Shadowing Practice: 20 Short Moral Stories || Graded Reader || Read & Learn English #shorts - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Welcome to Read and Learn English, the place where stories help you grow your English and your mind.
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In today's video, we're bringing you 20 short moral stories that are simple, meaningful, and easy to understand.
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Each story is designed to not only teach you an important life lesson,
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but also help you practice real English in a fun and natural way.
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These stories are perfect for learners who want to improve vocabulary,
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grammar, and listening skills, all while enjoying thoughtful and inspiring messages.
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Whether you're a beginner or just looking for easy English practice, this video is made for you.
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As you listen, try to repeat some sentences out loud.
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It's a great way to build your confidence and improve your speaking.
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And of course, each story comes with a strong message that you can use in your daily life.
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If you enjoy this kind of content, don't forget to subscribe to Read and Learn English for more videos like this,
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with stories, conversations, and simple English lessons every week.
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Now let's begin with our first story.
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Seventeen Camels and Three Suns Long ago,
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there lived an old man with his three sons in a deserted village located in the vicinity of a desert.
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He had seventeen camels, and they were the main source of his income.
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He used to rent out camels as a means of shipping in the desert.
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One day he passed away.
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He had left a will, leaving his assets for his three sons.
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After the funeral and the other obligations were over, the three sons read the will.
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While their father had divided all the property he had into three equal parts, he had divided the seventeen camels in a different way.
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They were not shared equally among the three, as seventeen is an odd number and a prime number, which cannot be divided.
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The old man had stated that the eldest son will own half of the seventeen camels,
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the middle one will get one -third of the seventeen camels, and the youngest one will get his share of camels as one -ninth.
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All of them were stunned to read the will
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and questioned each other how to divide the seventeen camels as mentioned in the will.
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It is not possible to divide seventeen camels and give half of the seventeen camels to the eldest one.
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It is not possible also to divide the camels for the other two sons.
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They spent several days thinking of ways to divide the camels as mentioned in the will, but none could find the answer.
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They finally took the issue to the wise man in their village.
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The wise man heard the problem and instantly found a solution.
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He asked them to bring all the seventeen camels to him.
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The sons brought the camels to the wise man's place.
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The wise man added a camel owned by him and made the total number of camels eighteen.
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Now, he asked the first son to read the will.
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As per the will, the eldest son got half the camels, which now counted to eighteen, divided by two, equals nine camels.
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The eldest one got nine camels as his share.
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The remaining camels were nine.
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The wise man asked the second son to read the will.
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He was assigned one -third of the total camels.
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It came to eighteen, divided by three, equals six camels.
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The second son got six camels as his share.
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Total number of camels shared by the elder sons.
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Nine plus six equals fifteen camels.
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The third son read out his share of camels.
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One -ninth of the total number of camels.
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Eighteen -ninths equals two camels.
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The youngest one got two camels as his share.
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Totally there were nine plus six plus two camels shared by the brothers, which counted to seventeen camels.
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Now the one camel added by the wise man was taken back.
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The wise man solved this problem smartly with his intelligence.
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Intelligence is nothing but finding a common ground to solve an issue.
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In short, every problem has a solution.
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A Merchant and His Donkey One beautiful spring morning,
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a merchant loaded his donkey with bags of salt to go to the market, in order to sell the salt.
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The merchant and his donkey were walking along together.
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They had not walked far when they reached a river on the way.
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Unfortunately, the donkey slipped and fell into the river.
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As it scrambled up the bank of the river, it noticed that the bags of salt loaded on his back had become lighter.
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There was nothing the merchant could do except return home, where he loaded his donkey with more bags of salt.
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As they reached the slippery riverbank again, the donkey fell into the river, this time deliberately.
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Thus, the salt was wasted again.
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By now, the merchant knew the donkey's trick.
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He wanted to teach the animal a lesson.
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As he returned home the second time with the donkey, the merchant loaded bags of sponges on its back.
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The duo set out on their trip to the market a third time.
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On reaching the river, the donkey very cleverly fell into the water again.
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But now, instead of the load becoming lighter, it became heavier.
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The merchant laughed at the donkey and said, You foolish donkey, your trick has been discovered.
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You should know that you cannot fool anyone too many times.
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Change yourself and not the world.
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Long ago, people lived happily under the rule of a king.
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The people of the kingdom were very happy as they led a very prosperous life with an abundance of wealth
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and no misfortunes.
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Once, the king decided to go visiting places of historical importance and pilgrim centers at distant places.
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He decided to travel by foot to interact with his people.
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People of distant places were very happy to have a conversation with their king.
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They were proud that their king had a kind heart.
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After several weeks of travel, the king returned to the palace.
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He was quite happy that he had visited many pilgrim centers and witnessed his people leading a prosperous life.
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However, he had one regret.
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He had intolerable pain in his feet as it was his first trip by foot, covering a long distance.
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He complained to his ministers that the roads weren't comfortable and that they were very stony.
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He could not tolerate the pain.
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He said that he was very much worried about the people who had to walk along those roads, as it would be painful for them too.
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Considering all this, he ordered his servants to cover the roads in the whole country with leather,
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so that the people of his kingdom can walk comfortably.
