Pratique du Shadowing: This 100-year-old ride must never change again. - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

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The plan for today is: we’re going to talk about the history of the playground, I’m going to make a fool of myself on some play equipment designed for kids, and then it’s off to ride a century-old water chute.

Despite England’s reputation for rain, the weather had been mostly kind to me as I took my long road trip around every county, but as I arrived in Kettering in Northamptonshire...

A lot of wind, a little bit of rain, threatening very heavy rain showers.

We’ll see how we do.

I’ve got waterproof trousers with me just in case.

Wicksteed Park describes itself as an urban park with rides, not an amusement park or theme park, just a park that happens to also have some attractions, one of which is a century old.

Like many things in England, the park was founded by a wealthy industrialist.

This particular industrialist was called Charles Wicksteed.

He got his start with engineering and power tools but ended up producing playground equipment.

I met Connor, the park’s community and heritage co-ordinator, and we went for a walk.

First stop: the modern playground.

I could have picked a better day for this. -(laughter) I recognise it’s a road trip, I didn’t have much choice, but I could have picked a better day for this.

So, some of this is heritage, some of this is not?

Yes, so there isn’t much of the playground that is still original.

Obviously a lot of things have been updated.

And a lot of things have had kids on them for 80, 90 years now?

The park itself is over 100 years old.

So, the oldest thing that we have in the playground is that static swing over there.

That is the oldest swing that we found.

That was found in somebody’s back garden. -Oh!

So the swing itself is actually a prototype.

So when Charles Wicksteed started his engineering business, it wasn’t originally in playground equipment.

He started off his career in steam ploughing, but he had a real knack for engineering and was making things from gearboxes to equipment to stretch metal pipes, and bicycles and things like that.

Wicksteed got rich.

He decided to open a public park, and he started designing playground equipment.

The swing was one of the prototypes, found in someone’s back yard about a century after it was built.

He can’t have invented the swing, surely?

-No. -Okay.

Like a lot of inventions, the history of the playground swing is complicated.

From my research, I think it’s fair to say that Wicksteed helped codify it, like, the idea of two A-frames, joined, with two descending chains and a seat, that was probably him.

There were clearly other prototypes, though, because there are 1920s photos of this same playground, and you can see that some of the swings used to be a lot larger!

Also, perhaps you’d like to try a jazz swing, where the seat was suspended from two pairs of A-frames with rigid poles instead of chains.

Or how about a see-saw swing?

There is so much in that picture.

The kid swinging with all his might...

Is it a kid? Not sure.

Two people at the top clinging on.

The guy casually smoking in front of it ignoring the scenes...

For obvious reasons, in this century, we consider that the penalty for a kid slipping on playground equipment probably shouldn’t be potential death?

I have to at least try and sit in the world’s oldest surviving swing.

I feel like that’s a...

It’s not a swing, but I can now say, like, tick, have done that.

Connor said the poles on that first prototype swing have probably been replaced over the years, but the seat and chains are original.

He originally saw kids coming after Sunday school and building their own rudimentary slides and swings, much like the wooden ones that you can see in the back here.

-Wait, are those slides? -Yes, those are slides.

Okay, let’s go see the slides.

Now, are these originals or are these replicas?

-So these are replicas. -Okay.

But we did try to stay as true as we could to what the original ones looked like.

Because it is made out of wood, and I think everyone’s having the same thought of splinters...

Yeah. ...they would bring blocks of wax and candlesticks...

-Right! -...and rub it on the wood to make it look really smooth.

And then the theory was the more wax you’d rub on it, the faster you’d go down the slide.

The slide was not waxed, but, well...

I had to try it.

Is this going to go well? I feel like this isn’t going to go well.

Well, I’ve never tried it myself, so... -(laughter) You’re the historian here, you’re the... -Yeah!

(laughter) Okay. I’m going to try it.

If it works, you should absolutely follow me.

Okay, I’ll do my best. I am in a dress. That’s my excuse.

Oh, okay, that’s a good... that’s a really good excuse.

I mean, my excuse would be I like these jeans and it’s wet because it’s been raining all day, but I’m going to see...

Oh, that’s actually quite slippery... No.

-Do you want a push? (laughter) -You can try it.

I don’t...somehow I don’t think it’s going to work, but you can give it a try.

-Do you want a little...? -Yep.

(laughter) I think I can see why they made ’em out of metal.

-Yeah. -That’s, er...yeah.

But again, like you said, they would have waxed it.

Right, the witch’s hat. I was going to ask you about the witch’s hat.

So this is definitely a recreation because the original witch’s hat doesn’t meet modern safety standards. -Oh, good.

-But this one does. So rest assured! -Okay.

I don’t recognise this.

This feels like a thing that I should have seen in the playground and haven’t.

So this is definitely like a Charles Wicksteed special, I’d say.

