Easy Stories in English

Ariel Goodbody, Polyglot English Teacher & Glassbox Media

Learn British English with Fairy Tales and Advanced Conversation

  • 21 minutes 37 seconds
    The Three Goats (Rerun)

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    Three goats live happily in a field eating grass. But one day, there's no more grass. They decide to cross a bridge to another field. But when they try to cross, a monster jumps out, and he wants to eat them!

    Go to ⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/ThreeGoats⁠ for the full transcript.

    Level: Beginner.

    Genre: Children's.

    Vocabulary: Goat, Eldest, Middle child, Greedy, Flow, Silly, Drown, Narrow, One by one, Troll, Annoying.

    Setting: Fairytale.

    Word Count: 1232.

    Author: Fairy Tales.

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    1 December 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 43 minutes 56 seconds
    Hangzhou and the Joy of Cycling (Conversation)

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    This episode has come out very late because of my appendicectomy. Apologies! I have recovered now and we should be back to our regular schedule soon enough.

    'Above there is heaven, and below there is Hangzhou.' So it must be a pretty great city, right? I sure thought so! In today's episode, I tell you all about my visit to this ancient Chinese city, with its lovely lake, temples and food.

    Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Hangzhou⁠⁠ for the full transcript.

    00:00 Intro

    00:53 A rite of passage

    02:54 A new view

    06:03 Hali Bote

    09:57 Hang Joe! Do it!

    11:36 Bustling with history

    13:30 A mouldy hotel

    14:24 That West Lake vibe

    16:59 Soaking up the temples

    19:22 Amazing noodles

    21:37 Back on the bike!

    25:44 An unfortunate incident

    28:07 New frames

    29:18 Where's this cafe??

    31:13 The results of my Japanese exam

    34:07 Random China things

    37:49 The best tissues in the world

    40:22 Stay in the light?

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    17 November 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 21 minutes 43 seconds
    The Demon Cats (Beginner)

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    Would you go fishing on Halloween night? That's when demons walk the Earth, and nobody is truly safe... But Murdo McTaggart doesn't believe in superstitions like that, and he heads out to catch fish while the other villagers go to church. He'll come to regret that mistake as the Devil - Auld Clootie himself - comes to him in the form of 13 tone-deaf cats.

    Have a spooky time with today's Scottish folk tale! Apologies for the changes to the usual schedule - I'm recovering from an appendicectomy (having my appendix removed) so I've had to move things around a bit.

    Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/DemonCats⁠ for the full transcript.

    Level: Beginner

    Genre: Horror.

    Vocabulary: Demon, Fisherman, Superstition, Fur, Disappear, Bone, Stab, Scratch, Bite, Priest, Holy water.

    Setting: Scotland.

    Word Count: 1423.

    Author: Ariel Goodbody.

    00:00 Intro

    01:09 Pumpkin Day?

    02:28 Vocabulary descriptions

    02:32 Demon

    03:12 Fisherman

    03:30 Superstition

    04:10 Fur

    04:24 Disappear

    04:47 Bone

    05:09 Stab

    05:35 Scratch and bite

    06:01 Priest

    06:16 Holy water

    06:52 The Demon Cats

    08:02 Murdo ignores the warnings

    09:14 Something dark is coming...

    10:13 The cats sing a cumha

    11:48 The first gift

    12:32 Another 'song'

    13:20 Another offering

    13:54 More singing?!

    14:57 A clever trick

    16:11 A fight to the death?

    17:07 A cry for help

    18:01 Just in time!

    19:32 Outro

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    30 October 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 29 minutes 38 seconds
    Doggo and Kitty Bake a Cake (Pre-Intermediate)

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    It's Kitty's birthday! And how better to celebrate than by baking a cake? Just one problem: how do you do it? Well, if you add five delicious things, it will be five times as delicious, and if you add a hundred delicious things...

    Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/CakeL2 for the full transcript.

    Level: Pre-Intermediate.

    Genre: Children's.

    Vocabulary: Sandpit, Nuts, Eggshell, Divine, Pretend, Wag, Naughty, Stomach rumbles, Mud.

    Setting: Fairytale.

    Word Count: 1947.

    Author: Ariel Goodbody.

    0:00 Intro

    0:52 You can see me!

    2:31 Relevelling

    6:26 Vocabulary

    11:03 Doggo and Kitty Bake a Cake

    26:10 Outro

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    13 October 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 36 minutes 18 seconds
    How Slow Can I Go? (Conversation)

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    Listen to me articulate and enunciate every word as I discuss unusual beverages, insane apps, doing Pilates in Chinese, and how I'm feeding you all worms.

    Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Slow⁠ for the full transcript.

    Vocabulary: Latte, Beetroot, Pistachio, Red envelope, Massage, Pilates, Monologue, Worm, Nest

    0:00 Intro

    01:41 How slow can I go?

    05:33 A mysterious drink

    08:10 Crazy Chinese apps

    13:00 Inappropriate videos

    17:20 Pilates à la Chinoise

    19:15 Levelling up abroad

    20:59 Autumn, anyone?