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The king's ministers were stunned to hear his order as it would mean
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that thousands of cows would have to be slaughtered in order to get sufficient quantity of leather
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and it would cost a huge amount of money also.
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Finally, a wise man from the ministry came to the king and said that he had another idea.
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The king asked what the alternative was.
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The minister said, Instead of covering the roads with leather,
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why don't you just have a piece of leather cut in appropriate shape to cover your feet?
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The king was very much surprised by his suggestion and applauded the wisdom of the minister.
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He ordered a pair of leather shoes for himself and requested all his countrymen also to wear shoes.
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Moral.
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Instead of trying to change the world, we should try to change ourselves.
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Unhelpful friends.
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Bunny Rabbit lived in the forest.
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He had many friends.
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He was proud of his friends.
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One day, Bunny Rabbit heard the loud barking of wild dogs.
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He was very scared.
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He decided to ask for help.
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He quickly went to his friend deer.
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He said, dear friend, some wild dogs are chasing me.
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Can you chase them away with your sharp antlers?
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The deer said, that is right, I can.
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But now I am busy.
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Why don't you ask
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Bear for help?
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Bunny Rabbit ran to the bear.
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My dear friend, you are very strong.
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Please help me.
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Some wild dogs are after me.
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Please chase them away, he requested to the bear.
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The bear replied, I am sorry.
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I am hungry and tired.
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I need to find some food.
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Please ask the monkey for help.
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Poor Bunny went to the monkey, the elephant, the goat, and all his other friends.
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Bunny felt sad that nobody was ready to help him.
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He understood that he had to think of a way out by himself.
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He hid under a bush.
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He lay very still.
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The wild dogs did not find the bunny.
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They went chasing other animals.
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Bunny Rabbit learned that he had to learn to survive by himself, not depending on his unhelpful friends.
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Moral, it is better to rely on yourself than depend on others.
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Greedy Boy Sam and Tom were identical twins.
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They were so identical that even their mother found it difficult to distinguish one from the other, at least during their initial days on Earth.
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However, they were very different from each other when it came to everything other than their appearance.
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Sam had no friends, while Tom was a great friendship maker.
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Sam loved sweets, but Tom loved spicy food and detested sweets.
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Sam was mommy's pet, and Tom was daddy's pet.
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While Sam was generous and selfless, Tom was greedy and selfish.
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As Sam and Tom grew up, their father wanted to share his fortune equally amongst them.
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However, Tom did not agree,
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and he argued that whoever proved to be more intelligent and strong would have to get a bigger share of the wealth.
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Sam agreed.
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Their father decided to organize a competition between the two.
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He asked the two sons to walk as long as they could and return home before sunset.
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The wealth would be divided in proportion to the distance covered.
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As a rule of the competition, they were not permitted to carry a watch to keep track of the time.
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The following day, Sam and Tom set out to walk.
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It was a rather sunny day.
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Sam walked slowly and steadily, while Tom broke into a sprint as he was bent on winning the race
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and also winning a greater portion of his father's wealth.
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Sam knew that it would be ideal to walk as far as possible till noon, and start for home at noon,
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as it would take the same amount of time to walk back home.
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Knowing this, Sam decided to turn back for home at noon, so as reach home on time.
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However, Tom, with his greed to earn more wealth, did not attempt to return home even after midnoon.
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He walked twice as long as Sam and thought he would still be able to return home before sunset.
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He hurried back when he saw the sun turn orange.
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Unfortunately, he could not even make it halfway home as the sun started to set.
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Slowly darkness engulfed his path, and he had to drag his tired feet back home.
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He had lost the race.
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Only because of his greed.
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Greed leads to loss.
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Strong or weak.
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There was a proud teak tree in the forest.
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He was tall and strong.
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There was a small herb next to the tree.
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The teak tree said, I am very handsome and strong.
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No one can defeat me.
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Hearing this, the herb replied, dear friend, too much pride is harmful.
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Even the strong will fall one day.
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The teak ignored the herb's words.
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He continued to praise himself.
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A strong wind blew.
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The teak stood firmly.
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Even when it rained, the teak stood strong by spreading its leaves.
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During these times, the herb bowed low.
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The teak made fun of the herb.
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One day, there was a storm in the forest.
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The herb bowed low.
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As usual, the teak did not want to bow.
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The storm kept growing stronger.
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The teak could no longer bear it.
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He felt his strength giving way.
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He tried his best to stand upright, but in the end, he fell down.
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That was the end of the proud tree.
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When everything was calm again, the herb stood straight.
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He looked around.
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He saw that the proud teak had fallen.
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Moral, pride goes before a fall.
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The Crystal Ball In the south of Spain, there was a small village whose people were very joyful.
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The children played under the shades of trees in the gardens of their homes.
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A shepherd boy named Nasir stayed near the village with his father, mother, and grandmother.
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Each morning, he took his herd of goats up the hills to find a suitable place for them to graze.
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In the afternoon, he would return with them to the village.
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Each night his grandmother would tell him a story, the story of stars.
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This story really interested Nasir.
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On one of those days, as Nasir was watching his herd and playing his flute, he suddenly saw a wonderful light behind a flower bush.
