Reading regularly is an important part of learning English. It helps you build vocabulary, understand sentence structure and become more comfortable with English grammar.

This English reading practice resource contains short, simple passages followed by comprehension questions and vocabulary activities. The texts gradually introduce more vocabulary and longer sentences.

How to use this reading practice

Read each passage slowly the first time. Try to understand the general meaning before looking up unfamiliar words.

On your second reading, underline or write down new vocabulary. Then answer the questions without looking back at the passage.

Do not worry if you do not understand every word. Try to understand the meaning from the context.

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Reading 1: My name is David

My name is David. I am twenty years old. I live in Nairobi with my family. I am a student. I study business at college.

I like reading books and playing football. At the weekend, I usually meet my friends.

Questions

1. How old is David?
2. Where does he live?
3. What does he study?
4. What sports does he like?
5. What does he do at the weekend?

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Reading 2: My family

I have a small family. There are four people in my family: my father, my mother, my sister and me.

My father works in an office. My mother is a teacher. My sister is still at school. We usually have dinner together in the evening.

Questions

1. How many people are in the family?
2. What does the father do?
3. What is the mother’s job?
4. Where does the sister study?
5. When does the family usually have dinner?

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Reading 3: My daily routine

I wake up at six o’clock every morning. I get out of bed, wash my face and brush my teeth. Then I have breakfast.

I leave home at seven thirty and go to work by bus. I usually finish work at five o’clock. In the evening, I have dinner, read for a while and go to bed at about ten.

Questions

1. What time does the person wake up?
2. How does the person travel to work?
3. What time does work finish?
4. What does the person do in the evening?
5. What time does the person usually go to bed?

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Reading 4: A busy morning

Sarah has a busy morning. She gets up early because she has an important meeting at work.

After breakfast, she checks her emails and gets ready. She leaves home at eight o’clock. There is a lot of traffic, so her journey takes longer than usual.

Sarah arrives at work at half past eight and goes straight to the meeting room.

Questions

1. Why does Sarah get up early?
2. What does she do after breakfast?
3. What time does she leave home?
4. Why does her journey take longer?
5. Where does she go when she arrives at work?

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Reading 5: At the supermarket

John needs some food for dinner. He goes to the supermarket after work.

He buys rice, vegetables, chicken, milk and some fruit. He also buys a loaf of bread. At the checkout, he pays by card and takes his shopping home.

Questions

1. Why does John go to the supermarket?
2. When does he go?
3. Name two things he buys.
4. How does he pay?
5. Where does he take the shopping?

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Reading 6: The weather

Today is a beautiful day. The sky is clear and the sun is shining. It is warm but not too hot.

Mary decides to walk to the park. She takes a bottle of water with her. She sits under a tree and reads a book.

Questions

1. What is the weather like?
2. Where does Mary go?
3. What does she take with her?
4. Where does she sit?
5. What does she read?

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Reading 7: My best friend

My best friend’s name is Ali. We met at school many years ago. He is friendly, helpful and funny.

We enjoy spending time together. Sometimes we play football, and sometimes we sit in a café and talk. We always have something interesting to discuss.

Questions

1. What is the friend’s name?
2. Where did they meet?
3. What is Ali like?
4. What sports do they sometimes play?
5. Where do they sometimes sit and talk?

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Reading 8: A day at school

Emma is a student. She starts school at eight o’clock. Her first lesson is English.

After English, she studies mathematics and science. At lunchtime, she eats with her friends. In the afternoon, she has history and art.

Emma enjoys school because she likes learning new things.

Questions

1. What time does school start?
2. What is the first lesson?
3. What subjects does Emma study?
4. Who does she eat with?
5. Why does she enjoy school?

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Reading 9: A trip to the city

Peter needs to buy a new phone, so he goes into the city on Saturday.

He takes the train in the morning. After arriving, he visits several shops before finding a phone that he likes.

He has lunch at a small restaurant and then takes the train home.

Questions

1. Why does Peter go to the city?
2. When does he go?
3. How does he travel?
4. Where does he have lunch?
5. How does he return home?

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Reading 10: Learning English

Fatima is learning English because she wants to communicate with more people.

