Books by level / English books
The Return of a Private: reading level, length and free edition
The Return of a Private by Hamlin Garland is a short story adapted for learners in English. Our team rates it A2. It runs to 1,391 words with 502 different word forms, about 7–14 min of reading at 200 to 100 words per minute, and it is free from VOA Learning English.
- Author
- Hamlin Garland
- Language
- English
- Level
- A2
- Form
- short story, adapted
- Words
- 1,391
- Different word forms
- 502
- Forms for 95% / 98%
- 433 / 475
- Reading time
- 7–14 min
- Free edition
- VOA Learning English
Is The Return of a Private right for your level?
To recognise 95% of the running words in The Return of a Private, you need its 433 most frequent word forms; for 98%, the share at which most readers manage a novel without a dictionary, 475. The median English A2 book in our table needs 415 forms for 95%, so by this measure the book is typical for its level: number 38 of 60, easiest first.
A word form is any spelling that appears in the text, so “walk” and “walked” count twice, and names count too. These numbers are a guide to how much vocabulary the book asks for, not a test. The level itself was set by hand by our team. Before you commit, read one page of the free edition and count the words you do not know: the one-page test takes two minutes.
How does it begin?
The soldiers cheered as the train crossed the border into the state of Wisconsin. It had been a long trip from the south back to their homes in the north.
From the VOA Learning English edition, which is in the public domain. If this paragraph already feels slow, try a book one level lower.
How long does it take to read?
| Words | 100 wpm | 150 wpm | 200 wpm | 250 wpm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,391 | under 1 h | under 1 h | under 1 h | under 1 h |
Learners reading a book at their level often manage 100 to 150 words per minute, and readers in their first language 200 to 250. Where these speeds come from, and a calculator for your own: How long does it take to read a book?
Where can you read it for free?
This is not the original text but an adaptation for learners of English by VOA Learning English (Voice of America), from its American Stories series: shorter sentences, a limited vocabulary and an audio recording read at a slower speed. Text and audio are free on the VOA site. Material produced by the Voice of America, a U.S. government broadcaster, is in the public domain.
To read it with a translation over every word you tap, open it in Readlang Mobile on iPhone or iPad.
What to read next at A2
English books at the same level that ask for a similar amount of vocabulary:
- The Story of an Eyewitness, Jack London: 1,409 words, 433 forms for 95%
- The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe: 1,442 words, 432 forms for 95%
- The Luck of Roaring Camp, Bret Harte: 1,284 words, 434 forms for 95%
- Pecos Bill, Traditional: 1,489 words, 431 forms for 95%
- The Last Leaf, O. Henry: 1,506 words, 431 forms for 95%
- Athénaïse, Kate Chopin: 1,485 words, 436 forms for 95%
See also all English books by level and books at A2 in all five languages.