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When he approached the bush, he saw a transparent and very beautiful crystal ball.
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The crystal ball was glittering like a colorful rainbow.
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Nasir carefully took it in his hand and turned it around.
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With surprise, suddenly, he heard a weak voice coming from the crystal ball.
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It said, You can make a wish that your heart desires, and I will fulfill it.
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Nasir could not believe that he had actually heard a voice.
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When he made sure that he had indeed heard that voice from the crystal ball, he was very confused.
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He had so many wishes that he could not decide upon one particular wish.
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He said to himself, if I wait till tomorrow, I will remember many things.
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Then I will make my wish.
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He put the crystal ball in a bag, and gathering the herd, happily returned to the village.
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He decided that he would not tell anyone about the crystal ball.
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On the following day also, Nasir could not decide what to wish for, because he really had everything he needed.
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The days passed as usual, but Nasir was still unable to make his wish.
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But he appeared to be very cheerful.
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The people around him were amazed to see the change in his disposition.
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One day, a boy followed Nasir and his herd and hid behind a tree.
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Nasir, as usual, sat in one corner, took out the crystal ball, and for a few moments looked at it.
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The boy waited for the moment when Nasir would go to sleep.
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When Nasir did fall asleep after a while, the boy took the crystal ball and ran away.
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When he arrived at the village, he called all the people and showed them the crystal ball.
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The citizens of that village took the crystal ball in their hands and turned it around with surprise.
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Suddenly, they heard a voice from inside the crystal ball, which said, I can fulfill your wish.
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One person took the ball and screamed, I want one bag full of gold.
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Another took the ball and said loudly, I want two chests full of jewelry.
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Some of them wished
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that they would have their own palace with a grand door made from pure gold instead of their old houses.
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Some others wished for bags full of jewelry.
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All their wishes were fulfilled, but still the citizens of the village were not happy.
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They were jealous because the person that had a palace had no gold, and the person that had the gold had no palace.
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For this reason, the citizens of the village were angry with each other and stopped speaking to each other.
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The gardens in the village where children used to play were no more.
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There were palaces and gold everywhere.
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The children became terribly unhappy.
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Only Nasir and his family were happy and contented.
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Every morning and afternoon he would play the flute.
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One day, the children of the village took the crystal ball to Nasir.
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The children said to Nasir, When we had a small village, we all were happy and joyful.
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The parents also spoke.
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They said, In one way or another, all of us are unhappy.
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The luxurious palaces and jewelry only bring us pain.
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When Nasir saw that the people were really regretful, he said, Even though the crystal ball asked me to wish for something,
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I have not done it so far.
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But if you really want everything to return to its own place, then I will wish for it.
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Everyone happily agreed.
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Nasir took the crystal ball in his hand, turned it around, and wished that the village would become the same as it was before.
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In a moment the palaces disappeared, the green gardens appeared, and the same old village full of trees was there.
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Once again, the people started to live happily, and the children played under the shade of trees.
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Nasir continued his contented life every day, playing his flute at sunset.
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Its sweet sound was heard throughout the beautiful green village.
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Moral.
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We should be happy with whatever we have and not be greedy.
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The Devoted Mother A mother duck and her little ducklings were on their way to a lake one day.
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The ducklings were very happy following their mother and quack quacking along the way.
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All of a sudden, the mother duck saw a fox at a distance.
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She was frightened and shouted, children, hurry to the lake.
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There's a fox.
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The ducklings hurried towards the lake.
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The mother duck wondered what to do.
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Then she began to walk back and forth, dragging one wing on the ground.
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Short stories devoted mother.
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To when the fox saw her, he became happy.
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He said to himself, it seems she's hurt and can't fly.
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I can easily catch and eat her.
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He ran towards her.
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The mother duck ran, leading the fox away from the lake.
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The fox followed her.
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Now he wouldn't be able to harm her ducklings.
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The mother duck looked towards her ducklings and saw that they had reached the lake.
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She was relieved, so she stopped and took a deep breath.
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The fox thought that she was tired and he came closer, but the mother duck quickly spread her wings and rose up in the air.
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She landed in the middle of the lake and her duckling swam to her.
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The fox stared in disbelief at the mother duck and her ducklings.
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The mother duck had tricked him cleverly.
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Now he could not reach them because they were in the middle of the lake.
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The greedy mouse.
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A greedy mouse saw a basket full of corn.
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He wanted to eat it.
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So he made a small hole in the basket.
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He squeezed in through the hole.
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He ate a lot of corn.
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He felt full and was very happy.
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Now he wanted to come out.
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He tried to come out through the small hole.
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He could not.
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His belly was full.
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He tried again.
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But it was of no use.
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The mouse started crying.
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A rabbit was passing by.
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It heard the mouse's cry and asked, Why are you crying, my friend?
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The mouse explained, I made a small hole and came into the basket to eat the corn.
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Now I am not able to get out through that hole.
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The rabbit said, It is because you ate too much.
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Wait till your belly shrinks.
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The rabbit laughed and went away.
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Short Stories, Greedy Mouse The mouse fell asleep in the basket.
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The next morning his belly had shrunk, but he wanted to eat some more corn.
