FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Category: Info Email

Learning

A: Adapted (sometimes called graded) books are adapted for those who study English as foreign language. The books are simplified classic books or written from scratch ones using simple English. Such books are graded by levels - from Starter to Advanced. Depending on the level, the book will contain lighter or more complex words and grammar.
A: • You increase your vocabulary and understanding grammar. Reading adapted books you can enjoy reading without much efforts and slowly increase your vocabulary and understanding grammar. In every next book you will find some new words for you that will be used in this book several times in different sentences, so you can understand their meaning and remember them at once.
• You are training visual memory. Reading helps to remember the correct spelling of words. For example, when a word appears several times in a text, this word will fix in your memory how to write it correctly. The main thing is to read regularly and thoughtfully.
• You will speak fluently. You will speak fluently. If you want to speak English fluently, then it is choosing a book in English for your level. When you are reading, you see the common phrases as native English speakers talk.
• You will be able to read books in the original. Agree, reading books in the original is cool. Just realizing the fact that you are reading a book in the original language, you will be satisfied with yourself; you will see your progress and motivate yourself to read even more.

Keep calm and read a lot! Be patient, and confidently move towards the goal, even if these are small steps. Focus on the process, not the amount you read. By reading at least a few pages daily, you will soon notice progress that will inspire you to read even more. Read what you like, read anytime, anywhere!
A: Each level has certain a number of basic words and grammar complexity. Approximate distribution by level and examples of texts is shown in the table.

Level Reading

CEFR Level

English Exam

Vocabulary + Grammar

Example

Starter

A1

YLE

200-300 basic words
Present simple
Present continuous
Imperative
Can/cannot, must
Future with going to
Simple gerunds
Simple sentences
There is, There are, It is
Simple questions with yes/no answers

Her phone is ringing – but where is it?
Sally gets out of bed and looks in her bag. No phone. She looks under the bed.
No phone. Then she looks behind the door. There is her phone. Sally picks up her phone and answers it. “Sally’ Sphone”

Beginner

A1-A2

YLE

400-600 basic words
Past simple
Past continuous
Future with will/shall
Modal – have to
Questions beginning with wh- words

‘This is the work of an enemy.’
‘An enemy? What enemy?’ asked Mrs. Lodge.
‘I don’t know,’ said the Wise Man, looking at her.
‘But perhaps you do. I can show the person to you. Do you want me to do that?’
“The Withered Arm”

Elementary

A2

KET

700-1100 basic words
Present perfect
(don t) have to, must not, could
Infinitives of purpose
Comparison of adjectives
Simple time clauses
Conditional forms
Tag questions
Ask/tell + infinitive
Modal – could (ability), can (permission)
Compound sentences with two co-ordinate clauses joined by and, but or or

‘Remember, my friend, the gold was not taken – it was still there, on the floor.
So what kind of thief is that? A very, very stupid one, a thief who murders two women and then when he leaves, forgets to take the gold with him!’
“The Murders In The Rue Morgue”

Pre-Intermediate

A2-B1

PET

1000-1400 basic words
Present perfect continuous
Past perfect
Should, may
Used to
Causative
Relative clauses with, who, which, that
Conditional forms would/could/might
Indirect statements

He knew Mr. Abney was in there, because he could hear him speaking. What was that? Why did Mr. Abney try to cry out? Why was the cry suddenly cut off? Had Mr. Abney, too, seen the mysterious children? But now everything was quiet, and with fear in his heart, Stephen pushed hard against the door until it opened. “A Pair of Ghostly Hands and Other Stories”

Intermediate

B1-B2

FCE

1400-1600 basic words
Present perfect continuous
Past perfect continuous
Future perfect
Passive (simple forms)
Extended use of modals and conditional forms – might/may
Would conditional clauses
Indirect questions
Relatives with where/when
Clauses of purpose, reason, contrast
Gerunds after prepositions/phrases