There’s not a lot of other playground companies that had something like this.

Yes, of course I had to try it.

-This feels... -(laughter) Yuh-ha!

Okay, yeah. Yeah, no, that’s... -(laughter) Right.

So, I nearly threw myself off this thing because of centrifugal force.

What was more dangerous about that in the past?

Well, for instance, you can feel that it’s a bit squishy underneath us?

-Yeah. -So, the landing is definitely a bit more forgiving than it used to be. -Right.

Because back in the day it was all just concrete.

Oh, okay. So, if you fell off of this, you weren’t really going to have a good time.

Not only that, but the old version didn’t have a limiter on tilt angle or speed, so, if you were holding on in the wrong place, your fingers could get slammed and dragged along between the seat and the pole.

The Wicksteed logo is still on the new witch’s hat though, because it turns out they’re still a playground equipment company, still based there in Kettering, still making new stuff.

So, this one is called the beanstalk.

We put out a competition to local kids 11 and under to design their own playground equipment.

And we said that the winner would have it actually be built.

-Oh! -So, this was designed by an 11-year-old from Northampton named Mia, and she taught herself 3D modelling software to send in her entry. -What?

And then we worked with her the entire way.

We went with her to the Wicksteed engineering company.

-Is there an upper age limit on this? -Absolutely not. Go for it.

I mean, it’s also very rainy here and I’ve now got a wet arse from the slide so, there’s a very real chance that I will fall over at some point up here.

I mean, obviously I have to go down the slide.

I’m a 40-year-old man going down a playground slide.

But yeah, alright, fine.

-It does go really fast when it’s wet. -It does go really fast when it’s wet.

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I’ll be down at the bottom but I’ll be back a bit.

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-Okay! And I can see... -(laughter) I should have put the waterproof trousers on.

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(squeaking) Well, here we go. That’s...

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Wheeey! Oooh! Oh! -(laughter) Yes! Yes it does, and I have a very wet arse now. Alright, good.

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(giggling) -Shall we go see the water chute? -Yes, let’s go!

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Now, that was a lot of water. I’ve made bad choices.

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I didn’t expect there to be like a puddle at the bottom of it!

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At the point where I realised there was a puddle at the bottom...

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-You were already there! -...I had already got my legs in the slide and I was committed.

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It took a few minutes to walk to the water chute, so while we’re on the way, a brief diversion.

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After about the length of an advert, we were approaching the water chute.

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On the way, we passed by plenty of other rides in the park: a narrow-gauge railway, some flat rides, a couple of small roller coasters, a boating lake, but...

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it was quiet, so those were all packed away when I was there.

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Like I said, I could have picked a better day, although at least my editors don’t have to blur a lot of footage of the public.

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-So, this is the water chute? -This is the water chute, yes.

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It looks so simple.

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The main tower for it is hidden behind that tree, we’ll see that in a moment.

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We know that this is the oldest surviving water chute of its kind.

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It’s by no means the first one that was ever installed or invented.

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This also isn’t the original location either.

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It’s been shifted just a little bit.

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The very first rendition of it, the track that the chute goes down was actually made out of recycled bed rails.

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Oh right, okay! That would have been rattly.

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There used to be one man that just winched the boat back up.

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Oh, it was just manual... Of course it was ’cos this is 1926.

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You’re not going to hook this up to electricity or bother to put a...

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Yeah. I was thinking like diesel generator or something, but whatever the 1926 equivalent was, you’re not going to put a steam engine in there...

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-Yeah. -...to winch this back up.

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It’s a tub going down a chute, basically. -Pretty much.

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I mean, some people have likened it to a skip as well.

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Once you see the actual boat, it does look a bit like a skip, you know.

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(laughs) I love that the person with the American accent has Anglicised that and not used ‘dumpster’.

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Listen, I’ve picked up on some of the vocabulary, I’ve done my best.

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(laughter) The team had opened up the water chute specially for me and also for a pair of journalists from a newspaper who were doing a piece on the park.

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The journalists and I agreed to stay out of each other’s way.

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Connor and I climbed up the stairs to the tower which are apparently the same design of stairs that Wicksteed used for children’s slides.

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Oh, wow! ...and Connor left me with Sam, who was in charge of operations that day.

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Is this the original... boat? Ride vehicle? What term do you use?

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-It’s the original design. -Okay.

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But it’s a fully refurbished boat.

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-So, I would liken this to Trigger’s Broom. -I was going to...yes!

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-Very much so. -I was going to say exactly that.

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A very well-loved, well-cared-for Trigger’s Broom.

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People outside the UK and people younger than 30 may know Trigger’s Broom as the Ship of Theseus: all the parts have been replaced over the years, but it’s still the same boat.

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-So, that’s the river down there? -Yes, it was, yeah.

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So, originally you had a water chute that went down on bed rails straight down into the River Ise. -Wow!

