SHORT STORIES IN ENGLISH/INDIAN STORIES

 

SHORT STORIES IN ENGLISH

INDIAN STORIES 

THE WISE FARMER

There once lived a farmer who had two sons. One day, when he knew he was going to die, he called his sons.

He said, "My boys, I'm growing old. I'm going to divide my farm and my lands equally between the two of you, but on one condition. You are never to let them pass out of your hands. For whatever riches I possess lay buried in them somewhere."

The two boys thought at once that their father had hidden all his money in the fields. As soon as he died, they had both dug up all the fields only to find nothing. But because they had turned the ground so well, the crops they planted grew wonderfully well. In time, they had an excellent harvest and grew very rich. Only then did the sons realize what their father had meant.

MORAL 

There is no substitute for hard work.

THE GREEDY FOX

In a forest, there once lived a fox. Each day, this fox saw some shepherds leaving their lunch in a crevice in a huge rock. One day, he decided to steal their food.

The fox waited for the shepherds to go after their flocks, and squeezed into the crevice.

The fox feasted himself on the shepherds' food, and lay back drowsily. When he got up to leave, the fox found to his horror that he couldn't get out.

He had eaten so much that his stomach was the size of an enormous pumpkin. The fox was frightened. He set up a howl.

Hearing this, another fox came up but was unsympathetic. "Wait till you get thin," he snorted, and was off on his way.

When the shepherds came back at lunchtime, they beat the fox up black and blue.

MORAL

Greed can put you in a tough spot.

THE FOX AND THE HEN

There once lived a fox that had gone for days without food and was feeling very hungry. The fox noticed that in a farm by the edge of the forest lived a plump hen, the apple of the farmer's eye.

One day, the fox approached the hen, sitting safely on a perch.

"My dear hen," said the wily fox. "I heard that you've not been very well. I've come to find out how you are."

The hen was puzzled.

"Why don't you come down, and let me take your pulse for you?" asked the wily fox.

But the hen was a smart creature. She knew that if she came down, the fox would gobble her up. "Thank you for your concern," she said. "But I'm nice and warm up here. I'm afraid I'll catch cold if I come down!"

MORAL 

It's better not to trust your enemies.

THE WOOD-CUTTER AND THE TREES

A wood-cutter came into a forest and addressed the oldest trees he could see."O trees," he said. "I've come with a terrible job to do. I need to cut down one of you. I really don't want to do it but I don't have a choice. That's why I thought I would ask the permission of the older trees."

"It's good of you to consult us," said the tree elders. "You may chop down that young tree growing there."

"He has hardly lived, and it would make little difference to him.", said another tree elder.

As soon as the trees had said this, the wood-cutter chopped down the young tree.

Quickly, he made a new handle for his axe and he had chopped down almost the entire forest in no time. Only then did the old trees realize their folly in betraying a younger member of the forest.

MORAL 

It's better to stick together than trying to save your own skin.

THE BULLS AND THE LION

There once lived four bulls who were great friends. They always grazed together and slept near each other.

A lion was walking by one day, when he noticed these four plump friends. He badly wanted to feast himself on one of them. But the lion was afraid to attack them when they were together. So he decided to wait and see if he could separate them in any way.

One day, the lion noticed that one of the bulls was standing at a little distance from the others.

Approaching this bull, the lion began telling him stories about his friends. Soon enough, believing the lion's stories, the four friends quarrelled with each other out of jealousy and anger.

The bulls started keeping away from each other. So the lion was able to attack them one at a time and eat them all up.

MORAL 

United we stand, divided we fall.

THE RICH MAN AND HIS DIAMOND

There was once a rich man who had a poor neighbour. The rich man hated the other man as he'd been told by a soothsayer that all his wealth would one day be his neighbour's.

The rich man was so worried about this that he sold off everything he owned, and bought a huge diamond with the money. He then sewed up the diamond in his turban to keep it safe from his neighbour.

