readClassicly.
A1 Reading Plan · Week 1 · Day 2 of 30

The Fox and the Grapes

From Aesop's Fables·~150 words·~2 min read

A fox cannot reach the grapes. Sour grapes, said the fox. The shortest reading on this list.

0:00

BetaAudio read-along is new, and we’re still fine-tuning the word-by-word timing, so a word may drift now and then.

A hungry Fox saw some fine bunches of Grapes hanging from a vine that was trained along a high trellis, and did his best to reach them by jumping as high as he could into the air. But it was all in vain, for they were just out of reach: so he gave up trying, and walked away with an air of dignity and unconcern, remarking, "I thought those Grapes were ripe, but I see now they are quite sour."

Word game: ten new words, one minute→
Read the next storyThe Boy Who Cried Wolf →~3 min read
Opening soon

Now, let’s talk!

You’ve just read The Fox and the Grapes. You know the story, and many of the words.

Now talk about it in English with your AI teacher for 5 minutes.

Your teacher knows the story, your English level, and the words you saved.

Take your time. Make mistakes. Try again.
No one is listening. There are no grades.
Just talk. It’s practice.

Not open yet. Leave your email and the first conversation is free when it is.

Quick check

Check what you remember

5 short questions. Taking it is the best way to make the story and its new words actually stick. Scroll up to re-read any time.

Question 1 of 5vocabulary
What does 'ripe' mean in the story?
Question 2 of 5vocabulary
What does 'sour' mean in the story?
Question 3 of 5vocabulary
What does 'in vain' mean in the story?
Question 4 of 5comprehension
Why did the Fox say the grapes were sour?
Question 5 of 5comprehension
How did the Fox try to reach the grapes?
0 of 5 answered

You finished the story!

Thank you for reading with ReadClassicly.

We’re building a free library of public-domain books for English learners around the world. If you’d like to help us grow, you can support the project.

Support ReadClassicly

Create a free account to save your progress and vocabulary across devices. Reading works without one.

← Previous story
The Hare and the Tortoise
All 30 stories
Read the next story →
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
~3 min read
Enjoying the stories?

Get the next shelf of stories

Leave your email and we will let you know the moment we add a new shelf. You will also save your progress and vocabulary across devices.

Source: V. S. Vernon Jones translation, public domain. The original tale, not a simplified or adapted version.
readClassicly is free and ad-free, made by one person. Support it on Ko-fi