#learning-english — Public Fediverse posts

It's the spring equinox and the time for another quarterly ebook. This time it's a short story by Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941).

"Departure" is about a young man leaving his small hometown to begin a new life in a big city. As he sets off, thoughts about the familiar people and places fill him with melancholy.

It’s a bittersweet story that I hope you will enjoy! As always, there are vocabulary explanations in the footnotes.

Visit the Grammaticus website today to get you free PDF: https://grammaticus.blog/2026/03/21/free-ebook-departure-by-sherwood-anderson

#literature #shortstory #reading #americanliterature #englishteacher #learningenglish #books #ebooks

Free ebook: “Departure” by Sherwood Anderson

Dear all,

It’s the spring equinox and the time for another quarterly ebook. This time it’s a short story by Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941), American novelist and short story writer best known for his book ” Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small Town Life.”

Departure comes from that same collection of stories. It’s about a young man leaving his small hometown to begin a new life in a big city. As he’s leaving, thoughts about the familiar people and places fill him with melancholy. It’s a bittersweet story that I hope you will enjoy!

To get your PDF copy with vocabulary notes, please click on the link below:

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

If you’d like to access more ebooks, visit the English Library section of this website.

NOTES

I’m a freelance language tutor (English, Latin, Classical Greek), researcher, and a literary scholar currently based in Belgrade, Serbia.  

If you wish to receive new content from my blog – as soon as it’s published – please enter your email address in the box below. You can also subscribe to my free monthly Newsletter and get a regular recap with additional content.

To support my work, you can send me a donation via PayPal. It would be greatly appreciated!

COVER PHOTO CREDIT

Jake Sheppard via Unsplash

William Carlos Williams, died #OTD in 1963.

Visit the Grammaticus blog today and enjoy his short poem "Winter Trees" - it may appear to be about trees in winter, but it’s just as much about us.

https://grammaticus.blog/2025/01/22/winter-trees-by-william-carlos-williams/

#poem #poetry #williamcarloswilliams #literature #americanliterature #learningenglish #englishteacher

Latest on the blog: a short poem by the father of Canadian poetry, Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts.

Set in the cold and silent month of February, "The Brook in February" captures the tension between winter’s stillness and the hidden vitality of the coming spring.

As always, vocabulary exercise included!

https://grammaticus.blog/2026/02/25/the-brook-in-february-roberts/

#poem #poetry #canada #canadianliterature #winter #february #englishteacher #learningenglish

In the latest blog post I'm doing a short explainer on these deceptively similar words:

* part
* a part
* apart

Not sure what the difference between them is? Visit https://grammaticus.blog/2026/02/05/part-a-part-apart/

#englishteacher #learningenglish #englishvocabulary

What is the Japanese cheesecake yoghurt trend?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zmxsmbk

#Japanese #English #英語 #LearningEnglish
#LearningJapanese #Japan #JapaneseCulture

Right from the beginning, the author creates a dark and gloomy atmosphere of a harsh winter’s night. The spell she is seemingly under is a “tyrant” that completely paralyzes her. Yet at the same time, there’s something resilient about the poet...

Visit the Grammaticus blog today and delve into Emily Brontë's poem "Spellbound:"

https://grammaticus.blog/2026/01/14/spellbound-by-emily-bronte/

#englishliterature #learningenglish #englishteacher #poem #poetry #emilybronte #winter

I’m very happy to share with you the 13th title in the Grammaticus Free Library series!

The latest release is a story by the American writer William Sydney Porter (1861-1910), better known as O. Henry. Like many of his other short stories, "The Gift of the Magi" has a delightfully surprising ending.

https://grammaticus.blog/2025/12/17/free-ebook-the-gift-of-the-magi-by-o-henry/

#literature #shortstory #americanliterature #ohenry #learningenglish #ebook

Free ebook: “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry

Dear all, 

I’m very happy to share with you the 13th title in the Grammaticus Free Library series! If you are not familiar with it, each GFL ebook contains notes explaining more complex vocabulary (some of them also include additional exercises), and they are all available as free PDF downloads. 

The latest release is a story by the American writer William Sydney Porter (1861-1910), better known as O. Henry. Like many of his other short stories, The Gift of the Magi has a delightfully surprising ending. 

In a nutshell, this is a delightful Christmastime tale of a young couple, each sacrificing their most prized possession to buy a gift for the other. In the end, they discover that true wealth lies in their selfless love. 

To download your copy, please click on the link below.  

CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

To browse all the previous titles in the Grammaticus Free Library series, visit the Library section of this website. Here I would just like to draw your attention to three other stories with a winter setting available there, perfect for the season: 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

“The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry – listen to and read a simplified version of the story, adapted for English language learners

Listen to “The Gift of the Magi” narrated by Julie Harris

Watch the 1980 short film “The Gift of the Magi“, produced by Encyclopaedia Britannica

NOTES

I’m a freelance language tutor (English, Latin, Classical Greek), researcher, and a literary scholar currently based in Belgrade, Serbia.  