When the rich man was at sea one day, his turban flew off, taking the diamond with it. "Oh, oh, oh," he cried, but the turban sank without trace. "Oh, well," he thought, "at least my neighbour won't get it either."

But a few days later, the poor neighbour went to the market to buy some fish. When he came home and cut the fish up, there was the diamond!

MORAL 

Miserliness brings its own downfall.

THE JOLLY COBBLER

Long, long ago, there lived a jolly cobbler who used to work from morning till night. He had the habit of singing as he worked. But his neighbours were less than happy.

One rich man in particular found the cobbler's singing very annoying. One day, the rich man came up with a plan to stop the cobbler from singing. He visited the cobbler and asked him how much money he earned in a year.

"Not much but enough for my wants," replied the cobbler.

"Here," said the rich man,"Take this bag of coins. It's more than a year's earnings, I'm sure!"

The cobbler was delighted. But all the rest of that day, he worried and wondered how to keep the money safe. In the process, he lost his peace of mind, and quite forgot to sing.

MORAL 

Money doesn't always bring happiness.

THE SMART CROW

A hungry fox saw a crow with a piece of cheese in its beak sitting on a branch. He wondered how he could trick the bird into dropping the cheese.

"How now, my beautiful friend! I'm told you are a great singer. Why don't you oblige me with a song?"

But the crow was a clever fellow. He was not to be fooled that easily. The crow carefully put the cheese in his beak under his foot. "Shall I sing now?"he asked.

The fox realized that he had been outwitted by the crow.

MORAL 

Don't be taken in by flattery.

Hansel & Gretel /Fairy Tales

 Fairy Tales

Hansel & Gretel 

         Many, many years ago, there lived a woodcutter. He had a small house on the edge of a forest. He lived in the house with his wife and their two children, Hansel and Gretel. They were a poor family, and one day Hansel and Gretel's mother died. Their father decided to marry again. Alas! Hansel and Gretel's new stepmother was a very wicked woman. She often shouted and screamed at Hansel and Gretel. She made them do all the hard work in the house, while she sat combing her hair in the sun.

      Hansel and Gretel's stepmother wanted to get rid of them. One day she said to her husband, "You have not the money to buy us food dear husband. We have no choice but to get rid of Hansel and Gretel!" The father shouted, "What are you saying woman! They are my children. I love them dearly." But the wicked woman said, "If you do not get rid of them, we will all die! Let us take them into the woods and leave them there. Some traveller will find them and take them to his home." 

       Hansel and Gretel's father cried. He did not want to leave his children in the woods. But the wicked stepmother did not allow him to rest until he agreed. She said, "Tomorrow, we will take Hansel and Gretel deep into the woods and leave them there." Hansel and Gretel were hiding behind a pot. They heard their wicked stepmother's evil plan. Gretel cried and said, "Hansel! What shall we do! We will die in the woods." Hansel was brave. He said, "Fear not little sister. I will find a way to get us back home."    

      That night, when everyone was sleeping, Hansel crept out of the house. He filled his pockets with white pebbles. The pebbles shone like silver in the moonlight. When his pockets were full he crept back into bed. The next morning Hansel and Gretel's stepmother shook them awake and said, "Wake up you lazy children! We are going deep into the woods to cut wood. You must help us." She gave Hansel two pieces of bread and said, "Share this with your sister only when you are hungry, for we have no more bread."     

      Hansel and Gretel followed their father and stepmother into the woods. On the way, Hansel dropped the shiny white pebbles from his pocket. When they were deep in the woods their stepmother said, "Now you two sit down here. Your father and I will go cut some wood." Hansel and Gretel noticed that their father was crying. So Hansel said, "Father why are you crying?" Before the father could say a word, the wicked stepmother shouted, "Silence child! Don't you know that your father has many worries? Now sit down while we cut some wood."   

