English Reading

Welcome to EnglishClub.com English Reading for ESL learners. This is where you’ll find help to improve your reading skills.

Reading is the 3rd of the four language skills:

1. Listening
2. Speaking
3. Reading
4. Writing

Classic English Reading
Here are some short, famous texts to read in English from classic sources like the Bible or Shakespeare. There are word definitions and explanations to help you.

English Short Stories
Including…

The Winepress
Upper-Intermediate
1500 words (British English)
Vocabulary | Vocabulary Quiz | Comprehension Quiz
This short story is set in Madagascar and France. It tells about wine and love – and hate. And about a winepress, the machine used to press the grapes from which wine is made.

The Chapel
Advanced
3000 words (British English)
Vocabulary | Vocabulary Quiz | Comprehension Quiz
The background to this short story is the tropical island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. This is a story of quick lust and long revenge – with an ironical twist at the end.

The Métro
Advanced
7000 words (British English)
Vocabulary | Vocabulary Quiz | Comprehension Quiz
This short story is set in Paris. This is a story of love and murder, and a little voodoo.

Authors
Short biographies of some of the authors who appear on these pages.

	I never read a book before reviewing it. It prejudices a man so.
	Sydney Smith

The English Alphabet
How to recognize English letters Aa to Zz.