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

Two easy texts connected with archaeology vocabulary natural catastrophes and practice of past simple tense.  Texts are short, easy to understand for young learners (I used it for kids from 6th grade). Questions need to be answered with true or false.

Archaeology and natural disasters reading practice

This worksheet is a reading comprehension, writing and analysis activity based on William Blake's poem And Did Those Feet in Ancient Times. Students are asked to read and understand the poem and respond to the analysis questions in order to engage with the text further. 

And Did Those Feet in Ancient Times (Jersusalem) by William Blake Reading and Analysis

Mulan Soundtrack: Language & Discussion 



consists of

- 2 lyrics from Mulan's Soundtrack

- activity part



The songs are Honor to us all and A girl worth fighting for 

which represent the value and gender role of the people in historical China (Mulan's background). 



This work sheet means to teach English language through the songs and story as well as critical thinking on the topic of gender role. Students are not required to watch the movie.  



This is how I conduct the class. There can be many other better ways though. 



1. Show the lyric video* (Find the attached links below) and explain the context as necessary. 

2. Let the students read, explore the meaning and vocab (partly from searching, partly from guessing.) 

3. Watch again (with understanding)  

4. Discussion (Simile/metaphor, gender role, cultural elements)





My apology for any mistake in the worksheet or the poorly formed question. If you have any comment or suggestion, please know that I really appreciate it. :-) 





YOUTUBE LINKS:

Honor to us all:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvmmu4O7fE



A girl worth fighting for: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqrV6wefC78



Mulan Soundtrack: Language & Discussion 

It is an English workbook for the B1-B2 level. The workbook includes reading and speaking tasks on the topic of Crime. This book can help student boast the vocabulary of this topic as well as general understanding of it.

English workbook. Crime. Part 1. for B1-B2 level. Reading and speaking

This worksheet is designed for A2-level adult learners and focuses on the case of the Stodol couple, notorious Czech serial killers. It includes a reading passage about their crimes and subsequent capture, along with seven comprehension questions to test understanding. The worksheet is visually engaging, featuring an artistic background with thematic elements related to crime, such as a gavel and police badge, to maintain learners' interest. The activity aims to enhance reading skills, vocabulary, and comprehension, making it an excellent resource for adult ESL teachers seeking to incorporate true crime stories into their curriculum for more engaging and relevant content.

Mystery on the Quiet Street: A True Crime Reading Activity

here's a complete guide to help students understand the story. It includes a guided step by step analysis and visuals to aid students . Hope you find it useful!

Reading Comprehension

Here  is  a  reading  comprehension  activity  with  some  tasks  at  the  end  to  check students'  understand  of  specific  vocabulary. Hope your students  will enjoy this test!

Reading Test. Jill and Rob's weekly menu.

This exercise is part of the READ AND TALK series. First read the article and make sure that the student(s) understand(s) it. Then discuss the following questions.

I have already tried it out with one of my students and we had a very interesting conversation! :-)

READ AND TALK - Trapped in Subway fridge

This worksheet shows the students vocabulary related to the museum. There is a video as an introduction to the vocabulary and the worksheet will provide exercises to strengthen students' understanding of the vocabulary. In the last two sheets of the worksheet, there is a mystery object exercise where students must read a recount text. After that, they need to figure out the objects being described and where to place them in the given spots. This worksheet encourages the use of museum vocabulary, past-form verbs, prepositions, and adjectives.

In a Museum - Vocabulary and Reading Exercise

The lesson plan is created at the intermediate level of English. The reading comprehension and vocabulary exercises are designed to challenge students with some prior knowledge of English and to help them develop their skills in reading and understanding more complex texts. The grammar exercises focus on the future tense, typically taught at an intermediate level. However, the lesson plan can be adapted or modified to suit the needs and abilities of students at different levels.

The future: reading comprehension and future tense

I prepared a worksheet for elementary level.Students will enjoy reading and completing the tasks.I will use it for my second graders to check their understanding of the text.First activity they read and circle YES /NO  and second activity they complete the text using the words in the box.There are no extra words in the second activity.

Simple yes no question and reading comprehension

A resource that I've turned into a worksheet fromhttps://teachik.wordpress.com/australia-day-invasion-day/As of 2023, Australia Day is no longer widely celebrated for good reason, and I think this type of resource can be useful in educating and teaching writing and reading skills for B2 and above.

252 Reading and understanding English ESL worksheets pdf & doc