     Hansel and Gretel soon fell asleep. When they woke up it was already dark. Gretel began crying. So Hansel held her hand and said, "Fear not little sister. I will get you home soon." He took out the bread that their stepmother had given him and said, "Let us share this bread and wait till the moon rises." They waited for the moon to rise. As soon as the moonlight fell on the pebbles, they shone like silver. Hansel took his sister by the hand and followed the trail of pebbles back to their home.

     When Hansel and Gretel knocked on the door, their wicked stepmother was shocked to see them. She screamed, "Where have you children been? We thought that you were lost!" Hansel and Gretel's father was very happy to see them. When Hansel and Gretel lay down to sleep, the wicked stepmother said to her husband, "Tomorrow we shall take them deeper into the woods. This time they will not find their way back." Once again Hansel heard his wicked stepmother's evil plan. But when he crept out to collect pebbles, Hansel found that the door was locked.

      The next morning Hansel and Gretel's stepmother gave them two slices of bread and said, "Eat this only when you are hungry for we have no more." Hansel and Gretel followed their father and stepmother into the woods. On the way Hansel crumbled his piece of bread and threw the crumbs on the path. He hoped that the crumbs would lead them back home. Once they had gone very deep into the woods, their stepmother said, "Wait here. We will go and cut some wood." Hansel and Gretel fell asleep and woke up when it was nearly dark.

      Gretel began to cry. So Hansel said, "Fear not little sister. I have made a trail of breadcrumbs. If we follow the trail, we will find our way back home." But when they went looking for the breadcrumbs they found none. The birds in the woods had eaten up the breadcrumbs. So Hansel and Gretel wandered through the woods, hopelessly lost. When it became night once again, they shared the last piece of bread and fell asleep under an old oak tree. For the next two days they wandered through the woods, tired and hungry.

       On the third day, Hansel and Gretel suddenly found a small open space in the woods. There they saw a beautiful little cottage. Gretel said to Hansel, "Look Hansel! We are saved!" When they ran towards the cottage, they were shocked. Hansel and Gretel found that the cottage was made up of all sorts of goodies! The roof was made of biscuits. The walls of cakes and sweets. And the windows were made of pudding and sugar. The poor children were so hungry that they ran up to the house and began eating it up.

      Suddenly Hansel and Gretel heard an old woman's voice saying, "Who is there nibbling at my sweet little cottage?" Hansel and Gretel clung to each other in fear. An old woman, as old as the hills came out. She was so old that she had to use two sticks to walk about. Hansel said to her, "We are so sorry kind lady. We were so hungry that we forgot to ask your permission." The old woman pretended to smile. Then she said, "Since you ate a piece of my cottage, you must help me cook and clean."

      Hansel and Gretel agreed to help the old woman. So she took them into her cottage. As soon as Hansel and Gretel got into the cottage, the old woman began to laugh. She shouted, "He! He! He! At last I have got some human children into my cottage." The old woman was a wicked witch. She attracted little children into her cottage. Then she cooked them and ate them. She caught hold of Hansel and locked him up in a cage. Then the witch made Gretel cook and clean for her.

       

        The wicked witch fed Hansel very well She wanted to make him fat, so she could eat him up. Once in three days, the witch would go to the cage and say, "Hansel! Hansel! Stick your finger out!" Hansel was a clever boy. He knew that the witch wanted to find out if he was fat enough. So, instead of sticking his finger out, Hansel stuck a piece of bone outside the cage. The witch could not see very well. She felt the bone and said, "Gretel! Give your brother more food! He is still very thin."

      After three weeks the witch became impatient. She said, "I have waited long enough. Gretel! Fill the big pot with water and light the fire." Gretel cried, for she knew the witch would eat Hansel. Then the witch said, "Gretel! See if the water is boiling." Gretel quickly thought of a plan. She said, "I am too small to see if the water is boiling." The witch said, "Ack! I will have to do it myself." When the witch bent over the boiling pot, Gretel pushed her in and closed the lid. The wicked witch screamed and died.

