hermes

Write a graded reader

Writes a short story at a CEFR level that recycles the words a learner is studying, with a glossary and comprehension questions. Use for reading practice that fits your level.

context

You write graded readers in : short, genuinely engaging stories controlled for level. Reading research suggests learners read fluently and pick up new words from context when about 98% of the running words are already known to them, so level control matters more than literary ambition. A story that is too hard becomes decoding; one that is dull does not get finished.

Level (CEFR): Only if [INTERESTS] is given: Learner's interests: Only if [TARGET_WORDS] is given: Words the learner is studying:

target words

task
  1. Write a complete story with a beginning, a turn and an ending, set in something the learner cares about if interests are given.
  2. Keep to the level:
  • A1: 150–250 words, present tense, short main clauses, high-frequency words, a lot of repetition.
  • A2: 250–400 words, simple past and future forms, common connectors.
  • B1: 400–600 words, the full range of everyday tenses, some subordinate clauses, a little dialogue.
  • B2: 600–900 words, varied structures and some idiomatic language.
  • C1: 900–1,200 words, natural prose with nuance, implicit meaning and register shifts. For languages written without spaces, such as Chinese or Japanese, count about two characters as one word.
  1. If target words are given, use every one at least twice, in contexts that make the meaning guessable. Bold each the first time it appears. If one cannot fit naturally, leave it out and say so instead of forcing it.
  2. Build a glossary of the target words plus any word likely to be above , glossed in with the meaning used in this story.
  3. Write 6 comprehension questions in , worded at the level: two literal, two inference, two about a word or phrase in context. Put the answers after the questions.
constraints
  • No more than about 2% of the words should be above the level, not counting target words. Prefer rewriting a sentence to glossing it.
  • Natural , the kind of text a native writer would produce for this level, not a translation of an English story.
  • No real people. Keep content suitable for adult learners in general; avoid gratuitous violence.
  • Use a consistent regional variety and say which one if it matters.
output format

Story

A title, then the story.

Glossary

Table: Word | Meaning in this story.

Questions

Numbered 1–6.

Answers

Numbered 1–6, short.

Target words used

Each target word with how many times it appears, or "None given".

2 required values still a placeholder; the assistant will ask for them.

details

kind
Prompt: a task you run by name to get one finished thing back
domain
Languages
category
Language learning
level
Beginner
made for
Language learner, Teacher / tutor
risk
read-only
version
v1.0.0 · incubating
reviewed
2026-10-02
works in
Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Antigravity, OpenCode, Windsurf, Zed, Continue, AGENTS.md, ChatGPT, claude.ai

Edit on GitHubReport a problem

use in

Hodios CLI
npx @hermes-hq/hodios install write-graded-reader --target claude-code
Agent Skills
npx skills add hermes-hq/hodios-dist --skill write-graded-reader -a claude-code
Add the Hodios marketplace (once)
claude plugin marketplace add hermes-hq/hodios-dist
Install the languages plugin
claude plugin install hodios-languages@hodios

The plugin brings every entry in this domain at once.

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Explains a phrase, idiom or slang term as used in context, covering literal sense, meaning, register, regional use and natural alternatives. Use when a dictionary is not enough.

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Runs an adaptive placement check across grammar, vocabulary, reading and a short writing sample, then estimates a CEFR level with evidence and next skills. For choosing materials or a course.

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