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.
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
【英語初心者】フリートークに挑戦/日本人あるある/Japanese /Cambly English conversation【オンライン英会話やってみた】
#Cambly #camblyconversationenglish #camblyvideointroduction #learningEnglish #オススメ #オンライン英会話 #キャンブリー #やってみた #初回レッスン #初心者 #効果 #失敗 #英語初心者...
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.”
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 🫡
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
24 English words that mean the complete opposite of what they originally meant
https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/words-that-had-opposite-meanings
Educational video - Learning English - Secret Agent Addition
#childrengame #educationgames #educationalgameforkid #educationalvideo #englishgames #gameforchild #gameforchildren #gameforkid #kidgames #learningenglish #learninggames #mathgames #readinggames #speakinggames #videoforchildren #基本技法 #基本技法 #childrengame #educationgames #educationalgameforkid #education...
British stand-up comic shows what English would sound like if we pronounced silent letters
https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/english-language
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
My daughter came home from #school yesterday and told me that her soon-to-retire, strict, dreaded English teacher will be reading "Behold the Dreamers" with the class this semester. She immediately handed it out and also spent 30 minutes ranting about the racism and misogyny of the current American president, and I love everything about it.
#USPol #LearningEnglish #Teachers #Education #Berlin #Bookstodon
"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
