 words · Insults rather than exclamations. The difference matters: swearing at a situation is forgiven far more easily than swearing at a person.

3 words · These name parts of the body, but that is almost never why they are being said. Understand them as insults.

3 words · Not insults, so nobody takes offence at being near them, but not neutral either. Each of these changes how a room hears you.

5 words · The words that end conversations. Extremely common between friends and completely unacceptable almost everywhere else, which is exactly what makes them hard for a learner.

4 words · These are not simply strong, they are aimed. Each one attacks a woman for being a woman, and using one marks the speaker far more than the target.

1 words · One word, on its own, because it sits far above everything else. It is also the clearest example of how much geography matters: in Britain and Australia it is very strong, and in the United States it is close to unusable.

The whole chapter in one story. The same words that are warm between friends end a working relationship in front of the wrong person, and nobody explains the rule out loud - which is exactly how it works in real life.

10 words · ranks 1001-1010

10 words · ranks 1011-1020

10 words · ranks 1021-1030

10 words · ranks 1031-1042

The tense that sets the scene - 'it was raining', 'I was waiting' - and how it works with the past simple rather than against it.

10 words · ranks 1043-1053

10 words · ranks 1054-1063

10 words · ranks 1064-1073

'Had' plus a past participle, for the thing that happened before the thing you are already talking about - and the honest news that you need it less often than you think.

10 words · ranks 1074-1083

10 words · ranks 1084-1093

7 words · ranks 1094-1100

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-1100 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 1101-1110

10 words · ranks 1111-1120

10 words · ranks 1121-1130

10 words · ranks 1131-1140

When, while, as soon as, until, before, after - and the rule that catches everyone: English uses a present tense after them, even about the future.

10 words · ranks 1141-1150

10 words · ranks 1151-1160

10 words · ranks 1161-1170

'I'll be working' and 'I'll have finished' - the ongoing future and the deadline future, and how to tell which one a sentence needs.

10 words · ranks 1171-1181

10 words · ranks 1182-1191

9 words · ranks 1192-1200

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-1200 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 1201-1211

10 words · ranks 1212-1222

10 words · ranks 1223-1232

10 words · ranks 1233-1242

Why 'an advice' and 'some informations' are wrong - which nouns English refuses to count, and the containers you use instead.

10 words · ranks 1243-1252

10 words · ranks 1253-1262

10 words · ranks 1263-1272

The zero article, 'the' with names and places, and the difference between going to school and going to the school.

10 words · ranks 1273-1282

10 words · ranks 1283-1292

8 words · ranks 1293-1300

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-1300 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 1301-1310

10 words · ranks 1311-1320

10 words · ranks 1321-1330

10 words · ranks 1331-1340

'I have been waiting' - the form for an activity still running, and the three places where the choice between it and the simple actually matters.

10 words · ranks 1341-1350

10 words · ranks 1351-1360

10 words · ranks 1361-1370

Which word the sentence wants and, harder, where it goes - including the one worth the money: 'still' moves in front of the auxiliary in negatives.

10 words · ranks 1371-1380

10 words · ranks 1381-1390

10 words · ranks 1391-1400

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-1400 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 1401-1410

10 words · ranks 1411-1420

10 words · ranks 1421-1430

10 words · ranks 1431-1440

How English guesses out loud - must be, might be, could be, can't be - and why 'mustn't be' is not the opposite of 'must be'.

10 words · ranks 1441-1450

10 words · ranks 1451-1460

10 words · ranks 1461-1470

Should have, could have, must have, might have - regret, missed chances and deductions about things that are already over.

10 words · ranks 1471-1480

10 words · ranks 1481-1490

10 words · ranks 1491-1500

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-1500 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 1501-1510

10 words · ranks 1511-1520

10 words · ranks 1521-1530

10 words · ranks 1531-1541

What happens when the 'if' and the result sit in different times - a past cause with a present result, and the other way round.

10 words · ranks 1542-1551

10 words · ranks 1552-1561

10 words · ranks 1562-1571

Wish + past for now, wish + past perfect for regret, wish + would for other people's habits - and why 'I wish I would' is wrong.

10 words · ranks 1572-1581

10 words · ranks 1582-1592

8 words · ranks 1593-1600

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-1600 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 1601-1610

10 words · ranks 1611-1620

10 words · ranks 1621-1630

10 words · ranks 1631-1640

'I had the roof fixed' - how English says you arranged something rather than did it, and the same form used for bad news you did not arrange at all.

10 words · ranks 1641-1650

10 words · ranks 1651-1660

10 words · ranks 1661-1670

The get-passive, 'it is said that', and what to do with a verb that has two objects - the passive beyond the textbook version.

10 words · ranks 1671-1680

10 words · ranks 1681-1690

10 words · ranks 1691-1700

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-1700 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 1701-1710

10 words · ranks 1711-1721

10 words · ranks 1722-1732

10 words · ranks 1733-1742

The -ing and -ed clauses that compress two sentences into one, and the dangling participle that makes the result accidentally funny.

10 words · ranks 1743-1752

10 words · ranks 1753-1762

10 words · ranks 1763-1772

However, although, despite, whereas, therefore - what each one joins, and the split that trips everyone: 'despite' takes a noun, 'although' takes a clause.

10 words · ranks 1773-1782

10 words · ranks 1783-1794

6 words · ranks 1795-1800

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-1800 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 1801-1810

10 words · ranks 1811-1820

10 words · ranks 1821-1830

10 words · ranks 1831-1840

The subject-verb-object spine English almost never breaks, where adverbs go, and the handful of places the order genuinely flips.

10 words · ranks 1841-1850

10 words · ranks 1851-1860

10 words · ranks 1861-1871

'It was Nadia who called', 'what I need is a map' - how English emphasises a word it cannot simply move.

10 words · ranks 1872-1881

10 words · ranks 1882-1891

9 words · ranks 1892-1900

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-1900 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 1901-1910

10 words · ranks 1911-1921

10 words · ranks 1922-1931

10 words · ranks 1932-1941

The mirror rule, the irregulars nobody warns you about - aren't I, shall we, will you - and how intonation turns one tag into two different questions.

10 words · ranks 1942-1951

10 words · ranks 1952-1961

10 words · ranks 1962-1971

'Could you tell me where the station is' - the polite wrapper, the word order that comes with it, and the do/does/did that disappears.

10 words · ranks 1972-1981

10 words · ranks 1982-1991

9 words · ranks 1992-2000

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-2000 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 2001-2010

10 words · ranks 2011-2020

10 words · ranks 2021-2030

10 words · ranks 2031-2040

Why it is a lovely little old French knife and never a French old little one - the rule every native obeys and none of them knows.

10 words · ranks 2041-2051

10 words · ranks 2052-2061

10 words · ranks 2062-2071

Where always, just, still and only actually go, and why moving them changes what you said.

10 words · ranks 2072-2081

10 words · ranks 2082-2092

8 words · ranks 2093-2100

You can read this story using only the words you've learned so far. Every content word sits at or below the rank-2100 ceiling.

10 words · ranks 2101-2110

10 words · ranks 2111-2120

10 words · ranks 2121-2130

10 words · ranks 2131-2140

How English stacks nouns into new units - car park, coffee cup - why the thing always comes last, and why GREENhouse is not green HOUSE.

10 words · ranks 2141-2150

10 words · ranks 2151-2160

10 words · ranks 2161-2170

One prefix buys a family of words - un-, in- and dis- for not, re- for again, over- and under- for degree, mis- for wrongly.

10 words · ranks 2171-2180

10 words · ranks 2181-2190