In H.G. Wells' classic tale, a brilliant inventor known only as the Time Traveller builds an incredible machine that can carry him through the ages. One evening, he gathers his friends in his Victorian London home and tells them a fantastic story: he has travelled to the year 802,701! There, he discovers a strange world where gentle Eloi live above ground and mysterious Morlocks lurk below.
In this special B1 graded reader, you can experience the adventure yourself. Every word is chosen for intermediate learners, and if you get stuck, just click any word for an instant definition. The full story audio is included, so you can read and listen at the same time. Plus, you'll find helpful lesson notes that explain key grammar and new vocabulary.
Whether you're studying alone or with a teacher, this free interactive story makes learning English exciting. Step into the time machine and improve your reading, listening, and vocabulary all in one place.
One evening, the invited his friends to his house.
"I have built a that can !" he announced.
His friends . "That's ," one said.
The Time Traveller showed them a small . He a , and the model disappeared.
"It went into the ," he explained. "Come back next week to see the ."
The next week, the friends . The Time Traveller was not there. They .
Suddenly, the door . The Time Traveller came in, and .
"Where were you?" they asked.
"I went to the !" he said. Then he .
"First, I got into my time machine. I the to the year 802,701, and I pushed the lever."
"The machine . Days and nights flew past like . Finally, it stopped."
"I arrived in a with small, beautiful people called the . They wore bright colours and played all day."
"I met a girl named Weena. She was and the underground ."
"The Morlocks came out at night. They were and lived in . They took my time machine!"
"I went into the to find my machine. It was , but I ."
The Time Traveller looked at his friends with . "Then I here."
One evening, the Time Traveller asked his friends to come to his house.
"I built a time machine!" he said.
His friends laughed. "That can't happen," one said.
He showed them a small model. He pushed a lever, and it vanished.
"It went to the future," he said. "Come back next week to see the real one."
The next week, the friends came. He wasn't there. They waited.
Suddenly, the door opened. He came in, looking tired and dirty.
"Where were you?" they asked.
"I went to the future!" he said. Then he told them what happened.
"First, I got into my time machine. I set it to the year 802,701 and pushed the lever."
"The machine shook. Days and nights rushed by very fast. Then it stopped."
"I came to a green world with small, beautiful people called Eloi. They wore bright colors and played all day."
"I met a girl named Weena. She was scared of the dark and the Morlocks underground."
"The Morlocks came out at night. They were pale and lived underground. They stole my time machine!"
"I went into the dark tunnels to get my machine. It was dangerous, but I got away."
He looked at his friends with tired eyes. "Then I came back here."
This sci-fi adventure is packed with useful words for describing machines, surprises, and movement. Learning them will help you talk about science, tell stories, and sound more natural in English.
Many of these words have other common meanings too. The context in the story makes their use clear, so you can start using them right away.
- **lever** - a handle you push or pull to control a machine. *He pressed a lever and the model disappeared.*
- **dial** - a round control that you turn to set something. *I set the dial to the year 802,701.*
- **shook** - past of *shake*, moved quickly from side to side. *The time machine shook violently.*
- **pale** - light in colour, often describing a face that looks ill or scared. *The Morlocks were pale and lived underground.*
The Time Traveller's tale uses several past tenses to make the story vivid. The **past simple** handles the main actions, while the **past continuous** paints the background scenes.
You'll also spot the **past perfect** in places where one past event happened before another. Notice how these tenses work together to keep the story moving and show the order of events.
- Past simple for completed actions: *He pressed a lever, and the model disappeared.*
- Past continuous for a scene in progress: *While they were waiting, the door suddenly opened.*
- Past simple for a sequence: *I went into the tunnels, found the machine, and escaped.*
- Past perfect for earlier actions: *By the time his friends arrived, he had already travelled to the future.*
Ready to invent your own time-travel tale? A strong adventure story needs a clear order of events. Use words like *first*, *then*, *next*, and *finally* to guide your listener.
Don't forget to sprinkle in descriptive details. Adjectives and adverbs bring places and feelings to life, so your audience can picture the journey.
- Use time-order words: *First, I got into the machine. Then, I set the dial to a random date.*
- Add how you felt: *I was nervous but incredibly curious.*
- Keep the action moving with past simple: *I landed, looked around, and saw a strange world.*
- Describe the scene: *The sky was purple, and silent robots glided between glass towers.*
You've just read a classic sci-fi adventure and practised some key past tenses. Why not retell the story in your own words, or write down a completely new time-travel adventure?
Stories like this let you absorb grammar naturally. Try telling a short past-tense story to a friend or even to yourself in the mirror - it's a powerful way to build confidence.
- Record yourself telling a one-minute time-travel story and listen back for fluency.
The Time Machine comes from an older public-domain story tradition and is best known as a public_domain_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 B1 Intermediate learners studying English.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the B1 English Vocabulary List. After that, try 1,200 English Phrases and Expressions for another useful next step.
