Isaac Newton: An Apple Fell From a Tree… and He Asked Why
A young man sat in a farm garden. An apple fell — and Isaac Newton asked why it always falls down. Learn five A2 words and the zero conditional with the true story of Isaac Newton.
Coming 23 November 2026, 3:00 pm New York time
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
When he was born, he was very small.
Later, an made him ask a big question.
This is the story of Isaac Newton.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. An is a round fruit.
He sat near the .
. To is to go down.
An from a .
. When you something, it comes toward you.
The Earth the down.
. A has many colours.
White light has all the colours of the .
. A goes around the Sun, like the Earth.
The Sun on every .
Now, one pattern: if, plus the present.
We use it for facts that are always true.
If you drop an , it .
Ready? Let's begin.
Isaac Newton was born on a farm in England in 1642.
As a boy, at night, he flew kites with small lights!
His mother wanted him to farm.
But he read books, and the sheep walked away!
So he went to Cambridge University.
In 1665, a terrible disease closed the university.
At home, he sat near the .
An from a .
Why does an always down?
It did not on his head.
But it gave him a big idea: the Earth the down.
If you drop an , it .
Does this reach the Moon, too?
In a dark room, he sent sunlight through a glass .
If sunlight goes through a , it makes a .
White light has all the colours of the !
Later, his famous book said: the same works everywhere.
The Sun on every .
And his ?
People say it still grows on the farm!
Let's review. He sat near the .
An from a .
The Earth the down.
White light has all the colours of the .
The Sun on every .
And remember: if you drop an , it .
Isaac Newton's story teaches us: never stop asking why.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
apple noun
a round fruit, red, green or yellow
“He sat near the apple trees.”
fall verb (past: fell)
to go down to the ground
“An apple fell from a tree.”
pull verb
to make something come toward you
“The Earth pulls the apple down.”
rainbow noun
the arc of colours in the sky after rain
“White light has all the colours of the rainbow.”
planet noun
a big round world that goes around the Sun
“The Sun pulls on every planet.”
gravity noun
the force that pulls things toward the Earth
“Gravity makes an apple fall.”
prism noun
a piece of glass with three sides that splits light into colours
“He sent sunlight through a glass prism.”
tree noun
a tall plant with a trunk, branches and leaves
“People say his apple tree still grows today.”
Grammar in the story
If + present simple, present simple (zero conditional)
We use it for: to talk about facts that are always true
- If you drop an apple, it falls.
- If sunlight goes through a prism, it makes a rainbow.
From the story
- If you drop an apple, it falls.
- If sunlight goes through a prism, it makes a rainbow.
Find it in the story 4 times
Your turn
If you drop an apple, it .
If sunlight through a prism, it makes a rainbow.
If you heat ice, it .
Step 4
Story Challenge
8 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: Why do things fall down? Have you ever asked a “why” question that nobody could answer?
After you watch: Write three facts with If…, …. For example: If you heat water, it boils. If you drop a glass, it breaks. If it rains, the ground gets wet.
Think about it: Many people saw apples fall. Isaac Newton asked why — and he kept asking. What everyday thing would you like to ask “why” about?