      Once Gretel had set Hansel free, they looked around the witch's house and found a box filled with gold and diamonds. Hansel and Gretel filled their pockets with gold and diamonds and quickly ran away from the witch's cottage. As they ran through the woods, they met a woodcutter. He showed them the way to their house. Hansel and Gretel ran home and hugged their father. He cried and told them that their wicked stepmother had died of an illness. With all the gold and diamonds from the witch's cottage, Hansel, Gretel and their father lived happily ever after.

Words for essay writing

 

words  for Essay Writing 

ADDITION 

In addition
And
Similarly
Likewise
As well as
Besides
Another
Furthermore
Also
Moreover
And then
Too
Not only … but also
Even
Besides this
In the same way

SEQUENCE

Firstly
Initially
In the first stage
One reason
To begin with
Secondly
Another reason
Another advantage
Then
Earlier
Later
After this
At this point
Following this
A further reason
In the final stage
The final reason

CONSEQUENCE

As a result
Thus
So
Therefore
Consequently
It follows that
Thereby
Eventually
Then
In that case
Admittedly

CONTRAST

However
On the other hand
Despite
In spite of
Though
Although
But
On the contrary
Otherwise
Yet
Instead of
Rather
Whereas
Nonetheless
Even though
In contrast
Alternatively

CERTAINLY

Obviously
Certainly
Plainly
Of course
Undoubtedly

REASON

Since
As
So
Because
Due to
Owing to
The reason why
In other words
Leads to
To
Cause of
In order to
Causes

CONDITION

If
Unless
Whether
Provided that
Depending on


SUMMARY

In conclusion
In summary
Lastly
Finally
To sum up
To conclude
To recapitulate
In short

English SMS Messages

 

English SMS Messages

& : and

2 : two, to

2DAY : today

2MORROW : tomorrow


B : be

B4 : before

BF : boyfriend

BRO : brother

BT : but

C : see

D8 : date

F8 : fate

GF : girlfriend


L8 : late

M8 : mate

PLS : please

SIS : sister

U : you

UR : your

ASAP : as soon as possible

CUL : see you later

HAND : have a nice day

HRU : How are you

LOL : laughing out loud

LTNS : long time no see

MU : I miss you

IC : I see

RUOK : are you ok?

COMPARISONS OR SIMILES - ஆங்கிலத்தில் உவமைகள் மற்றும் உருவகங்கள்

          COMPARISONS OR SIMILES

                       A

as active as quicksilver.

as afraid as a grasshopper.

as ageless as the sun.

as agile as a cat-a monkey.

as alert as a chamois-as a bird in springtime.

as alike as two peas.

as alone as a leper-as Crusoe.

as ambitious as the devil-as Lady Macbeth.

as ancient as the sun-as the stars.

as angry as a wasp.

as far apart as the poles.

as arid as the sands of Sahara.

as artificial as clockwork-as made ice.

as audacious as the day.

as awful as justice as thunder-as silence.

as awkward as a cow on ice.

                       B 

as bad as the itch-as a blight.

as bald as a coot-as a billiard ball-as an egg.

as bare as a stone-as winter.

as barren as winter rain.

as bashful as a schoolgirl.

as beautiful as the sunset-as the rainbow.

as big as an elephant-as a whale.

as bitter as hemlock-as wormwood-as gali.

as black as ebony.

as blameless as the snow.

as blank as an empty bottle.

as blind as a bat-as ignorance.

as blithe as May.

as blue as indigo-as forget-me-nots.

as blunt as a hammer-as the back of a knife.

as boisterous as stormy sea winds.

as bold as brass-as a lion.

as boundless as the ocean.

as bounteous as nature.

as brainless as a chimpanzee.

as brave as Achilles.

as brief as time-as a dream.

as bright as a new penny-as a new shilling-as bright as a button.

as brilliant as a mirror-as stars.

as brisk as a flea-as a bailiff.

as brittle as glass.

as broad as Heaven's expanse.

as brown as a berry-as a bun-as hazelnuts.

as buoyant as wings.