Hester did not move, and when she spoke, her voice was a whisper. ‘Don’t take your revenge on an innocent child.’ ‘Silly woman!’ he replied, half coldly, half kindly. ‘If this poor, miserable baby was my own – mine as well as yours! – I would give her the same medicine.’ “The Scarlet Letter”

Upper-Intermediate

B2

FCE, IELTS, TOEFL

1800-2200 basic words
Future continuous
Future perfect conditional
Passive (modals, continuous forms)
Extended verb forms
Would have conditional clauses
Modals + perfect infinitive
So/such...that result clauses
Complex sentences

‘There’s a very narrow channel that goes through the middle. It’s so small that I hadn’t noticed it, when I looked at the chart before we sailed. That’s the one I was carried into. If I had been on the sandbank, the Dulcibella would have broken up in three minutes. I was just lucky that day.’ Lucky – and brave, I thought to myself. ‘But what makes you think he’s a spy?’ I asked. “The Riddle of the Sands”

Advanced

В2-C1

CAE

2500-3000 basic words
Passive (infinitives, gerunds)
Advanced modal meanings
Clauses of concession, condition
Complex sentences

My parents had invited all the families from the Joy Luck Club to witness my first public appearance as a musical prodigy. At first, when I stepped up to the piano in front of the audience, I was confident. It was as if I knew, without a doubt, that the prodigy side of me really did exist. And when I started to play, I was so caught up in how lovely I looked that I didn’t worry how I would sound. So it was a surprise to me when I hit the first wrong note ... “The Joy Luck Club”

A: You can pass some free online tests to determine your English level. After that, start reading books of this level, gradually increase level of books.
Some free online tests to determine your English level:
A: If you are only began to learn English you should start books from the first level too - Starter. But if you has been learning English for a while, you can try Beginner and if it too easy for you - try Elementary and so on.
A: Open the book on any page and read a few sentences. A book is right for you if
  • On one page no more than one or two words that you are not understand;
  • You can read 8-10 lines per minute;
  • You understand most of what you read;
  • You read as you would read in your native language.
In general, when you are choosing a book, you can trust books of your level.
Make sure that the topic of the book is of interest to you. It is not necessary to take fiction. Are you a fan of comics? Read them in English! The main thing is that the book is interesting for you. Everything that you do should bring not only benefit, but also satisfaction. Learning English for your pleasure, the effect will not take long.
A: Publishers of English language courses post lists of keywords and phrases for each level. Keywords lists from Oxford to be well known and you can use them:
The Oxford 3000 by CEFR level is the list of the 3000 most important words to learn in English that graduated from A1 to B2 level.
The Oxford 3000 by alphabetically is the list of the 3000 most important words to learn in English from A1 to B2 level that alphabetically ordered.
The Oxford 5000 by CEFR level is an expanded core word list for advanced learners of English. As well as the Oxford 3000, it includes an additional 2000 words for learners at B2-C1 level. The list graduated from B2 to C1 level.
The Oxford 5000 by alphabetically is an expanded core word list for advanced learners of English. As well as the Oxford 3000, it includes an additional 2000 words for learners at B2-C1 level. The list graduated in alphabetically ordered.
The Oxford Phrase List is a list of 750 common phrases from A1 to C1 level. It includes idioms, phrasal verbs, compounds, collocations, prepositional phrases and other common fixed phrases. The list graduated from B2 to C1 level.

