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.
Mary went to live in a in England. The house was . A maid named Martha told her, 'There is a . No one has the key. Do not go there.' But Mary wanted to find it.
One day, Mary saw a in the garden. The robin on the ground. Mary followed it. The bird stopped near an old wall. There, Mary found a in the dirt. 'Is this the key?' she whispered.
Mary looked at the wall. She saw a behind the . She put the key in the . The door opened with a . Inside, the garden was gray and sad. But there were little green on the ground. 'It is not dead,' she said.
Mary wanted to the garden. She asked Martha for a and some . She met a boy named Dickon. He was kind and loved animals. 'I can help you,' Dickon said. 'We will make the garden . But it is our secret.'
At night, Mary heard . She followed the sound to a room. There was a boy, Colin. He was and sad. 'I will never get better,' he said. 'I cannot . I stay in this room.' Mary told him about the secret garden. 'Come with me,' she said.
The next day, Mary and Dickon took Colin to the garden. Colin sat in a . The garden was full of and new leaves. 'This is our secret garden,' Mary said. Colin smiled. He with help. 'I want to walk,' he said. 'I will get strong.'
Every day they in the garden. Colin walked a little, then more. The garden grew and flowers. Birds . Colin laughed. 'I am alive! And the garden is alive!' he shouted. Mary and Dickon laughed too.
One day, Colin's father came home. He heard from the garden. He opened the door. He saw Colin . He ran to his son. 'You can walk!' he cried. 'The garden is alive!' They all . The secret garden was full of .
Mary moved to a large, old house in England. It was dark and quiet. A maid named Martha told her about a secret garden with no key, warning her not to go there. But Mary wanted to find it.
One day, Mary saw a robin in the garden. She followed it as it hopped. The robin stopped by an old wall, and Mary found a key in the dirt. She wondered if it was the key.
Mary saw a door hidden behind ivy on the wall. She unlocked it with the key. The door creaked open. The garden inside looked gray and sad, but she saw small green shoots and realized it wasn't dead.
Mary wanted to revive the garden. She asked Martha for a spade and seeds. She met a kind boy named Dickon who loved animals. He offered to help make the garden beautiful again, but it would be their secret.
At night, Mary heard crying and found a boy, Colin, in a room. He was ill and sad, believing he'd never get better or walk. Mary told him about the secret garden and invited him to come.
The next day, Mary and Dickon took Colin in a wheelchair to the garden. It was sunny with new leaves. Mary called it their secret garden. Colin smiled, stood with help, and expressed his wish to walk and get strong.
They worked in the garden every day. Colin gradually walked more. The garden bloomed with roses and flowers, birds sang, and Colin laughed, feeling alive. Mary and Dickon laughed too.
Colin's father returned home and heard laughter from the garden. Opening the door, he saw Colin running. He joyfully cried that Colin could walk and the garden was alive. They hugged, and the secret garden was full of joy.
The story introduces some wonderful words about nature and feelings. Let's explore a few that can easily become part of your everyday English.
- robin: a small bird with a red chest - 'Mary saw a robin in the garden.'
- ivy: a green plant that climbs up walls - 'She saw a door behind the ivy.'
- spade: a tool for digging in the ground - 'Mary asked Martha for a spade.'
- shoots: small new plants just starting to grow - 'There were little green shoots on the ground.'
The whole story happened in the past. When we talk about finished actions, we use the Past Simple tense. Many verbs add -ed, but some important ones change their form completely.
Here are examples from the story. Notice how the irregular verbs change.
- go → went: 'Mary went to live in a big, old house.'
- see → saw: 'She saw a robin in the garden.'
- find → found: 'She found a key in the dirt.'
- come → came: 'Come with me,' she said.
Now play with the language! Use the past tense and some of the new words to make the story your own.
Little activities like these help you remember and feel confident.
- Retell the story aloud to yourself, starting with 'Mary went to England…'
- Write three sentences about a secret place you know, using the past tense.
The Secret Garden 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 Question Words for another useful next step.