If you wish to receive new content from my blog – as soon as it’s published – please enter your email address in the box below. You can also subscribe to my free monthly Newsletter and get a regular recap with additional content.

To support my work, you can send me a donation via PayPal. It would be greatly appreciated!

COVER IMAGE CREDIT

Clay LeConey via Unsplash

#AmericanLiterature #Christmas #ebook #EnglishLiterature #EnglishVocabulary #freeDownload #learningEnglish #literature #OHenry #shortStory #winter

One of the most frequent mistakes I hear from students has to do with the use of the words “work” and “job”. 😬

In my latest blog post, I explain their core meaning and try to make a clear distinction between them. If you never know which one to choose, this post is for you!

Link in bio or visit
https://grammaticus.blog/2025/12/03/work-vs-job/

#learningenglish #englishteacher #englishvocabulary #englishlesson #education

Gobble gobble 🦃

This Thanksgiving Day, I'm sharing with you two lovely holiday-related poems that you can use to revise your English:

👉 “A Thanksgiving Dinner” by Maude M. Grant (1876-1941) - a children's poem with useful food-related vocabulary.

https://grammaticus.blog/2022/11/23/thanksgiving-dinner/

👉 "Thanksgiving" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox - a longer poem about appreciating the simple joys of life.

https://grammaticus.blog/2023/11/22/thanksgiving-by-wilcox/

Visit the Grammaticus blog (https://grammaticus.blog) and search for more seasonal content!

#learningenglish #englishteacher #englishvocabulary #poetry #education #americanliterature #thanksgivingday

The Advent season hasn't started just yet, but I couldn't wait 😊 In the latest blog post I'm presenting one of my favourite Advent hymns, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."

The post includes:

* a brief explanation of the biblical references,
* vocabulary exercises for ESL/EFL students,
* a separate set of vocabulary worksheets designed for Latin language learners, based on "Veni, veni, Emmanuel" - the original Latin text of the hymn,
* and more!

https://grammaticus.blog/2025/11/25/veni-emmanuel/

#learningenglish #englishteacher #latin #learninglatin #advent #jesus #churchhymns #adventhymns #christianity #education

Did you wake up to a thick blanket of snow this morning? ❄️ Then it's the perfect time to revise some English #vocabulary and learn a few new words related to #snow! ✍️

https://grammaticus.blog/2021/12/07/snow/

#learningenglish #englishteacher #englishvocabulary #englishlesson

Image credit: Pei Yu via Unsplash

Florida State University: Florida Center for Reading Research at FSU launches database to advance children’s literacy research. “FCRR, based at Florida State University, has launched an open-access database called the developmental English Lexicon Project (d-ELP) that features word reading data on 9,961 of the most frequently printed English words for children in grades 1 through 5.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/11/22/florida-state-university-florida-center-for-reading-research-at-fsu-launches-database-to-advance-childrens-literacy-research/

Some use it all the time, others consider it unnecessary. Let’s discuss the (in)famous Oxford comma!

https://grammaticus.blog/2025/11/18/the-oxford-comma/

#learningenglish #punctuation #englishteacher #writingtips #blog

Ok... Here we go.
My English is bad (as you can see now...). Suprisingly bad although I'm academically educated. As I said yesterday, my English is from fantasy videogames without grammary 😅

That's why I and @Turre had started to speak and write in our IRC channel English during workday. I have to practise my English because maybe I'll have a chance to be in panel conversations at different conferences (practically at Eurocons 😅 ). And maybe my books and novelettes translate to other languages.

So that I could get more practise I start light threads here. Maybe somebody else want to practise too? This is a right place! Of course everyone can join, need practise or not 😊

Welcome aboard 🫡

#learningEnglish

In my latest blog post you can read Carl Sandburg’s Halloween-themed poem “Theme in Yellow,” and do a simple vocabulary exercise.

It's a playful, festive, and wonderfully evocative poem - unusually written from the perspective of a pumpkin! If you love this time of year as much as I do, I’m sure you’ll enjoy “Theme in Yellow!”

https://grammaticus.blog/2025/10/29/theme-in-yellow/

#poem #poetry #learningenglish #englishvocabulary #englishteacher #americanliterature #Halloween #carlsandburg

In my latest blog post, "Let's talk about mushrooms," I'm presenting some basic English vocabulary that may come in handy. :)

* parts of a mushroom
* a few common words and phrases
* adjectives to describe their flavour, aroma, and texture

Suitable for learners at the B1 level (and above).