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He forgot all about getting out of the basket, so he ate the corn and his belly was really big again.
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After eating, the mouse remembered that he had to escape, but obviously he could not.
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So he thought, oh, now I will go out tomorrow.
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The cat was the next passerby.
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He smelt the mouse in the basket.
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He lifted its lid and ate the mouse.
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The ant and the grasshopper.
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One summer's day, in a field, a grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content.
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An ant passed by, bearing along with great effort an ear of corn he was taking to his nest.
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Why don't you come and chat with me, asked the grasshopper, instead of toiling your life away.
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I am helping to store up food for the winter, said the ant, and I recommend you to do the same.
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Why bother about winter, said the grasshopper.
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We have got plenty of food at present.
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Short stories, but the ant went on its way and continued its toil.
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When winter came, the grasshopper found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing,
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every day, corn and grain from the stores they had collected in summer.
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Then the grasshopper knew, moral, work today and you can reap the benefits tomorrow.
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The Hare and the Tortoise There once was a speedy hare who bragged about how fast he could run.
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Tired of hearing him boast, the tortoise challenged him to a race.
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All the animals in the forest gathered to watch.
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The hare ran down the road for a while and then paused to rest.
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He looked back at the tortoise and cried out, how do you expect to win this race
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when you are walking along at your slow slow pace the hare stretched himself out alongside the road
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and fell asleep thinking there is plenty of time to relax the hare
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and the tortoise story the tortoise walked and walked never ever stopping until he came to the finish line.
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The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise that they woke up the hare.
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The hare stretched, yawned, and began to run again, but it was too late.
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Tortoise had already crossed the finish line.
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Moral.
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Slow and steady wins the race.
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This is the story that we have all grown up with.
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But recently, two editions have been proposed to the story.
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Edition 1.
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After being defeated by the tortoise, the hare did some soul -searching.
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He knew that though he had tried hard in the beginning, he was not consistent and had grown overconfident.
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He was determined to undo his mistakes and invited tortoise for another race.
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This time, the rabbit was careful to run the whole distance, and of course, emerged the winner.
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Moral.
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Fast and consistent may be better than slow and steady.
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Addition 2 Well, after emerging the loser in the second race, the tortoise thought long and hard.
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He knew that in any traditional terrain, the hare would win if he was fast and consistent.
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Therefore, he thought of a non -traditional terrain for the race.
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Then he invited the rabbit for another race.
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This time, the rabbit laughed out loud, thinking that the tortoise was out of his head.
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But the tortoise insisted that there should be another race and the terrain would be decided by the tortoise.
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The rabbit agreed to the idea.
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The race began.
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The rabbit was leading in front with the tortoise far back trundling along.
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Around halfway through the race, they came across a river.
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The rabbit halted on the bank of the river, wondering how to cross the river.
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Meanwhile, the tortoise approached the river slowly, got into the water, swam across, climbed up on the other bank,
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ran the last few kilometers, and won the race.
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Moral.
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When your capabilities are below par, choose a playing ground that gives you a natural advantage.
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Proud red rose.
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One beautiful spring day, a red rose blossomed in a forest.
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As the rose looked around, a pine tree nearby said, what a beautiful flower.
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I wish I was that lovely.
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Another tree said, dear pine, do not be sad.
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We cannot have everything.
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The rose turned and remarked, it seems that I am the most beautiful flower in this forest.
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A sunflower raised its yellow head and asked, why do you say that?
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In this forest there are many beautiful flowers.
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You are just one of them.
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The red rose replied, I see everyone looking at me and admiring me.
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Then the rose looked at a cactus and said, look at that ugly plant full of thorns.
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The pine tree said, red rose, what kind of talk is this?
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Who can say what beauty is?
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You have thorns too.
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The proud red rose looked angrily at the pine and said, I thought you had good taste.
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You do not know what beauty is at all.
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You cannot compare my thorns to that of the cactus.
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What a proud flower, thought the trees.
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The rose tried to move its roots away from the cactus, but it could not move.
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As the days passed, the red rose would look at the cactus and say insulting things like, this plant is useless.
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How sorry I am to be his neighbor.
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The cactus never got upset and even tried to advise the rose saying, God did not create any form of life without a purpose.
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Spring passed, and the weather became very warm.
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Life became difficult in the forest, as there was no rain.
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The red rose began to wilt.
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One day, the rose saw sparrows stick their beaks into the cactus, and then fly away, refreshed.
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This was puzzling, and the red rose asked the pine tree what the birds were doing.
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The pine tree explained that the birds were getting water from the cactus.
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Does it not hurt when they make holes?
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asked the rose.
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Short stories.
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Sparrow.
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Yes, but the cactus does not like to see the birds suffer, replied the pine.
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The rose opened its eyes in wonder and exclaimed, the cactus has water?
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Yes, you can also drink from it.
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The sparrow can bring water to you if you ask the cactus for help.
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The red rose felt too ashamed to ask for water from the cactus, but finally it did ask for help.
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The cactus kindly agreed.
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The birds filled their beaks with water and watered the rose's roots.
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Thus the rose learned a lesson and never judged anyone by their appearance again.
