A selection of English ESL reading and understanding printables

Culture, intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication

Adjectives to describe feelings, emotions

Adjectives to describe personality and character

Adjectives: Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives

Articles: Definite or indefinite article (a, an or the)

BE + infinitive structures (e.g. he was to become famous)

Clauses of contrast (e.g.  although, while)

Clauses of purpose (e.g. in order to, so that, so as to)

Clauses of reason (e.g. because, because of, due to, as, since)

Cleft sentences (e.g. It's Joey we're looking for)

Comparison: Comparative adjectives and structures

Comparison: Superlative adjectives and structures

Conditional 2 (second conditional) - would

Conditionals: Conditional phrases (e.g. unless, provided that, as long as)

Conjunctions (aka connectives, e.g. and, but, or, so, then)

Contractions (shortened forms, e.g. don't, aren't, etc.)

Determiners (words that can come before nouns)

Formal and informal English (politeness or colloquial language)

Future perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Future perfect simple and continuous (progressive) tense

Future phrases (e.g. be about to, bound to, likely to, due to, set to + INF)

Homonyms (two words with the same pronunciation - homophones and homographs)

It as preparatory subject (e.g. it's raining, it's nice of you to)

Linking verbs (aka copulas, e.g. I am a student)

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how to accuse somebody of something in English

how to apologize, say sorry, forgive and express regret in English

how to ask for information and make inquiries in English

how to ask for something, make requests in English

how to blame somebody for something in English

how to defend yourself from criticism in English

how to deny or admit something in English

how to describe things or people in English

how to emphasize important things in English

how to encourage or discourage people in English

how to evaluate people or progress in English

how to express agreement /disagreement in English

how to express approval and disapproval  in English

how to express cause and effect in English

how to express interest in something in English

how to express likelihood, probability in English

how to express likes and dislikes in English

how to express sequence and chronology in English

how to express shock and disbelief in English

how to express sympathy and condolences in English

how to give permission, authorization in English

how to inform somebody about some news in English

how to interpret what was said in English

how to keep a conversation going in English

how to make guesses about something in English

how to make, accept and refuse offers in English

how to order or make a booking in English

how to persuade, convince people in English

how to praise people and express appreciation in English

how to reassure somebody of something in English

how to refuse and object to something in English

how to remind people of something in English

how to rephrase, paraphrase what was said in English

how to say thank you, express gratitude in English

Nouns: Collective nouns (team, class, family, committee)

Nouns: Proper nouns (names of people, cities, companies)

Oxymorons (phrases with words of contradictory meaning, e.g. living dead)

Participles: Past participle (e.g. HAVING DONE)

Participles: Present participle (e.g. DOING)

Parts of Speech (aka word classes, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Past perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Phonetics (pronunciation, IPA, phonetic symbols)

Plural nouns: regular plurals with S ending

Prefixes (e.g. A, UN, IM, DIS, MIS, EN, etc. )

Prepositions vs adverbs (e.g. before me, saw him before.)

Prepositions: Double prepositions (e.g. out of)

Prepositions: Participle prepositions (e.g. pending, concerning)

Prepositions: Phrase prepositions (e.g. by means of)

Present perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Present perfect simple or present continuous tense

Present simple tense: S for third person singular verbs

Present simple vs continuous (progressive) tense

Pronouns: EACH OTHER, ONE ANOTHER (reciprocal pronouns)

Pronouns: Possessive pronouns (e.g. my, mine)

Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns (e.g. myself, yourself))

Pronouns: SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, EVERYBODY, NO ONE, NOTHING, etc.

Pronouns: THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE (demonstratives)

Pronouns: YOU and THEY to talk about people in general

Quantifiers (e.g. some, many, much, any, few, little)

Questions: WH questions (open-ended questions)

Reported speech: reported questions (indirect questions)

There is / there are / there was / there were / there will be, etc.

Verbs: Transitive or intransitive verbs (words that can or cannot stand with objects)

Working with Paragraphs: ordering, titling

Role play, miming, drama activity or improv game

Pictionary (picture dictionary) or picture matching

Writing an opinion essay (persuasive essay)

Learners who are Pre-A1 have just begun learning English and will first learn how to:<ul><li>Say the letters in the alphabet and numbers</li><li>Say hello, talk about names and age</li><li>Name the colors and dates, express likes and dislikes</li></ul>

Absolute beginners who have begun to learn the letters and numbers

Learners taking the A1 Elementary exam should be able to:<ul><li>Introduce themselves and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, things he/she has, people he/she knows.</li><li>Communicate using very basic phrases as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: common adjectives & adverbs of frequency, going to, how much/how many, imperatives, I'd like, 's – possessive, common prepositions of place and time, present simple & continuous, there is/are</li></ul>

A very basic tourist level, which is enough for buying food and a bus ticket

Learners taking the A2 Pre-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand sentences and frequently used expressions (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).</li><li>Complete tasks that are routine and exchange information about familiar matters.</li><li>Describe matters of immediate need in simple terms.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: countable/uncountable nouns, adverbs of frequency, future will/going to, much/many, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, common phrasal verbs, common modals: can/should</li></ul>

A tourist who can do basic conversations about the past, present and future

Learners taking the B1 Intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand points regarding family, work, school or leisure-related topics.</li><li>Deal with most travel situations in areas where the language is spoken.</li><li>Create simple texts on topics of personal interest.</li><li>Describe experiences, events, dreams, and ambitions, as well as opinions or plans in brief.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: question tags, intensifiers: too/enough, future tenses, past tenses, modals, conditionals, wh-questions in the past</li></ul>

