Shadowing Practice: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Chapter 2 Audiobook - Learn English Speaking with Video

Kies een oefenmodus

Elke modus opent een volledig scherm oefenruimte.

169 zinnen

Als zinnen te kort of te lang zijn, klik op Bewerken om ze aan te passen.

This is a TLC recording.

All TLC recordings are in the public domain.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

Chapter 2.

We were brought up together.

There was not quite a year difference in our ages.

I need not say that we were strangers to any species of disunion or dispute.

Harmony was the soul of our companionship, and the diversity and contrast that subsisted in our characters drew us nearer together.

Elizabeth was of a calmer and more concentrated disposition, but, with all my ardor, I was capable of a more intense application,

and was more deeply smitten with the thirst of knowledge.

She busied herself with following the aerial creations of the poets and in the majestic wondrous scenes which surrounded our Swiss home,

the sublime shapes of the mountains, the changes of the seasons, tempest and calm, the silence of the winter,

and the life and turbulence of our alpine summers.

She found ample scope for admiration and delight.

While my companion contemplated with a serious and satisfied spirit the magnificent appearances of things,

I delighted in investigating their causes.

The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine.

Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature,

gladness akin to rapture as they were unfolded to me are among the earliest sensations I can remember.

On the birth of a second son, my junior by seven years,

my parents gave up entirely their wandering life and fixed themselves in their native country.

We possessed a house in Geneva and a champagne on Berrive, the eastern shore of the lake,

at the distance of rather more than a league from the city.

We resided principally in the latter, and the lives of my parents were passed in considerable seclusion.

It was my temper to avoid a crowd and to attach myself fervently to a few.

I was indifferent, therefore, to my school fellows in general, but I united myself in the bonds of the closest friendship to one among them.

Henry Clerval was the son of a merchant of Geneva.

He was a boy of singular talent and fancy.

He loved enterprise, hardship, and even danger for its own sake he was deeply read in books of chivalry

and romance he composed heroic songs and began to write many a tale of enchantment

and nightly adventure he tried to make us act plays

and to enter into masquerades in

which the characters were drawn from the heroes of roncesvalles of the round table of king arthur

and the chivalrous train who shed their blood to redeem the holy sepulchre from the hands of the infidels.

No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself.

My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence.

We felt that they were not the tyrants to rule our lot according to the caprice,

but the agents and creators of all the many delights which we enjoyed.

When I mingled with other families, I distinctly discerned how peculiarly fortunate my love was,

and gratitude assisted the development of filial love.

My temper was sometimes violent, and my passions vehement, but by some law in my temperature,

they were turned, not towards childish pursuits, but to an eager desire to learn, and not to learn all things indiscriminately discriminately.

I confess

that neither the structure of languages nor the code of governments nor the politics of various states possessed attractions for me.

It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn, and whether it was the outward substance of things

or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical,

or, in its highest sense, the physical secrets of the world.

Meanwhile, Clerval occupied himself, so to speak, with the moral relations of things.

The busy stage of life, the virtues of heroes, and the actions of men were his theme,

and his hope and his dream was to become one among those whose names are recorded in story,

as the gallant and adventurous benefactors of our species.

The saintly soul of Elizabeth shone like a shrine dedicated lamp in our peaceful home.

Her sympathy was ours.

Her smile, her soft voice, the sweet glance of her celestial eyes were never there to bless and animate us.

Were ever there to bless and animate us.

She was the living spirit of love to soften and attract.

I might have become sullen in my study, rough through the ardor of my nature,

but that she was there to subdue me to a semblance of her own gentleness

and Clerval could aught ill entrench on the noble spirit of Clerval yet he might not have been

so perfectly humane so thoughtful in his generosity so full of kindness

and tenderness amidst his passion for adventurous exploit had she not

unfolded to him the real loveliness of beneficence had she not unfolded to him the real loveliness of his beneficence

and made the doing good the end and aim of his soaring ambition.

I feel exquisite pleasure in dwelling on the recollections of childhood,

before misfortune had tainted my mind and changed its bright visions of extensive usefulness into gloomy and narrow reflections upon itself.

Besides, in drawing the picture of my early days, I also record those events which led,

by insensible steps to my after tale of misery for

when I would account to myself for the birth of

that passion which afterwards ruled my destiny I find it arise like a mountain river from ignoble

and almost forgotten sources but swelling as it proceeded it became the torrent

which in its course had swept away all my hopes and joys.

Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate.

I desire, therefore, in this narration to state those facts which led to my predilection for that science.

When I was 13 years of age, we all went on a party of pleasure to the baths near Tonin.

The inclemency of the weather obliged us to remain a day confined to the inn.

In this house, I chanced to find a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa.

I opened it with apathy.

The theory which he attempts to demonstrate, and the wonderful facts which he relates, soon changed this feeling into enthusiasm.

A new light seemed to dawn upon my mind, and bounding with joy, I communicated my discovery to my father.