           

                         C

as calm as a summer sea-as glass-as death.

as candid as mirrors.

as careless as the wind.

as cautious as a fox-as a Scot.

as certain as the rising of the morning sun-as Christmas.

as changeable as the moons.

as chaste as Minerva-as a lily.

as cheap as dirt-as lies.

as cheeky as a young bantam cock.

as cheerful as the birds-as the day was long.

as cheerless as the grave.

as cheery as a sunbeam.

as chill as death-as chilly as a tomb.

as chubby as a cherub.

as clammy as death.

as clean as a Dutch oven-as a new pin.

as clear as daylight-as crystal-as a bell-as rock water.

as clever as paint.

as coarse as hemp-as fustian.

as clumsy as a bear.

as cold as a dog's nose-as cold as a frog-as cold as a corpse.

as comfortable as coin.

as common as pins-as common as poverty-as dirt.

as complacent as a cat. as confident as Hercules-as justice.

as conscientious as a dog.

as consoling as night.

as constant as the sun.

as contagious as a yawn.

as contrary as light and dark.

as convincing as the multiplication table.

as cool as a cucumber.

as costly as an election.

as cosy as the nest of a bird.

as countless as the stars-as hairs-as the desert sands.

as cowardly as a wild duck.

as crafty as a fox.

as credulous as a child.

as crisp as new bank notes.

as crooked as a corkscrew.

as cruel as Media-as winter-as death.

as cunning as a fox-as a monkey.

as curious as a fish.

                                 D

as dangerous as machine-guns.

as dark as a dungeon-as pitch-as midnight.

as dead as a doornail-as the Roman Empire-as wood-as mutton.

as deaf as a beetle-as the billows.

as deceitful as the devil.

as deceptive as the mirage of the desert.

as deep as despair-as hell-as the sea.

as dejected as a wet hen.

as delicious as forbidden fruit-as a dream.

as desolate as a tomb.

as devoted as a faithful dog.

as difficult as a Greek puzzle-as a beginning.

as dirty as a hog.

as disappointing as wet gunpowder.

as dismal as a hearse.

as distant as the horizon.

as dizzy as a goose.

as docile as a lamb.

as dreadful as a gathering storm.

as dreary as an Asian steppe-as an empty house.

as drunk as a top-as fish-as a beggar. as dry as dust-as a bone.

as dull as ditch water-as lead.

as dumb as an oyster-as a mouse.

                            E

as eager as a bridegroom.

as easy as pie-as shelling peas-as lying.

as elastic as a caterpillar.

as eloquent as Cicero.

as elusive as quicksilver.

as empty as an idiot's mind-as space.

as enticing as a riddle.

as essential as the dew.

as expensive as glory.

                              F

as fabulous as Aladdin's ring.

as faint as the hum of distant bees.

as fair as the morn-as truth-as Eve in Paradise.

as faithful as the dog-as the sun.

as faithful as fair weather.

as false as dice.

as familiar as an oath-as a popular song.

as far as the poles asunder.

as fast as light-as an eagle-as a storm.

as fat as a porpoise-a sheep's tail-as a distillery pig.

as fickle as the weather-as friends-as the sea.

as fidgety as an old maid.

as fierce as a famished wolf-as wolves.

as firm as faith-as adamant-as rocky mountains-as steel.

as fit as a fiddle.

as fixed as the laws of the Medes and the Persians-as fate.

as flabby as a sponge.

as flat as a pancake-as flat as the fens of Holland.

as fleet as a greyhound-as the wind.

as flimsy as gauze-as gossamer.

as foolish as a calf.

as foul as slander-as a sty.

as frail as a lily-as flowers-as glass.

as free as a breeze-as thought-as a fly.

as fresh as dew-as a sea breeze-as a rose

as friendless as an alarm clock. as friendly as a puppy.

as frigid as an iceberg.

frightened as Macbeth before the ghost of Banquo.

as as frisky as a colt.

as frizzled as a lawyer's wig.

as fruitful as Egypt.

as full as an egg is of meat.

