study English

Don’t ……. a word!

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Can you complete this English expression? It means “stay silent, don’t say anything”.

Don’t …….. a word!

a) tell

b) communicate

c) utter

d) pronounce

The answer is below!↓

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

Answer: utter

Don’t utter a word!

By I Talk You Talk Press – Easy English Reading

[Short Story Video] The Present

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This is a short story for learners of English called The Present. We hope you enjoy it!

Cora has been married for six months. She lives with her husband in a small town outside the city. Houses in the city are very expensive, so they bought a house with a big garden about an hour by train from the city. Brian, her husband, takes the train to work every day. He works in a bank. Cora doesn’t have a job. Sometimes she gets bored. Brian bought her a dog for Christmas. The dog is very naughty but he is good company during the day.

Today is Cora’s birthday. I wonder what Brian has bought me? she thinks. I hope it’s something very pretty.

Brian gets up very early in the morning. He has to take a train at 7:00am. He always brings Cora a cup of tea in bed before he leaves for work. Today he brings Cora’s tea and a parcel wrapped in beautiful paper with a big ribbon tied around it.

“Happy birthday!” he says. “I hope you like your present!”

Cora puts her teacup on the table next to the bed. She unwraps the present.

“Oh,” she says.

“Aren’t they great?” says Brian. He is very pleased. “They will be perfect for working in the garden!”

Cora looks at her present. It is a pair of black rubber boots. Cora is very unhappy, but she doesn’t say so. She knows that Brian thinks it is a very good present.

“Oh, thank you!” she says. “They look very useful!”

“I have to go,” says Brian. “I’ll see you tonight. I have made a reservation at the local hotel for dinner.” He kisses Cora and leaves the house.

Cora is very sad. Then after she gets out of bed, she starts to feel angry.

What a terrible present! I hate these boots. I wanted a romantic present!

She throws the boots into the garbage bin and goes into the living room to watch TV.

A little later she hears the mailman. The mailman rides a motor scooter. It stops outside their house.

Maybe my mother has sent me a present, thinks Cora. She knows I like pretty things.

Cora goes to the door. She wants to go to the mailbox, but it is raining heavily.

I didn’t hear the rain because I had the TV on very loud. Where are my outdoor shoes? Did the dog take my shoes? Where did he hide them?

Cora looks everywhere, but she can’t find her shoes.

The dog is out in the garden. Cora opens the kitchen door and shouts, “Bad dog!”

The dog runs to her. He is wagging his tail. He is a very friendly dog. Then Cora sees the garbage bin. I could wear those ugly black rubber boots, she thinks.

Cora goes to the garbage bin and takes the boots. She takes off her slippers and puts on the boots.

Oh no! They are ugly and they don’t fit! They are too small and very uncomfortable. Why did Brian buy these?

She feels very angry. She takes the boots off, and throws them into the garden. One of the boots lands upside down. Cora can see something on the ground. It is a small box. She runs into the garden in her bare feet. She picks up the box. She takes the other boot and shakes it. Another box falls on the ground.

Cora takes the small boxes back into the kitchen. She sits down at the table and opens them.

There is a beautiful pair of earrings in one box and a matching necklace in the other box.

 I am very lucky. The garbage man will come soon and he will empty the garbage bin. Brian is a wonderful husband but sometimes he has very crazy ideas!

By I Talk You Talk Press – Easy English Reading

[Short Story Video] Listen to Your Heart

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Here is a video of our short story Listen to Your Heart. We hope you enjoy it!

Sandy is very worried. Sandy will graduate from high school. He can go to university. But Sandy has a problem. He wants to go to university, but he doesn’t know what he wants to study.

His high school has an advisor. He goes to talk to the advisor.

“I don’t know what to study at university,” he says.

The advisor asks, “What do you like? Do you like math, or science, or languages or reading books?”

Sandy says, “I like math, science, languages, and reading books. I like everything. I have good grades for everything.”

The advisor laughs. “You are lucky,” she says. “You can study anything.”

Sandy is angry. “But I have to choose one thing! I don’t know what to choose!”

The advisor says, “Listen to your heart. University costs a lot of money. University study is difficult. You must work very hard. You will only be happy at university if you study something you love. What does your heart tell you to do?”

Sandy stands up. “My heart is not talking to me!” he shouts.

He walks out of the advisor’s office. He walks down to a park near the high school.

He sits on the grass in the park. I must decide what to study at university. Do I want to be a scientist? Do I want to teach English? Do I want to work for a finance company? I don’t know.

Sandy sits in the park for a long time. He is tired, and he is worried. He falls asleep.

When Sandy wakes up, he feels something strange. There is something small and warm next to him. He looks down. A very small dog is on the ground next to him. The dog is very young. The dog is licking his fingers.

“Where is your mother?” Sandy asks the dog. “Where is your owner?  You are too young and too small to be in the park alone.”

Sandy thinks the little dog needs food and water. He picks the little dog up. He walks back to his family home. He gives the dog food and water.

The little dog is very thirsty and very hungry. When the dog finishes eating and drinking, it falls asleep. Sandy finds a blanket. He puts the blanket in the kitchen. He takes the little dog to the kitchen and puts it on the blanket. Sandy goes to his room and plays computer games. When his mother comes home, she comes to Sandy’s room and says, “There is a very small dog in the kitchen. Did you bring this dog to our house?”

Sandy is sleepy but he says. “I found the dog in the park. I wanted to take care of it.”

His mother laughs. “Oh, Sandy,” she says. “You are an animal lover. That’s OK. Your heart tells you to be kind to animals. You are tired, so please sleep. I will look after the little dog.”

Sandy thinks, My mother knows my heart. I love animals. I must study to be an animal doctor. My heart knows more than my head.