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So, we’ve upgraded, they’re not quite so much bed rails now.

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Yeah, there’s modern safety railings down there.

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You’ve got all machinery at the back here, so we now...

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it’s run from a compressor and a motor system.

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Right, so it’s not someone hoisting it back up, okay.

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So, there’s no extra strength training, manual handling, hoisting.

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-And this is padded now. -Yeah, so these are all padded and the seat backs are padded as well. -Oh, wow, it really just was a skip, a dumpster, that just took you... -Basically, yeah.

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Because it’s the 1920s you can do a...

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Actually, no, I say that. Someone could still build that.

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I can still see someone in their backyard building a thing that’s just a dumpster going down to the river.

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-Yeah. -If you’re getting the public on board, you need some safety padding.

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So, they still get that same feeling, that same excitement.

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That same, “This feels a little sketchy.” It’s not, but it feels a little sketchy.

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-Yeah, definitely. -And it’s 100 years old now?

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It is, it will be celebrating its centenary 2026.

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Yep, 100 years for it.

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So, it’s Grade II listed. -Oh, that must be tricky.

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Grade II listing means that a building is on the government’s list of buildings that need special approval for any changes.

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Basically all the features mentioned on that list are frozen in time.

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They can be repaired and maintained using appropriate materials.

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In fact they must be... but they can’t be altered.

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It would be a crime to do that unless you got special government permission, which is not usually given.

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And the water chute has changed over time.

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Connor had said it was moved a little early on.

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Sam told me there had been a few other alterations.

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In the 30s it had an amendment, so it used to have a flat roof and now it has a sloping roof, but that’s...

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-But this is the tower? -Yes, it’s the same tower, the same river, the same concept of a ride.

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Roughly the same rails and roughly the same gradient down, and ride.

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-Yeah. -How much does it splash?

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Well, that is luck of the draw. It’s very much roulette for that.

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And that’s part of the fun. You won’t know. No two journeys are the same.

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Alright. Well, there’s going to be one of me at the front, so I don’t know...

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If there’s one person, it’s going to ride higher.

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-Yep. -If they’re at the front, it’s going to ride lower.

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-Alright. Can I see behind the scenes? -Absolutely, yeah.

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Presumably there’s a button here somewhere for it.

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Yes, you can.

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The control cabin is not glamorous.

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It’s designed for one person with a big mechanical winch just next to it, and the control panel is just a few buttons.

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-Can I attach some cameras to it then? -Certainly.

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-Can I push the button, please? -You may.

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Connor took my main camera down to the bottom of the chute, I took my 360 camera in my hand, and with Sam watching over just in case, I pushed the glowing green button.

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(clicking, clanking) -That sounds promising. -Oh! Yeah...

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(rattling) (clanking) (splashing) A lot of things happened there, so, while the boat’s coming back up, let me replay that and talk you through the system, because it’s both simple and really clever.

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When the green button is pressed, the big drum of rope is unlocked from the winch so it can freewheel.

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Then the wheels that control the safety brakes turn, moving that black bar, which pushes away the big yellow bumpers at the side that are holding the boat in place.

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The boat’s not going to move on its own, though, so it gets a hydraulic shove from the...

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shover in the back.

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And from there, gravity does the rest.

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(rattling) (splashing) A second button locks the rope drum back into the winch, and the boat comes back up.

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Can you tell I’m getting excited about engineering here?

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Yeah! But that chute is Grade II listed.

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I looked up the actual listing and it mentioned several specific things: the electric wheel that winches the boat back up, the metal cage around the winch, and the fact that the passengers are, quote, “splashed liberally upon hitting the water.” Those are part of the listing.

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Until 2016, this ride could be updated, had been updated, to move with the times, and now if someone invents a better winch or a magic levitation device that could bring the boat back up, or if someone wants it to not get the passengers wet...

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nope. The ride is a hundred years old and it must never change again.

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Well, I’ve been putting this off, but...may I?

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Definitely, yeah.

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So, do not get the 360 camera caught in the tree.

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That would be bad. That would be very bad. -(laughter) Okay.

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(sighs) Here we go.

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-Let me know when you’re ready. -Alright.

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-You ready down there? -Yep, ready!

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Thank you to everyone at Wicksteed Park.

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Ready when you are. -Enjoy!

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Here we go! (lever clunks) (rumbling) (rattling) (laughing) Oh, ha! (splashing) (laughter) That is surprisingly forceful at the end.

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Like when it splashes down, I got bounced a little there.

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Next time, or right now on Nebula: how thousands of people lived and worked somewhere that officially didn’t exist.

