The Miser – English Fairy Tale with Vocabulary Practice

The Miser – An English fairy tale from Aesop’s fables with vocabulary practice and podcast

Source of story: Gutenberg Project at www.gutenberg.org

The Miser

A miser sold all that he had and bought a lump of gold, which he buried in a hole in the ground by the side of an old wall and went to look at daily.

• miser: ungenerous and selfish person
• lump: solid chunk

One of his workmen observed his frequent visits to the spot and decided to watch his movements.

• workman: craftsman

He soon discovered the secret of the hidden treasure, and digging down, came to the lump of gold, and stole it.

• treasure: jewels and precious objects

The miser, on his next visit, found the hole empty and began to tear his hair and to make loud lamentations.

• tear one’s hair out: feel extremely anxious, worried and frustrated
• lamentation: weeping and crying

A neighbor, seeing him overcome with grief and learning the cause, said:

• overcome with: weakened by, overwhelmed by
• grief: sorrow

“Pray do not grieve so; but go and take a stone, and place it in the hole, and fancy that the gold is still lying there.

• pray (interjection): emphasizing a command
•  fancy (verb): imagine

It will do you quite the same service; for when the gold was there, you had it not, as you did not make the slightest use of it.”

• slightest: smallest, minimum

Related idioms & proverbs

• Your eyes are bigger than your stomach

Study the Persian version of this story.