Learners who can deal with both familiar and routine situations, in friendly and work contexts

Learners taking the B2 Upper-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.</li><li>Interact with fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without difficulty for either party.</li><li>Produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain an opinion on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: perfect tenses, mixed conditionals, modals in the present, phrasal verbs, reported speech, wish, relative clauses</li></ul>

The level where you can be a tour guide for your foreign friends and talk about a lot of topics, even abstract ones, with ease and fluency

Learners taking the C1 Advanced exam should be able to: Express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts. Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, using linking phrases (=words that connect ideas between sentences). Main grammar points to know: inversion, mixed conditionals, modals in the past, all passive forms, phrasal verbs (all patterns), wish/if only for regrets

Learners who can smoothly communicate in every walk of life, read long texts and write well

Learners taking the C2 Proficient exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand almost everything read or heard with ease.</li><li>Summarize information from a variety of sources into a coherent presentation.</li><li>Express themselves using precise meaning in complex scenarios.</li><li>Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations</li></ul>

Get here and you are ready to study in English at university

This wss allows the students to practise their reading abilities and understand of easy text bits.

Read & Understand (1)

 Another ws for kids to practise their reading and understanding of small text pieces.

Read & Understand (2)

A worksheet with a short text and 8 tasks for students to understand the text and practice some grammar (-ing form after expressions with “to have”. The keys are included on the last page. The worksheet is completely editable / correctable. Hope it’s useful. Thanks for downloading and have a nice day!

A terrific cook – reading comprehension + grammar (-ing after expressions with “to have”) [7 tasks] KEYS INCLUDED ((3 pages)) ***editable

The short passages can be used to train students' understanding of words and the use of several phrases. Half of the context is from website https://www.livescience.com/11361-history-overlooked-mysteries.html 

and pictures are from  Credit...Guyot, via Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis — Getty Image

Jack the Ripper - Reading Comprehension and Quiz

Students will read a passage on World Radio Day, then answer questions about its significance, themes, and impact, promoting comprehension skills. World Radio Day is an international day celebrated on the 13th of February each year. The day was decided by UNESCO on November 3, 2011 during its 36th conference.

Reading Comprehension (Informational Text, Questions and Answers) about World Radio Day

The story of John the Handyman with questions asking whether certain things happened before or after other events. Helps students understand the use of 'before' and 'after'.



Second page contains my attempt at a translation into Castilian Spanish to help other native English speakers like me teaching Spanish students.  However, the accuracy is not guaranteed!



Hope this story and comprehension questions help you.

Before and After

kids have to answer the riddles and understand the meaning of different words. A fun activity but at the same time educational. Answers are given on the second page

Jokes and Riddles

TEXT UNDERSTANDING 

VOCABULARY MATCH



II. Identify the event. Define the semantic fields.



III. How would you compare Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy ? Explain and detail. 



IV. How does Austen portray men and women in Chapter 3 of Pride and Prejudice?  



V. How many couples are already formed and how many couples could be formed with the characters present ?



VI. Focus on Elizabeth Bennet: what is her situation at this event ?







PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Lesson Plan: The Lion and the Saint



Lesson Overview

• Level: B1

• Duration: 60 minutes

• Materials: Worksheet provided



Objectives

• By the end of the lesson, students will have a deeper understanding of the life of Saint Gerasim through the story of Saint Gerasim and the Lion. Through this exploration, students will not only enhance their language skills but also be enriched in the Orthodox Way, strengthening their faith and spiritual journey with God.

• Students will practice speaking and reading skills.

• Students will expand their vocabulary related to the story.

• Students will discuss themes of kindness, gratitude, and responsibility.



Lesson Plan

Warm-Up (10 mins)

1. Discussion:

◦ Discuss the importance of helping others, animal kindness, and understanding human emotions.

◦ Encourage students to share their thoughts and experiences.



Speaking 1 (10 mins)

1. Trait Selection:

◦ Students select and explain the three most important traits for a good friend from the given options.

◦ Encourage discussion and justification of choices.



Reading (15 mins)

1. Comprehension Questions:

◦ Students read the story of Saint Gerasim and the Lion.

◦ Answer questions related to the story, encouraging critical thinking.



Speaking 2 (10 mins)

1. Discussion:

◦ Students discuss Saint Gerasim’s actions of kindness and compassion, lion Jordan’s gratitude, duty, and commitment, trust, and forgiveness.

◦ Encourage critical thinking and empathy in responses.



Speaking 3 (5 mins)

1. Taboo Game:

◦ Pair students and have one student explain highlighted words without using specific terms to their partner.

◦ The partner guesses the word based on the description.



Closing (5 mins)

1. Reflection:

◦ Ask students to reflect on the lesson, discussing what they learned and any insights gained.

◦ Encourage feedback and discussion on the themes explored.


Reading and Speaking - The Lion and the Saint

This worksheet is designed to provide learners with a brief history of the festival Halloween and a ghost story. They are then tested on their understanding of the text as well as asked to discuss what various text means. There is then are then discussion questions at the end along with a word-search. 

Halloween - reading and comprehension

worksheet to practise teading and understanding

On music and Musicians

Easy worksheet related to reading ability, students have to read, and develop activities proposed. The idea is to encourage them to understand and extract information. 

252 Reading and understanding English ESL worksheets pdf & doc