My father looked carelessly at the title page of my book and said, Ah, Cornelius Agrippa, my dear

Victor, do not waste your time upon this.

It is sad truth.

If, instead of this remark, my father had taken the pains to explain to me that the principles of Agrippa had been entirely exploded,

and that a modern system of science had been introduced, which possessed much greater powers than the ancient,

because the powers of the latter were chimerical

while those of the former were real

and practical under such circumstances i should certainly have thrown agrippa aside

and have contented my imagination warmed as it was by returning with greater ardor to my former studies

it is even possible that the train of my ideas would never have received the fatal impulse

that led to my ruin

but the cursory glance my father had taken of my volume by no means assured me

that he was acquainted with its contents, and I continued to read with the greatest avidity.

When I returned home, my first care was to procure the whole works of this author,

and the afterwords of Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus.

I read and studied the wild fancies of these writers with delight.

They appeared to me treasures known to few beside myself.

I've described myself as always having been imbued with a fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature.

In spite of the intense labor and wonderful discoveries of modern philosophers, I always came from my studies discontented and unsatisfied.

Sir Isaac Newton is said to have avowed

100

that he felt like a child picking up shells beside the great and unexplored ocean of truth,

101

those of his successors in which each branch of natural philosophy with whom I was acquainted appeared, even to my boy's apprehensions,

102

as Tyros engaged in the same pursuit.

103

The untaught peasant beheld the elements around him, and was acquainted with their practical uses the most learned philosopher knew little more

104

he had partially unveiled the face of nature

105

but her immortal lineaments were still a wonder and a mystery he might dissect

106

anatomize and give names but not to speak of a final cause causes in their secondary

107

and tertiary grades were utterly unknown to him i had gazed upon the fortifications

108

and impediments that seemed to keep human beings from entering the citadel of nature and rashly and ignorantly I had repined.

109

But here were books, and here were men who had penetrated deeper and knew more.

110

I took their word for all they averred, and I became their disciple.

111

It may appear strange that such should arise in the 18th century, but while I followed the routine of education in the schools of Geneva,

112

I was, to a great degree, self -taught with regard to my favorite studies.

113

My father was not scientific, and I was left to struggle with a child's blindness added to a student's thirst for knowledge.

114

Under the guidance of my new preceptors,

115

I entered with the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life,

116

but the latter soon obtained my undivided attention.

117

Wealth was an inferior object, but what glory would attend the discovery

118

if I could banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death.

119

Nor were these my only visions.

120

The raising of ghosts or devils was a promise liberally accorded by my favorite authors, the fulfillment of which I most eagerly sought,

121

and if my incantations were always unsuccessful I attributed the failure rather to my own inexperience

122

and mistake than to a want of skill or fidelity in my instructors

123

and thus for a time I was occupied by exploded systems mingling like an unadept a thousand contradictory theories

124

and floundering desperately in a very slew of multifarious knowledge guided by an ardent imagination

125

and childish reasoning till an accident again changed the current of my ideas

126

when I was 15 years old we had retired to our house near

127

Belle Rive when we witnessed a most violent

128

and terrible thunderstorm it advanced from behind the mountains of Jura

129

and the thunder burst at once with frightful loudness from various quarters of the heavens i remained

130

while the storm lasted watching its progress with curiosity

131

and delight as i stood at the door on a sudden

132

i beheld a stream of fire issue from an old

133

and beautiful oak which stood about 20 yards from our house

134

and so soon as the dazzling light vanished the oak had disappeared and nothing remained but a blasted stump.

135

When we visited it the next morning, we found the tree shattered in a singular manner.

136

It was not splintered by the shock, but entirely reduced to thin ribbons of wood.

137

I never beheld anything so utterly destroyed.

138

Before this, I was not unacquainted with the more obvious laws of electricity.

139

On this occasion, a man of great research and natural philosophy was with us, and excited by this catastrophe,

140

he entered on the explanation of a theory which he had formed on the subject of electricity and galvanism,

141

which was at once new and astonishing to me.

142

All that he said threw greatly into the shade of Cornelius Agrippa,

143

Albertus Magnus, and Paracelsus, the lords of my imagination, but by some vitality the overthrow of these men

144

disinclined me to pursue my accustomed studies it seemed to me as

145

if nothing would or could ever be known all that had

146

so long engaged my attention suddenly grew despicable by one of those caprices of the mind

147

which we are perhaps most subject to in early youth

148

i at once gave up my former occupations set down natural history

149

and all its progeny as a deformed and abortive creation

150

and entertain the greatest disdain for a would -be science which could never even step within the threshold of real knowledge.

151

In this mood of mind I betook myself to mathematics

152

and the branches of study appertaining to that science as being built upon secure foundations and so worthy of my consideration.

153

thus strangely are our souls constructed

154

and by such slight ligaments are we bound to prosperity

155

or ruin when i look back it seems to me as

156

if this almost miraculous change of inclination

157

and will was the immediate suggestion of the guardian angel of

158

my life the last effort made by the spirit of preservation to avert the storm

159

that was even then hanging in the stars and ready to envelope me.