Link in bio or visit https://grammaticus.blog/2025/10/23/lets-talk-about-mushrooms/

Happy mushrooming! 🍄

#englishteacher #englishvocabulary #learningenglish #fungi #mushrooms

Issue 9 / 2025 of the Grammaticus Newsletter is now available! Access it online by following the link below, or subscribe and receive it in your inbox.

https://grammaticus.curated.co/issues/9?#start

#LanguageLearning #education #culture #reviews #listeningtips #learningenglish #englishteacher

Celebrate the arrival of #autumn with this great #poem by John Keats! 🍂🍁

The post includes a vocabulary exercise for English language learners.

https://grammaticus.blog/2022/10/26/keats-to-autumn/

#learningenglish #englishteacher #englishvocabulary #literature #englishliterature #autumn #fall #poetry

I’m happy to present the twelfth title in my series of e-books designed for English language learners (and everyone who enjoys a good short story).

This one contains a non-fiction story “My Herbarium” by Anne Wales Abbot (1808-1908), originally published in her collection of prose and poetry works entitled "Autumn Leaves."

The e-book contains two pages of vocabulary exercises, as well as notes throughout the text, to help you with the more complex C1/C2 vocabulary.

https://grammaticus.blog/2025/09/17/free-e-book-my-herbarium/

#learningenglish #englishteacher #americanliterature #naturewriting #englishvocabulary #shortstory #herbarium

"The golden-rod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down."

In my latest blog post you can read "September", a lovely nature poem written by Helen Hunt Jackson, Emily Dickinson's old pal from Amherst.

The post includes three exercises for further vocabulary study (answer key available).

https://grammaticus.blog/2025/09/03/september-by-h-h-jackson/

#literature #americanliterature #autumn🍁 #fall #learningenglish #englishteacher #englishvocabulary #poem #poetry #nature

The famous horror writer H. P. #Lovecraft was born on 20 August, 1890. In this post you can read his #poem "The House" and do a simple #vocabulary exercise:

https://grammaticus.blog/2023/08/18/the-house-by-lovecraft/

To learn more about Lovecraft and his life, visit "H. P. Lovecraft: a brief introduction"

https://grammaticus.blog/2023/08/18/the-house-by-lovecraft/

#literature #poetry #americanliterature #learningenglish #englishteacher

In this week's post on the Grammaticus website you can read "In Summer" by Lord Alfred Douglas - Oscar Wilde's (in)famous lover.

This sensual poem celebrates the joy and excitement of a summer romance - a perfect read for a hot summer's day like today!

https://grammaticus.blog/2025/07/24/in-summer-by-lord-alfred-douglas/

#lovepoems #poetry #englishliterature #summer #romance #learningenglish #englishvocabulary

Happy Summer Solstice! ☀️

On the Grammaticus website you can find lots of summer-related resources: poetry, vocabulary exercises, book reviews and more!

Visit today and celebrate the magic of #summer

https://grammaticus.blog/tag/summer

#englishliterature #poetry #learningenglish #englishteacher

Photo credit: B A Fields via Pexels

If there’s a solstice or an equinox approaching, you know it’s time for another free ebook in my Grammaticus Free Library series!

The latest one contains a short ghost story by Edith Nesbit, "Uncle Abraham's Romance."

A lonely old man remembers a series of unusual encounters with a mysterious woman. Was she just a product of his imagination or perhaps a visitor from the beyond?

If you like ghost stories, you’ll enjoy this one!

https://grammaticus.blog/2025/06/18/free-ebook-uncle-abrahams-romance/

You can find all the previously released titles here: https://grammaticus.blog/library/

#learningenglish #englishvocabulary #EnglishTeacher #englishliterature #ENesbit #shortstory #ghoststories

Walt Whitman, born #OTD in 1819. Celebrate his birthday by exploring some of the poems presented on the Grammaticus website:

* "The First Dandelion" https://grammaticus.blog/2023/04/12/the-first-dandelion-by-whitman/

* "A Glimpse" https://grammaticus.blog/2022/12/28/a-glimpse-whitman/

* "A Noiseless Patient Spider" https://grammaticus.blog/2023/05/31/a-noiseless-patient-spider-whitman/

You can also have a look at the post in which I offer a few tips on films and documentaries on Whitman: https://grammaticus.blog/2024/05/31/whitman-films/

#poetry #waltwhitman #americanliterature #learningenglish #englishteacher

It's May 21 - World Tea Day! 🍵 Visit the Grammaticus website today and have a look at some of the resources on the subject of #tea and #TeaCulture:

English vocabulary lesson: Tea https://grammaticus.blog/2023/05/22/tea/

"On Tea", a poem by Edmund Waller (which includes a vocabulary exercise) https://grammaticus.blog/2023/05/17/on-tea-by-edmund-waller/

Listening tips: Tea culture https://grammaticus.blog/2024/05/03/listening-tips-tea-culture/

#learningenglish #englishvocabulary #englishteacher #poem #poetry #podcast