    22:00 Where to find my funky food pics

    24:20 My upcoming travels

    27:08 Let's speed things up a bit

    32:23 Mother has arrived

    33:19 Outro

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    6 October 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 51 minutes 12 seconds
    The Juniper Tree (Advanced)

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    Skin as white as snow and eyes as red as blood. Some would call it beautiful, but to Nicholas's parents, he is a demon child. But when Nicholas discovers that his 'mother' is not his real mother, his whole world starts to change.

    Today's story has themes of child abuse, cannibalism and violence. It is not appropriate for children.

    Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Juniper⁠⁠ for the full transcript.

    Level: Advanced.

    Genre: Horror

    Vocabulary: Juniper berry, Torment, Console, Demon, Witch, Chest (box), Padlock, Millstone.

    Setting: Fairytale.

    Word Count: 4623.

    Author: Ariel Goodbody.

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    29 September 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 42 minutes 57 seconds
    My Morning Routine (Conversation)

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    What I do every morning, in excruciating detail. When do I floss, how do I know when to put on deodorant, and what do I eat for breakfast? All these fascinating questions, and more, answered for you.

    Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Routine for the full transcript.

    Vocabulary: Night owl, Equator, Dental floss, Mouthwash, Yoga block, Yoga strap, Cork, Bar soap, Shower gel, Deodorant, “He could talk for England”, Grind, Muesli

    00:00 Intro

    00:50 Throwback to French class

    02:59 Are you a morning person or a night owl?

    06:22 Brushing and flossing

    10:41 Adventures in Listerine

    11:55 Yoga time!

    16:11 Getting clean

    18:27 Deodorant tactics

    22:40 Talking for England

    23:32 A coffee fiend

    26:40 What's for breakfast?

    31:21 Eating isn't enough!

    35:03 Dumping rubbish

    37:43 Easy like Sunday morning

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    15 September 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 29 minutes 31 seconds
    Before the Light Dies (Beginner)

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    The king asks a clockmaker to repair an old magical clock. But when the clockmaker tries to repair the clock, nothing works... until he discovers a secret that will change his life.

    Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Clockmaker⁠ for the full transcript.

    Level: Beginner.

    Genre: Romance.

    Vocabulary: Clockmaker, Ancestor, Repair, Ban, Apprentice, Gear, Rush, Symbol, Diary, Honesty, Secret.

    Setting: Fairytale.

    Word Count: 1753.

    Author: Ariel Goodbody.

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    8 September 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 44 minutes 1 second
    Hello from China! (Conversation)

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    Spicy bullfrog, fights with policemen and getting locked out... my first two weeks in China have certainly been eventful! Find out all about my move to Ningbo in today's episode.

    Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/China2⁠⁠ for the full transcript.

    Vocabulary: Bureaucracy, Ultrasound, Bedside manner, SIM card, Apartment complex, Congee, Adzuki bean, Bullfrog, Red bayberry, 'Mad dogs and Englishmen', Sweat, Cicada, Pale, 'A fish out of water', Scavenger hunt

    00:00 Intro

    01:56 The flight

    05:07 The fastest train in the world

    06:33 Assaulting a policeman

    07:48 Making friends with the locals

    10:00 The joys of bureaucracy

    15:46 My home away from home

    17:46 Finally, I'm rich!

    19:32 Get your chopsticks out

    25:49 It's too darn hot!

    27:50 Comfortable and livable

    29:15 Security

    32:10 Locked out of the system

    34:06 My new job

    37:23 The hardest thing you can do

    40:35 Outro

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    1 September 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 24 minutes 41 seconds
    Running (Pre-Intermediate)

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    Her mind runs, so she runs. She runs to stop her mind running. But one day, she sees an owl in the park, and reality stops running smoothly.

    Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Running for the full transcript.

    Level: Pre-Intermediate.

    Genre: Philosophical.

    Vocabulary: Squirrel, Leash, Freedom, Owl, Mad, Hunt, Bin, Otter, Footprint, Pawprint, Hoofprint.

    Setting: Modern.

    Word Count: 1448

    Author: Ariel Goodbody.

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    19 August 2025, 6:00 am
  • 30 minutes 32 seconds
    I Ate Colin's Face (Conversation)

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    In the last week before moving to China, I recount awkward goodbyes, the British tradition of caterpillar-shaped cakes, my sneaky strategy to avoid jet lag, and my super secret language study hacks. Keep listening to learn English!

    Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Colin⁠ for the full transcript.

    Vocabulary: Bubbly (drink), Caterpillar, Irish goodbye, Fly long-haul, Maglev, Jet lag

    00:00 Intro

    01:36 Audio chat

    04:42 A week of lasts

    05:46 A British icon

    10:54 My travel itinerary

    13:05 Avoiding jet lag

    16:18 Dodging earthquakes

    17:39 How I'm studying Chinese

    21:51 Finding love at the worst time

    24:13 Bathed in love

    27:20 Outro

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    12 August 2025, 6:00 am
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