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Vocabulaire et conseils d’expression pour cette leçon

Cette leçon d’expression orale de niveau B2 s’appuie sur la vidéo « This 100-year-old ride must never change again ». Les mots qui reviennent le plus souvent : playground, chute, swing. Cette vidéo contient 220 phrases et 3096 mots à répéter en shadowing. La partie parlée dure 16:25. Le locuteur parle vite, environ 189 mots par minute : attendez-vous à des liaisons et à des sons réduits. Seuls 81 % des mots font partie des 3 000 mots les plus courants en anglais, le vocabulaire est donc exigeant.

Vocabulaire clé de cette vidéo

Les 15 mots les plus avancés de la vidéo, avec leur prononciation et leur sens :

Mot	Prononciation	Sens
playground nom	/ˈpleɪɡɹaʊnd/	terrain de jeu, aire de jeux
chute nom	/ʃut/	toboggan
laughter nom	/ˈlæftɚ/	rire
winch nom	/wɪnt͡ʃ/	treuil
prototype nom	/ˈpɹəʊtətaɪp/	prototype
splash verbe	/splæʃ/	asperger, éclabousser
pad nom	/pæd/	tampon, coussinet
rattle nom	/ˈɹæ.təl/	hochet, bruit
dumpster nom	/ˈdʌmpstɚ/	conteneur poubelle
invent verbe	/ɪnˈvɛnt/	inventer
hoist verbe	/hɔɪst/	hisser
industrialist nom		industriel
puddle nom	/ˈpʌdəl/	flaque, flaque d'eau
sketchy adjectif	/ˈskɛt͡ʃi/	sommaire, incomplet
waterproof adjectif	/ˈwɔt̬ɚˌpruf/	résistant à l'eau

Les verbes à particule que vous entendrez

Mot	Sens
back up verbe	reculer
go down verbe	descendre
end up verbe	se terminer, se finir
go down on verbe	descendre à la cave, descendre à la crèmerie
open up verbe	ouvrir
turn out verbe	se finir, se terminer
watch over verbe	veiller

Des phrases à répéter

Des phrases courtes et complètes de la vidéo, à réutiliser dans la conversation de tous les jours :

We’ll see how we do.
I’ve got waterproof trousers with me just in case.
What term do you use?
Can I see behind the scenes?
Can you tell I’m getting excited about engineering here?

La grammaire de cette vidéo

Les structures que le locuteur utilise le plus, avec les mots exacts de la vidéo :

Structure	Dans la vidéo
« Used to » used to + verbe — une habitude ou un état passé qui n’est plus vrai	used to be · used to have
Present perfect continu have/has been + -ing — une action commencée avant et toujours en cours	it's been raining · I've been testing · I've been putting
Present perfect have/has + participe passé — une action passée qui compte encore maintenant	have been updated · have had · have done
Voix passive be + participe passé — l’accent est mis sur ce qui arrive, pas sur qui le fait	was founded · was called · have been updated

Prononciation à surveiller

Le locuteur utilise 60 contractions et formes réduites, comme you're, I've, don't. Prononcez-les sous leur forme courte, telles que vous les entendez.

Les sons « th »: threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
Les sons « sh » et « zh »: chute /ʃut/, splash /splæʃ/, alteration /ɔl.tɚˈeɪ.ʃən/, levitation /ˌlɛvɪˈteɪʃən/, diversion /dɪˈvɝ.ʒən/
Mots longs — placez bien l’accent: alteration /ɔl.tɚˈeɪ.ʃən/, centenary /sɛnˈtɛnəɹi/, levitation /ˌlɛvɪˈteɪʃən/, liberally /ˈlɪb(ə)ɹəli/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/

Les sons difficiles pour les francophones :

/h/ — il se souffle, il n’est pas muet: hoist /hɔɪst/, hydraulic /haɪˈdɹɔːlɪk/, historian /hɪˈstɔɹi.ən/
/tʃ/ et /dʒ/ — à ne pas adoucir en « ch » et « j »: winch /wɪnt͡ʃ/, sketchy /ˈskɛt͡ʃi/, checkout /ˈt͡ʃɛkˌaʊt/, rigid /ˈɹɪd͡ʒ.ɪd/, attach /əˈtæt͡ʃ/
/r/ anglais — langue recourbée, sans frotter la gorge: playground /ˈpleɪɡɹaʊnd/, prototype /ˈpɹəʊtətaɪp/, rattle /ˈɹæ.təl/, waterproof /ˈwɔt̬ɚˌpruf/, replica /ˈɹɛplɪkə/

Comment s’entraîner avec cette vidéo

Écoutez la vidéo en entier une fois sans parler et notez les mots que vous ne connaissez pas.
Commencez à la vitesse 0,75×, répétez phrase par phrase, puis revenez à la vitesse normale quand cela devient facile.
Enregistrez-vous et comparez avec l’original, en faisant attention à des mots comme playground, chute, laughter.

Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?

Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.

Technique du shadowing : lire le guide complet étape par étape →

Pratique du Shadowing: This 100-year-old ride must never change again. - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

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