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The Rope The night fell heavy on the heights of the mountains, and the man could not see anything.
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There was zero visibility.
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The moon and the stars were covered by the clouds.
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When he was just a few feet below the top of the mountain, he slipped and fell into the air, falling at great speed.
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He could see only black spots as he went down, and feel the terrible sensation of being sucked in by gravity.
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He kept falling, and in those moments of great fear, all the good and bad episodes of his life came to his mind.
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He was thinking now about how close death was getting,
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when all of a sudden he felt the rope tied to his waist pull him very hard.
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His body was hanging in the air.
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Only the rope was holding him.
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In that moment of stillness, he had no choice other than to scream, Help me, God!
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All of a sudden, a deep voice coming from the sky answered, What do you want me to do?
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Save me, God.
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Do you really think I can save you?
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Of course, I believe you can.
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Then cut the rope tied to your waist.
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There was a moment of silence.
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The moment passed, and the man decided to hold on to the rope with all his strength.
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The rescue team says that the next day the climber was found dead and frozen,
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his body hanging from a rope and his hands holding it tight.
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He was only one foot away from the ground.
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How attached are we to our ropes?
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Will we let them go?
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Don't ever doubt God.
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God.
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We should have enough faith to cut the rope, if that is what God tells us to do,
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even when it seems to be the most foolish thing to do.
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The Tree and the Travelers Once,
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there was a huge tree with a broad trunk and innumerable branches right in the middle of a dry land.
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The tree gave rest and shelter to hundreds and thousands of travelers.
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Being located near four towns and many villages, the tree was an ideal meeting point for travelers.
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One day, two travelers reached the tree after a long time of walking.
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Their destination was one of the towns nearby.
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It was a hot and sunny day, and the travelers were very happy to take a rest under the tree.
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Exhausted, they slumped under the tree.
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They slept for a while, enjoying the cool shade and the soft breeze.
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After a while, one of the traveler got hungry.
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They had no food with them.
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The hungry traveler looked up at the tree to see if there was any fruit.
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Finding none, he began to curse the tree.
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Oh, this is just a useless tree and it has nothing to feed us, not even a fruit or even nuts.
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It is of no use.
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The other traveler comforted him and asked him to stay cool.
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However, the hungry man continuing cursing the tree, the tree which could not tolerate the cursing words of the traveler,
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said in a sad yet strong voice, You can't be so ungrateful to me.
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Just think of your condition when you reached here in the hot and dry sun.
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I offered you a cool and comfortable place to rest and sleep with a soothing breeze.
436
If I was not here, you would have died now.
437
I saved your life from the hot sun, but you humiliate me.
438
The traveler realized his mistake and apologized to the tree.
439
Be grateful for your blessings.
440
The Three Cows Once, three cows lived in a green and fresh pasture near a forest,
441
a white cow, a black cow, and a reddish -brown cow.
442
The cows were kind to each other.
443
They used to graze in the meadow together and sleep near each other.
444
One day, a reddish -brown lion happened to take a stroll out of the forest onto the meadow.
445
It was hungry and looking for a prey.
446
On catching sight of the cows, it became glad, but couldn't attack them because they were together.
447
So the lion sat behind a boulder and patiently waited till the cows would separate from each other.
448
However, the cows were too clever to separate from each other.
449
They knew that if they were together, no predator could attack them.
450
The lion lay in ambush nearby for two or three days, but the cows continued to remain together and wouldn't separate from each other.
451
The lion became impatient.
452
It thought of a plan.
453
It went towards the cows, greeted them, and said, How are you, my friends?
454
Are you fine?
455
I have been busy lately, so could not come and visit you.
456
Today I made up my mind to pay you a visit.
457
The reddish -brown cow said, Sir, your coming has really pleased us and brightened our pasture.
458
Both the white and the black cows were troubled by what their friend, the reddish -brown cow, said, and were grieved at its thoughtlessness.
459
They said to each other, Why does the reddish -brown cow believe what the lion says?
460
Doesn't it know that lions seek other animals only to prey on them?
461
As the days passed by, the reddish -brown cow became more and more attached to the lion.
462
The black cow and the white cow advised it against a friendship with the lion, but their efforts were in vain.
463
One day, the lion said to the reddish -brown cow, You know that the color of our bodies is dark and
464
that the color of the body of the white cow is light.
465
You also know that light color is the opposite of the dark color.
466
It will be very good if I eat the white cow,
467
so that there will be no difference among us any longer and we will be able to live together well.
468
The reddish -brown cow accepted the lion's argument and started talking to the black cow to keep it busy,
469
so that the lion could eat the white cow.
470
The white cow was left alone and was killed while the black and the reddish -brown cows were busy in idle talk.
471
Two or three days passed since the lion devoured the white cow.
472
It became hungry again.
473
It called the reddish -brown cow.
474
The cow answered, Yes, sir.
475
The lion said, The color of my body and the color of your body are both reddish -brown,
476
and black does not go with our color.
477
It will be very good if I eat the black cow, so that in this forest we all will be of the same color.
478
The reddish -brown cow accepted this argument and moved away from the black cow.
479
The lion attacked and devoured the black cow soon.
