J. R. R. Tolkien: He Invented Languages for Fun… Then Built a Whole World
As a teenager, Tolkien invented imaginary languages for fun. One day, marking exams, he wrote one sentence on a blank page — and a whole world began. Learn five B2 words and how to use the more…, the more… with the true story of J. R. R. Tolkien.
Coming 12 December 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.
A professor was marking exams.
It was long, boring work.
On a blank page, he wrote one sentence: "In a hole in the ground there lived a ."
This is the story of JRR Tolkien.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. means not real, only in your mind.
As a teenager, he invented languages for fun.
. A is a long, deep hole in the ground where soldiers stay during a war.
In 1916, he served in the of the Somme.
. A is a person who studies languages and how they work.
He became a who loved old languages.
. A is a very old story about gods, heroes or the beginning of the world.
He loved the old of northern Europe.
. A is a set of three separate books that belong together.
People often call The Lord of the Rings a , but he saw it as one long story.
Now, one pattern: the more, the more.
When one thing grows, another thing grows too.
The more he wrote, the more his world grew.
Ready? Let's begin.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892.
He grew up in England, near Birmingham, among fields and an old mill.
His father died when he was four.
His mother taught him Latin and a love of plants, but she died when he was twelve.
A kind priest looked after him and his brother.
He loved words.
As a teenager, he invented languages for fun.
When he discovered a Finnish grammar book, he later wrote that it was like discovering a cellar full of an amazing wine.
He studied at Oxford and married his love, Edith.
In 1916, he served in the of the Somme.
He later wrote, "By 1918 all but one of my close friends were dead."
After the war, he worked on the great Oxford English Dictionary.
He became a who loved old languages, and later a professor at Oxford.
He loved the old of northern Europe.
One day, around 1930, he was marking exams.
On a blank page, he wrote, "In a hole in the ground there lived a ."
He later wrote, "I did not and do not know why."
So what was a ?
He had to find out.
He told the story to his children, and it grew into a book, with his own drawings and maps.
"The " came out in 1937, and the first copies sold out in three months.
The publisher wanted more.
So Tolkien kept writing.
The more he wrote, the more his world grew, with maps, histories and whole languages.
"The Lord of the Rings" took him about 12 years.
It came out in three volumes in 1954 and 1955, because printing one huge book was expensive.
People often call The Lord of the Rings a , but he saw it as one long story.
He wanted to give England its own legends.
He built a whole world, and he made its languages feel real.
Tolkien died in 1973.
Today, his books have sold many millions of copies, and readers all over the world still visit the world he built.
Let's review. As a teenager, he invented languages for fun.
In 1916, he served in the of the Somme.
He became a who loved old languages.
He loved the old of northern Europe.
People often call The Lord of the Rings a , but he saw it as one long story.
And remember: the more he wrote, the more his world grew.
JRR Tolkien's story teaches us: follow your strange ideas.
One day, they may become a whole world.
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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.
imaginary adjective
not real; existing only in your mind
“As a teenager, he invented imaginary languages for fun.”
trench noun
a long, deep hole in the ground where soldiers stay during a war
“In 1916, he served in the trenches of the Somme.”
linguist noun
a person who studies languages and how they work
“He became a linguist who loved old languages.”
myth noun
a very old story about gods, heroes or the beginning of the world
“He loved the old myths of northern Europe.”
trilogy noun
a set of three separate books that belong together
“People often call The Lord of the Rings a trilogy, but he saw it as one long story.”
hobbit noun
a small, imaginary person in Tolkien's stories who loves home and good food
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
elvish adjective
belonging to the elves in Tolkien's stories, especially their languages
“He invented elvish languages.”
manuscript noun
a book or text written by hand or typed before it is printed
“The manuscript was thousands of pages long.”
Grammar in the story
the more + clause, the more + clause
We use it for: to say that when one thing grows, another thing grows too
- The more he wrote, the more his world grew.
- The more you practise, the more you learn.
From the story
- The more he wrote, the more his world grew.
- The more I read, the more I want to read.
Find it in the story 4 times
Your turn
The more he wrote, more his world grew.
The more you practise, the you learn.
more I read, the more I want to read.
Step 4
Story Challenge
7 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.
Well done!
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Take it further
Before you watch: Have you read The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings? Do you know any other made-up languages?
After you watch: Write three sentences with the more…, the more…. For example: The more I practise, the more I improve. The more you read, the more words you know. The more we walked, the more tired we got.
Think about it: Tolkien’s world began with one strange sentence. Have you ever had a strange idea that grew into something bigger?
