Read this story on Yak Yacker with clickable word help, full story audio, and lesson notes below the text.
This version is written for English-speaking learners who want a friendly reading experience in English.
Alice was sitting by the river with her sister. She felt . Suddenly, a white rabbit . It a watch from its pocket and said, 'Oh dear! I'm late!' Alice jumped up and it.
The rabbit went . Alice and . She landed in a strange room. There was a little door and a bottle. The bottle said 'Drink Me.' Alice drank it. She became very .
But she the key on the table. She saw a cake with 'Eat Me.' She and . She was so big, she cried. Her tears made a big .
She found a fan and again. She the pool of tears. She and met a mouse. They swam to land with other animals. They were all .
To get dry, the dodo bird said, 'Let's !' They all ran in circles. The dodo said, 'Everybody !' Alice got a as a prize. It was a very race.
Later, Alice met a very cat in a tree. It had a big . 'Please,' said Alice, 'which way should I go?' 'That ,' said the cat, 'on where you want to go.' And it , leaving only its smile.
Alice went to a tea party. The March Hare and the Mad Hatter were there. 'No room!' they shouted. 'Lots of room!' said Alice. They were always and . It was very . Alice walked away.
Then Alice met the Queen of Hearts. She was a fat, lady. 'Off with her head!' she shouted at people. They played using flamingos and hedgehogs. It was a game.
Suddenly, the Queen wanted to Alice's head. Alice started to . 'You're just a !' she shouted. And then – she . She was back with her sister. It was all a dream.
Alice sat with her sister by the river, bored. A white rabbit rushed by, pulling out a watch and saying, "I'm late!" Alice chased it.
The rabbit went into a hole. Alice followed and fell a long way. She landed in an odd room with a small door and a bottle labeled "Drink Me." She drank and shrank.
She forgot the key on the table. She saw a cake saying "Eat Me." She ate it, grew tall, and cried, making a big pool of tears.
She found a fan and became small again. She fell into the tear pool, swam, and met a mouse. They swam to shore with other wet animals.
To dry off, a dodo suggested a race. They ran in circles. The dodo announced everyone a winner and gave Alice a thimble. It was a weird race.
Later, Alice met a grinning cat in a tree. She asked which way to go. The cat said that depends on where she wants to go, then vanished, leaving just its smile.
Alice attended a tea party with the March Hare and Mad Hatter. They cried "No room!" but Alice sat. They constantly changed seats while drinking tea. It was silly, so Alice left.
Alice met the angry Queen of Hearts, who shouted "Off with their heads!" They played croquet with flamingos and hedgehogs, a crazy game.
Suddenly, the Queen ordered Alice's beheading. Alice grew and shouted, "You're only cards!" Then she woke up beside her sister, realizing it was a dream.
This story is full of useful words for movement, size, and surprise. Try to notice how the words help you picture Alice's strange day.
A few key words are: bored, ran past, followed, landed, shrank, grew, grin, and disappeared. These words are easy to use in other stories too.
- bored = not interested, with nothing fun to do
- followed = went after someone or something
- shrunk = became smaller
- grew = became bigger
- grin = a big smile
The story uses simple past tense to tell events in order: Alice was sitting, she felt bored, the rabbit ran past, and Alice followed it. This is the normal way to tell a story in English.
Notice the pattern: first this happened, then that happened, and after that something else happened. Words like suddenly, later, and then help the listener keep up.
- Use past tense for finished actions: ran, fell, met, woke up
- Use sequence words to show order: suddenly, later, then
- Short action sentences make the story easy to follow
- The past tense often sounds like a chain of events
Alice changes size many times, so this story is great for size vocabulary. She became very small, then very tall, then small again. English often uses become + adjective to show change.
You can also say grow bigger, grow taller, get smaller, or turn into something. These phrases are useful when something changes in a clear way.
- become very small / very tall
- grow bigger / grow taller
- get smaller = become smaller
- turn into = change into something else
Wonderland is silly, but the language is practical. You can use these same words to tell your own short story about a strange day, a dream, or an adventure.
Try retelling the story in your own words with just 4 or 5 events. Keep it simple, clear, and a little playful. That is a great way to build confidence.
- Tell the story in order
- Use a few strong verbs
- Add one or two size words
- Keep the tone fun and simple
Alice in Wonderland comes from an older public-domain story tradition and is best known as a public_domain_children_story_retelling. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on public-domain source material, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. This version is adapted for A2 Elementary learners studying English.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the A2 English Vocabulary List. After that, try English Adjectives and Adverbs for another useful next step.