480
And as for the reddish -brown cow, it was so filled with joy that it didn't know what to do.
481
It roamed and grazed and said to itself, it is only me who has the color of the lion.
482
A few days passed later, the lion was hungry again.
483
It roared and said, Oh, the reddish -brown cow, where are you?
484
The reddish -brown cow, shaking with fear, went forward and said, Yes, sir.
485
The lion said, Today it is your turn.
486
Get yourself ready.
487
I am going to eat you.
488
The reddish brown cow with great fear and horror said, Why, sir, I am your friend.
489
I did whatever you asked me to do.
490
Still, why do you want to eat me?
491
The lion roared and said, I have no friends.
492
How is it possible that a lion makes friendship with a cow?
493
No matter how much the reddish brown cow begged and entreated, the lion didn't accept its words.
494
Finally, the cow said, Mr. Lion, please allow me to cry out three times before you eat me.
495
The lion said, okay, quickly, quickly.
496
The reddish brown cow cried out, I was eaten the very day the white cow was eaten.
497
I was eaten the very day the black cow was eaten.
498
I was eaten the very day I made friends with the lion.
499
The lion devoured the reddish -brown cow very quickly.
500
Then it said to itself, I have finished my job in this forest.
501
Now I had better go to other forests.
502
Any group without unity will easily be destroyed.
503
Health is wealth.
504
Once upon a time, there lived a generous and kind -hearted king.
505
But the people weren't happy with their king
506
because the king was very lazy and would not do anything other than eating and sleeping.
507
He spent days and weeks and months in his bed, either eating something or sleeping.
508
The king became a potato couch, and the people started to worry about the king.
509
One day, the king realized that he couldn't even move his body, not even his foot.
510
He became very fat, and his enemies made fun of him, calling him fatty king, bulky king,
511
etc. The king invited expert doctors from various parts of his country and offered them generous rewards to make him fit.
512
Unfortunately, none could help the king gain his health and fitness.
513
The king spent enormous amounts of money, but everything went in vain.
514
One fine morning, a holy man visited the country.
515
He heard about the ill health of the king
516
and informed the minister at the palace that he could easily cure the king.
517
Hearing these promising words, the minister became very happy.
518
He requested the king to meet the holy man to get rid of his problem.
519
The holy man resided at a distant place.
520
Since the king could not move his body, he asked the minister to bring the holy man to the palace, but the holy man refused.
521
He said that the king had to go to him in order to get cured.
522
After strenuous efforts, the king met the holy man at the latter's residence.
523
The holy man complimented the king saying that he was a good ruler and said that he would soon regain his health.
524
He asked the king to come for treatment the next day.
525
He told the king also that the king would be treated only if he came on foot to the holy man's residence.
526
The king was unable to walk even a few steps on the road, but aided by his followers, he reached the holy man's place.
527
Unfortunately, the holy man was not available there, and his devotee requested the king to come and meet him the next day for treatment.
528
This was repeated for two weeks, and the king never met the holy man and never had any treatment.
529
Gradually, the king realized that he felt a lot lighter, lost a considerable amount of weight, and felt more active than before.
530
He realized the reason why the holy man asked him to reach his place by walking.
531
Very soon, the king regained his health, and the people were very happy in his kingdom.
532
Health is wealth.
533
The Hidden Treasure Once there was an old man who had four sons.
534
All four of them were very lazy.
535
One day, the old man fell sick and was counting his last days in bed.
536
He worried a lot about his son's future as the young men hesitated a lot to work.
537
The sons believed that luck would favor them.
538
The old man's health deteriorated every day and he decided to talk to his sons about their future.
539
However, his sons did not listen to him.
540
Finally, the old man decided to play a trick to let his sons realize the importance of work.
541
He called all his sons and let them sit near him on his bed.
542
He said that he had a treasure box with gold coins
543
and expensive gems for them and wanted to share the treasure equally among the four of them.
544
The young men were very happy and asked where his father had placed the treasure.
545
The old man replied, I cannot exactly remember the place where I have hidden the treasure.
546
However, the treasure box is buried in our land.
547
I'm really not sure about the place where I have hidden the treasure box.
548
Even though the lazy young sons were happy, they were sad that the old man had forgotten the place where the treasure was hidden.
549
After a few days, the old man died.
550
The sons decided to dig the land to find the treasure box.
551
They worked very hard and dug their land.
552
They could not find any treasure box in the land.
553
Finally, they decided to dig a spot in their land that was a bit different from the rest of the area.
554
The sons believed that the treasure was buried in that spot.
555
They dug the specific spot deeply, but got nothing but water.
556
A passerby who noticed the land and the water flowing from the spot talked to the sons about farming.
557
Upon his advice, the four sons sowed vegetable seeds and planted greens and flowering plants in their land.
558
Since the land was very fertile with abundant water, within a few weeks, it became a fertile garden with nutritious vegetables and greens.
559
The four sons sold the vegetables at a good price and earned a good amount of money.
560
Then they realized that it was hard work that was referred to as treasure box by their father.
561
Gradually, the four sons overcame their laziness, worked hard, earned more money, and lived happily.
562
Hard work always pays.