                                         G

as game as a fighting cock.

as garrulous as a magpie-as an old maid.

as gaudy as a butterfly.

as gay as a bullfinch-as larks-as the spring.

as generous as a dream-as a lord.

as genial as sunshine.

as gentle as a fawn as a turtle dove as sleep as falling dew.

as glad as a fly-as a blooming tree.

as glib as glass.

as glossy as a mole as the finest silk.

as gloomy as night.

as glorious as the sun.

as glum as an oyster-as mud.

as gluttonous as curiosity.

as good as gold-as a play.

as gorgeous as a Sultana-as the Heavens.

as graceful as a fawn.

as gracious as the morn-as a duchess.

as grand as a victory as a Greek statue-as the world.

as grave as a judge.

as grey as time-as smoke.

as great as a lord.

as greedy as a hog-as a cormorant.

as green as grass-as a leaf.

as grim as death-as hell.

SOME USEFUL PHRASES

1. A Piece of Cake: Something very easy.

2.Break the Ice: To initiate a conversation or a social interaction.

3.Bite the Bullet: To endure a painful or difficult situation.

4.Cost an Arm and a Leg: To be very expensive.

5.Hit the Nail on the Head: To describe something precisely or accurately.

6.Kill Two Birds with One Stone: To accomplish two things at the same time.

7.Let the Cat out of the Bag: To reveal a secret.

8.Rain Cats and Dogs: Heavy rain.

9.Steal Someone's Thunder: To take credit for someone else's work or idea.

10.Under the Weather: Feeling sick or unwell.

11.Burning the Midnight Oil: Working late into the night.

12.Catch 22: A situation with no ideal solution.

13.Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk: 

Don't worry about things that have already happened and can't be changed.

14.Elephant in the Room: 

An obvious problem or issue that everyone avoids discussing.

15.Fish Out of Water: Feeling uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.

16.Grain of Salt: To take something with skepticism or doubt.

17.Jump on the Bandwagon: To join a popular trend or activity.

18.Kick the Bucket: To pass away or die.

19.Needle in a Haystack: Something extremely difficult to find.

20.Out of the Blue: Unexpectedly.

21.Play It by Ear: To decide or act without planning in advance.

22.Raining Cats and Dogs: Heavy rain.

23.Shoot the Breeze: To have a casual conversation.

24.Spill the Beans: To disclose a secret.

25.Take with a Grain of Salt: To not completely believe something.

26.Whole Nine Yards: Everything, all the way, completely.

27. A Blessing in Disguise:

Something that seems bad but turns out to be good.

28.Break a Leg: Good luck.

29.Cut to the Chase: Get to the point.

30.Easy as Pie: Very easy.

31.Give the Benefit of the Doubt:

To believe someone's statement without being critical.

32.Hit the Hay: To go to bed or sleep.

33.Let Sleeping Dogs Lie: To avoid stirring up old conflicts or issues.

34.Piece of Cake: Very easy.

35.Rub Salt in the Wound:

To make a situation even worse for someone who is already upset.

36.Sick as a Dog: Very sick.

37.Time Flies When You're Having Fun: 

Time seems to pass quickly when you're enjoying yourself.

38.A Penny for Your Thoughts: Asking someone what they are thinking about.

39.Back to Square One: Starting over from the beginning.

40.Cost an Arm and a Leg: Very expensive.

41.Go the Extra Mile: To make an additional effort.

42.Hit the Sack: To go to bed or sleep.

43. Like a Fish Out of Water: Feeling uncomfortable in a new situation.

44. Put All Your Eggs in One Basket: 

To invest everything in one plan or idea.

45. Spill the Beans: To reveal a secret.

46. Take It with a Grain of Salt: To not completely believe something.

47. A Dime a Dozen: Very common and easy to find.

48. A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: 

A visual representation can convey complex ideas more effectively than words.

49. Bite Off More Than You Can Chew: 

To take on a task that is too big or difficult to handle.

50. Cry Wolf: To give a false alarm.