ESL Stories

The Importance of Short Fiction
for English Learners

ESL stories are the best way to reinforce the latest English lesson you've taught your students.

Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All English Tenses

Sometimes, though, students are reluctant to read long works of fiction, either because the stories are too difficult or because the students are too busy to sit down for long stretches of time.

Short ESL stories will solve this dilemma for your busy students.

Finding Time to Read

With shorter stories, adult students can find time to read while they are waiting to pick up their children, while they're in line at the post office, or on a meal break at their job.

School-age English learners can carry a small paperback collection of short stories in their backpacks so they can read while they're waiting for their parents to pick them up from a soccer or baseball game.

All students can enjoy reading a few pages of a story after dinner or before bedtime.

Culture and Customs

Besides sentence structure, grammar, vocabulary, and spelling, ESL stories help students learn about the culture, customs, and traditions of the country they're studying.

There are many English-speaking countries, so you will want to make sure that you select short story collections that reflect the values of the country you're currently studying.

A story written about Australia will showcase actions and speech that are different from those of the characters in a story written about the United States.

Vocabulary and Spelling Differences

There are also slight differences in vocabulary among American, British, Canadian, and Australian English speakers.

For example, Americans call the device that helps move you between floors of a tall building an "elevator" while the British call it a "lift."

There are also differences in spelling, such as the American "color" and the British "colour".

You will want to make sure to choose ESL stories for your students that are written for and about the country that you're studying.

Finding out What Interests Your Students

Of course, the best way to find out what interests your students is to ask them. But you can also get clues from watching and observing them.

For example, if you see a student carrying a soccer ball, you'll know she's interested in playing sports.

A student who pastes a few pictures of famous rock stars on his notebook would probably enjoy reading a story about a singer.

Finding ESL Stories That Match Your Students' Interest

Try looking for ESL stories online, as well as at your local public library. Really Learn English has its own specialized collection of ESL short stories for beginners, too.

If you want your ESL students to excel at learning English grammar and culture, make sure they have plenty of interesting short ESL stories and short story collections to read.

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