563
Don't desire to walk when you have wings to fly.
564
Once upon a time, there lived a generous and kind -hearted king.
565
He was fond of birds and animals and had a huge bird sanctuary in his kingdom.
566
He disliked harming the animals and birds.
567
He did not kill them even for meat.
568
In appreciation of his generosity and kindness towards birds, the king was gifted two beautiful falcons by a businessman.
569
Those two falcons were used to different climatic conditions.
570
The king thanked the businessman
571
and ordered the head bird trainer to provide all the facilities to those beautiful falcons
572
and make them feel comfortable in their country.
573
The head trainer took care of the birds.
574
Gradually, the birds got adapted to the country's climate.
575
One day, the king wanted to see the falcons fly as he had heard
576
that one of those falcons could fly to great heights at very high speed
577
The bird trainer let the falcon out of the enclosure
578
It flew very high, very quickly, and came down to the enclosure within minutes
579
The king was quite surprised and rewarded the bird trainer with a handful of gold coins
580
He inquired about the other Falcon.
581
The bird trainer stated with regret
582
that the other falcon had not moved even a step from day one and had just sat on the branch.
583
The trainer also added that he had tried everything he could, but still failed to make the bird move.
584
The king consoled him and told him
585
that he would bring someone more experienced than him to try to train the other falcon.
586
Soon, the king announced that he needed someone to make the falcon move and fly.
587
Hearing this announcement, an old man reached the king's palace
588
and assured him that he would make the bird fly like the other one.
589
The king asked the head trainer to take the old man to the sanctuary to train the falcon.
590
He said that he would visit them the next day to see if there was any change.
591
The next day, the king was very surprised to see the other falcon fly like the first one to great heights in rapid speed.
592
The king was very happy and gifted the old man a handful of gold coins.
593
Then the king asked the old man what he had done to make the bird fly in a day.
594
The old man simply replied, I just cut down the branch of the tree where the falcon used to sit.
595
Many of us are like this.
596
We have wings to fly.
597
We know how to fly and where to fly.
598
Still, we sit doing nothing or doing something that makes us inferior to others.
599
Don't sit still when you have wings to fly.
600
Real Vis is fake.
601
Minoo was a sweet, lovable and beautiful girl aged six years.
602
She was an adorable kid as she always obeyed her elders.
603
Minoo's parents loved her for her amazing behavior.
604
One day, Minoo's mother took her for grocery shopping.
605
As they passed the shops, Minoo noted a cute plastic pearl necklace in dazzling pink.
606
She asked her mother to buy her the necklace.
607
Her mother told her that it cost quite a few pennies.
608
She asked her to do some chores so that for every completed piece of work,
609
Minu would get some money and she could buy the pink necklace.
610
Minu prepared a to -do list and assisted her mom with all the chores.
611
Her mom was very happy and she paid enough money to buy the pink necklace.
612
Minu happily purchased the necklace and wore it just everywhere, every time, except while taking bath.
613
Her mother said that her neck would turn pink and the pearls would lose their sheen if she wore it while bathing.
614
But all other times, Minu wore it, even while sleeping.
615
Minu's father used to tell her bedtime stories frequently.
616
One night, after completing a story, her dad asked how much she loved him.
617
Minoo replied, You know how much I love you.
618
Dad asked, Then give me your pearl necklace please.
619
Minoo replied, Please daddy, I love you so much but please don't ask for these pearls.
620
I will give you the pink
621
Barbie which you bought me a month ago.
622
Dad replied, fine, sweetheart.
623
After a few days, the conversation was repeated between Minu and her dad.
624
Again, Minu refused to give her pearl necklace and instead asked her dad to take her pet.
625
Dad kissed her and left with smile.
626
This was repeated several times.
627
Pink pearl necklace one day, Minu slept while her dad was reading her a story.
628
She was holding the necklace in her hands.
629
Her dad took the pearl necklace from her hand.
630
The next moment she woke up and asked, Dad, what are you doing?
631
Dad quickly opened a jewel box placed near her bed and handed her a real precious pink pearl necklace.
632
He said, sweetheart, this is your real necklace.
633
I wanted to take away the fake one all this while to give you this real one.
634
She replied.
635
Thank you, Dad.
636
Minu immediately gave up her fake necklace for the real one.
637
God wants us to give up all the fake and cheap things we consider very precious in our life.
638
It can be habits, hatreds, harming relationships, activities, negative thoughts,
639
etc. He will provide us with genuine things if we give up the fake.
640
When adversity knocks.
641
Mary was a young girl.
642
She used to get annoyed with everything.
643
She had a negative attitude towards life.
644
Once, when she felt that life was unbearable, she asked her father what to do.
645
She told him that if she was able to manage and solve one problem, another one followed quickly.
646
Her father consoled her and took her to the kitchen.
647
He asked Mary to take a potato, an egg, and two spoons of tea leaves.
648
Mary was surprised and asked her father, do you want me to cook?
649
No, her father said.
650
He then took three vessels and poured one cup of water in each vessel.
651
The vessels were placed on the stove.
652
Once the water started to boil, he dropped the potato in a vessel, egg in the second one and the tea leaves in the third one.
653
Why are you doing all these things?