Lists of important words and phrases for those who study English for academic purposes
The Oxford Phrasal Academic Lexicon (Academic spoken single words) is a set of four word lists that together provide an essential guide to the most important words and phrases to know in the field of English for Academic Purposes (EAP). This list gives the 600 most important words in academic speaking, divided into six sublists of 100 words each, with the most important words in Sublist 1.
The Oxford Phrasal Academic Lexicon (Academic spoken phrases) is a set of four word lists that together provide an essential guide to the most important words and phrases to know in the field of English for Academic Purposes (EAP). This list gives around 250 important phrases for academic speaking, grouped into 16 functional areas.
The Oxford Phrasal Academic Lexicon (Academic written single words) is a set of four word lists that together provide an essential guide to the most important words and phrases to know in the field of English for Academic Purposes (EAP). This list gives the 1200 most important words in academic writing, divided into twelve sublists of 100 words each, with the most important words in Sublist 1.
The Oxford Phrasal Academic Lexicon (Academic spoken phrases) is a set of four word lists that together provide an essential guide to the most important words and phrases to know in the field of English for Academic Purposes (EAP). This list gives around 370 important phrases for academic writing, grouped into 15 functional areas.
A: Original 'level' means that the book is not simplified in any way - it's the same version from the author.
A: You can try of course, but if your own vocabulary will contain words from adapted books only - original ones will be very hard for you. There is a big distance between advanced adapted and original books. You should learn the full grammar course of English before try originals. Also after adapted books, you could try magazines, journals and news at English language - they are much easier to understand.
A: Unfortunately, you can't. If you want to develop your English deep, you should not stuck at adapted books because they can limit you. As soon as you can freely read advanced level books you should move on. But if English is just your hobby you can just enjoy reading adapted books.
A: The main points that you should pay attention to when choosing an English book, except for the level of complexity of the text:
  • The book should match to the age and level of knowledge. You should not take too complicated and adult books for children, even if they are adapted to a certain level. It is important to take literature appropriate to the age of the student so that it is interesting and relevant. After all, learning English is an extension of your interests, as well as comprehensive development.
  • The theme of the book should match to your goals. If you need English for travel, pay attention to this area. There is also a lot of specialized literature that may be useful specifically in your area. Choose what is close to you in spirit and meets your goals.
  • The genre of the book and the year of writing is important. Do not forget that reading should be beneficial and enjoyable in one bottle. However, when choosing a genre, pay attention to the fact that modern prose is much easier to read than, for example, science fiction or historical literature.
Tips to help you get the most out of your English reading:
  • Pay attention to unfamiliar words and write them out. Yes, it doesn’t sound too much fun and will significantly slow down the reading process. To avoid this, you can write out words even before you start reading. And when, during reading, the word pops up in the text, you can turn to your own dictionary and it will be fixed in your memory.
  • Read thoughtfully and consciously. Though you don’t read half the book in one evening, however, you will get more results. Carefully analyze the grammatical constructions in sentences, try to understand why this or that time is used. Thus. You will not only expand your vocabulary, but also begin to understand more grammatical constructions.
  • Want to improve your pronunciation? Read aloud! This will be great practice. To speak more freely, like a native speaker, it is very important to speak fluently and competently.
  • Forget about translation software. Of course, individual words can and even need to be translated in trusted sources. However, do not try to hammer the whole sentence into the translator and understand the meaning. The translator makes a large number of errors, which significantly harms the perception of the adapted text in English.

Site functionality

A: Now read-online feature isn't available. You must download the book in the correct format to read it on your device.
A: We put books at such level that recommended by the publisher. However, different publishers may have slightly different of text difficulty for each level, but the grammatical basis of each level is the same.
A: We are working to put of audio files of adapted books on the site. We hope that audio files will be available on the site soon.
A: We recommend using the following file formats for your purposes:
EPUB format file – an open format of electronic books that is compatible with most e-readers, smartphones, tablets, and computers. This format file for e-books created by the International Digital Publishing Forum.
FB2 format file – an open format of electronic versions of books is widespread in the countries of the former USSR, which is compatible with PocketBook e-readers, COOL-ER devices, Cybook Opus and Cybook Gen3 devices, and ASUS Eee Reader DR900.
MOBI format file – a format of electronic books for Amazon Kindle e-readers.
RTF format file – a document format for working on a computer with Windows, Linux or MacOS operating systems.
PDF format file – a universal document format that looks the same in various programs and operating systems (Windows, Linux, MacOS). To open this format, you need Adobe PDF Reader program.
A: We recommend using the free 7zip program in order to open RAR or ZIP files.
Hits: 4101

We have 47 guests and no members online