160

Her victory was announced by an unusual tranquility and gladness of soul,

161

which followed the relinquishing of my ancient and laterally tormenting studies.

162

It was thus that I was to be taught to associate evil with their prosecution, happiness with their disregard.

163

It was a strong effort of the spirit of good, but it was ineffectual.

164

Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction.

165

End of chapter two.

166

Click below to continue on to chapter three.

167

This has been a TLC recording.

168

Thank you for listening, and please be sure to subscribe.

169

Thank you.

App downloaden

Alles wat je nodig hebt om vloeiend te spreken

AI UitspraakScoor elke zin

IPA OefeningBeheers elk geluid

WoordenschatBouw je woordenschat op

WoordenspelLeren terwijl je speelt

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Zelfde Kanaal

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Chapter 3 Audiobook

Daily ConversationUniversity Students

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Chapter 1 Audiobook

Daily ConversationUniversity Students

FOR YOU

Aanbevolen Video

504 zinnen

Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Deze spreekles is gebaseerd op de video “Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Chapter 2 Audiobook”. Deze video bevat 169 zinnen en 2277 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 16:19. De spreker praat in een gelijkmatig tempo van ongeveer 140 woorden per minuut, prettig om te shadowen. Slechts 74% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden, dus de woordenschat is pittig.

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

15 woorden uit de video die het leren waard zijn, met uitspraak en betekenis:

Woord	Uitspraak	Betekenis
possess werkwoord	/pəˈzɛs/	bezitten
delight zelfstandig naamwoord	/dəˈlaɪt/	vreugde, plezier
violent bijvoeglijk naamwoord	/ˈvaɪ.ə.lənt/	gewelddadig, geweldig
imagination zelfstandig naamwoord	/ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/	verbeelding, fantasie
behold werkwoord	/bɪˈhəʊld/	aanschouwen
practical bijvoeglijk naamwoord	/ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/	praktisch
discovery zelfstandig naamwoord	/dɪˈskʌv.ɹi/	ontdekking, vinding
passion zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈpæʃən/	passie, hartstocht
ruin zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈɹuː.ɪn/	ruïne, bouwval
tale zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈteɪl/	vertelsel, verhaaltje
beside	/bɪˈsaɪd/	naast
kindness zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈkaɪnd.nəs/	vriendelijkheid, aardigheid
curiosity zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/	nieuwsgierigheid
arise werkwoord	/əˈɹaɪz/	ontstaan
temper zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈtɛmpɚ/	karakter, gemoed

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

Woord	Betekenis
give up werkwoord	zich overgeven
bring up werkwoord	opvoeden
look back werkwoord	achterom kijken, terugkijken
pick up werkwoord	oppakken, optillen

Grammatica in deze video

De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:

Structuur	In de video
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet	were brought · were unfolded · were passed
Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt	has regulated · have contented · I've described

Uitspraak om op te letten

De “th”-klanken: thirst /θɝst/, thin /ˈθɪn/, worthy /ˈwɝ.ði/, mathematics /mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/, thunder /ˈθʌndɚ/
De klanken “sh” en “zh”: imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/, passion /ˈpæʃən/, childish /ˈt͡ʃaɪldɪʃ/, contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/, shock /ʃɔk/
Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/, electricity /ɪˌlɛkˈtɹɪsɪti/, curiosity /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/, unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/

Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:

Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: behold /bɪˈhəʊld/, beside /bɪˈsaɪd/, arise /əˈɹaɪz/, explode /ɪkˈsploʊd/, mood /muːd/
/æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/, practical /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/, passion /ˈpæʃən/, glance /ɡlæns/, contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/
/g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: glance /ɡlæns/, singular /ˈsɪŋ.ɡjə.lɚ/, ghost /ɡoʊst/, glory /ˈɡlɔːɹi/, regard /ɹɪˈɡɑːd/

Zo oefen je met deze video

Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
Spreek zin voor zin na op normale snelheid en herhaal elke zin tot je ritme gelijk is aan dat van de spreker.
Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als possess, delight, violent.

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?

Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.

Shadowing-techniek: lees de volledige stap-voor-stap-gids →

Shadowing Practice: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Chapter 2 Audiobook - Learn English Speaking with Video

Kies een oefenmodus

App downloaden

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Chapter 3 Audiobook

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Chapter 1 Audiobook

The Great Gatsby Chapter 1 | Audiobook

FAR FROM SHORE MyView Literacy Fifth Grade Unit 2 Week 1 Read Aloud

Middlemarch by George Eliot | Brief Plot Summary

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant (Audio Book Narration in English)

The Heart Structures and Agency

Benedict Cumberbatch & Louise Brealey read letters from wartime lovers

1984 Audiobook – Part 1, Chapter 1 | George Orwell

Pride and Prejudice - Chapter 1 [Audiobook]

“You Were My Mother, Too!” | Shameless

Every monster you fear is really you