654
Mary asked, really annoyed with her father.
655
Just wait 15 minutes, said her father.
656
The impatient daughter managed to wait for around 15 minutes.
657
Father removed the potato from the pot and placed in a plate.
658
He did the same with the eggs.
659
He filtered the tea decoction using a cup.
660
Now he placed the two plates, one with the potato and the other with the egg, and the cup of tea in front of Mary.
661
He asked Mary, what do you see?
662
Potato, egg, and a cup of tea, said Mary.
663
No, you are wrong, said her father.
664
Look at it closely and answer me.
665
Mary replied the same.
666
Now touch it and answer me.
667
The potato was cooked and was soft, the egg was boiled hard, and the tea carried a nice aroma.
668
Mary couldn't find the correct answer.
669
Her father said, The potato was so hard and strong before it was boiled.
670
Now it has turned soft and smooth.
671
Also, the egg was delicate, but after boiling, it became hard.
672
Sip the tea.
673
It is delicious, Mary asked.
674
What does it mean, Father?
675
I don't understand.
676
Each object responded differently to water.
677
Each object was put under the same kind of circumstances, faced similar adversities, but reacted differently.
678
The potato, when put in boiling water, became very weak
679
The soft egg became very hard when we put it in boiling water
680
And the tea leaves are unique
681
It changed the water itself, giving it a unique flavor and aroma
682
It gave something new
683
Mary understood that we can create something new and unique
684
Even when we experience adversities
685
So, what are you?
686
A potato, an egg, or a tea leaf?
687
Thank you for joining me on this journey through 20 beautiful stories, each filled with wisdom, wonder, and life lessons.
688
I hope these tales inspired you, made you smile, and helped you learn something new in English.
689
Stories have the power to change the way we think, feel, and grow.
690
So keep reading, keep learning, and keep dreaming.
691
If you enjoyed these stories, don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to Read and Learn English.
692
More exciting stories and learning adventures are coming soon.
693
Until next time, stay curious, stay kind, and keep reading.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “20 Short Moral Stories |”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: cow, king, camel. This video has 693 sentences and 8082 words to shadow. The speech runs for 58:54. The speaker talks at a steady 137 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| camel noun | /ˈkæm(ə)l/ | A mammalian beast of burden, much used in desert areas, of the genus Camelus. |
| lion noun | /ˈlaɪən/ | A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly much of Europe. |
| crystal noun | /ˈkɹɪstəl/ | A solid composed of an array of atoms or molecules possessing long-range order and arranged in a pattern which is periodic in three dimensions. |
| rabbit noun | /ˈɹæbɪt/ | A mammal of most genera of the family Leporidae, with long ears, long hind legs and a short, fluffy tail. (Those of the larger kind are instead called hares) |
| necklace noun | /ˈnɛkləs/ | An article of jewelry that is worn around the neck, most often made of a string of precious metal, pearls, gems, beads or shells, and sometimes having a… |
| falcon noun | /ˈfælkən/ | Any bird of the genus Falco, all of which are birds of prey. |
| treasure noun | /ˈtɹɛʒəɹ/ | A collection of valuable things; accumulated wealth; a stock of money, jewels, etc. |
| cow noun | /kaʊ/ | An adult female of the species Bos taurus, especially one that has calved. |
| palace noun | /ˈpælɪs/ | Official residence of a head of state or other dignitary, especially in a monarchical or imperial governmental system. |
| divide verb | /dɪˈvaɪd/ | To split or separate (something) into two or more parts. |
| potato noun | /pəˈteɪ.təʊ/ | The edible starchy tuber of the plant species Solanum tuberosum. |
| donkey noun | /ˈdɑŋ.ki/ | A domestic animal, Equus asinus asinus, similar to a horse. |
| moral adjective | /ˈmoɹəl/ | Of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behaviour, especially conforming to principles of rectitude. |
| mouse noun | /maʊs/ | Any mammal of the many rodent families (especially Muridae) that have a small body and a long tail. |
| hare noun | /hɛɚ/ | Any of several plant-eating mammals of the genus Lepus, similar to a rabbit, but larger and with longer ears. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| look around verb | To inspect a building or area. | |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
| walk back verb | To withdraw or backpedal on a statement or promise. | |
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. | |
| come down to verb | To reach by moving down or reducing. | |
| cut down verb | To cut downward. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Can you chase them away with your sharp antlers?
- Do you really think I can save you?
- How attached are we to our ropes?
- Will we let them go?
- Still, why do you want to eat me?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to rent · used to play · used to graze |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is designed · is made · were not shared |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been discovered · have not done · have been proposed |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who had · man who had |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, couldn't, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: leather /ˈlɛðɚ/, grandmother /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/, ninth /naɪnθ/, bath /bɑːθ/, thorn /θoɹn/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: treasure /ˈtɹɛʒəɹ/, friendship /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/, shade /ʃeɪd/, foolish /ˈfuː.lɪʃ/, enclosure /ɛnˈkloʊʒəɹ/
- Long words — get the stress right: differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/, sanctuary /ˈsæŋkt͡ʃuˌɛɹi/, adversity /ædˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like camel, lion, crystal.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.