She studies for thirty minutes every morning. She learns new vocabulary, reads short stories and writes sentences in a notebook.

In the evening, she watches simple English programmes and practises speaking.

Fatima knows that learning a language takes time, so she tries to practise every day.

Questions

1. Why is Fatima learning English?
2. How long does she study every morning?
3. What does she write in her notebook?
4. What does she watch in the evening?
5. Why does she practise every day?

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Intermediate reading practice

Once you are comfortable with the beginner passages, try longer texts. Do not translate every sentence. Instead, try to understand the main idea and use context to guess unfamiliar words.

Reading 11: A new job

After finishing college, Daniel spent several weeks looking for a job. He sent applications to different companies and attended several interviews.

One Monday morning, he received a phone call from a company he had applied to two weeks earlier. The manager offered him a position in the customer service department.

Daniel was excited about the opportunity. He knew that starting a new job would be challenging, but he was ready to learn.

Questions

1. What did Daniel do after finishing college?
2. How did he look for work?
3. When did he receive the phone call?
4. What position was he offered?
5. Why was he excited?

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Reading 12: A healthy routine

Having a healthy routine does not necessarily require major changes. Small habits can make a difference over time.

For example, people can try to eat balanced meals, drink enough water, get regular physical activity and maintain a regular sleep schedule.

It is also useful to make realistic goals. A person who tries to change everything at once may find it difficult to maintain the new routine.

Questions

1. What can small habits do?
2. Name two healthy habits mentioned in the passage.
3. Why are realistic goals useful?
4. What may happen if someone tries to change everything at once?

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Reading 13: Learning from mistakes

Making mistakes is a normal part of learning a language. A learner may use the wrong word, forget a grammar rule or pronounce a word incorrectly.

Instead of becoming discouraged, learners can use mistakes as opportunities to improve. Writing down common mistakes can help learners notice patterns and avoid repeating them.

Regular practice is particularly useful because it gives learners opportunities to use new vocabulary and grammar.

Questions

1. What are some common language-learning mistakes?
2. How can learners use mistakes?
3. Why can writing mistakes down be useful?
4. Why is regular practice important?

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Reading 14: A visit to the library

Amina visits her local library every Saturday. She usually spends an hour looking for books that can help her improve her English.

She prefers books with short chapters because they are easier to read regularly. When she finds a new word, she writes it in a notebook together with an example sentence.

After several months, Amina notices that she can read longer texts more comfortably.

Questions

1. When does Amina visit the library?
2. Why does she visit?
3. What type of books does she prefer?
4. What does she do when she finds a new word?
5. What improvement does she notice?

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Reading 15: The importance of practice

Knowing English grammar is useful, but knowledge alone does not always make communication easy. Learners also need opportunities to use the language.

Reading, writing, speaking and listening all provide different kinds of practice. A learner may understand a grammar rule but still need practice before using it naturally in conversation.

For this reason, regular language practice is an important part of becoming more confident in English.

Questions

1. Why is grammar knowledge alone not always enough?
2. Name the four language skills mentioned.
3. Why might a learner need practice after learning a grammar rule?
4. What can regular practice help develop?

English reading vocabulary exercise

Choose five new words from each passage. For each word:

1. Write its meaning.
2. Write a new sentence.
3. Identify its part of speech.
4. Find a synonym if possible.
5. Find an antonym if possible.

True or false practice

After reading a passage, write True or False for each statement.

For example:

Passage: James takes the bus to work every morning.

1. James walks to work. — False
2. James takes the bus. — True
3. James goes to work every morning. — True

This exercise helps learners check whether they understand the information in a text.

Reading comprehension tips

1. Read the title first

The title often tells you what the passage is about.

2. Look for the main idea

Ask yourself: “What is this text mainly about?”

3. Do not translate every word

Try to understand unfamiliar vocabulary from the surrounding sentence.

4. Look for key information

Names, dates, places, numbers and repeated words can help you understand a passage.

5. Read more than once

The first reading can help you understand the general meaning. The second reading can help you notice details.

6. Build a vocabulary notebook

Record useful new words together with their meanings and example sentences.

7. Read regularly

Short, regular reading sessions can be easier to maintain than occasional long sessions.