Shadowing Practice: 🐷🕷️ CHARLOTTE'S WEB Chapter 1 (Audiobook Full Text Read-along) 🕷️🐷 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

A2
A classic tale of friendship, kindness, and compassion.
⏸ Paused
120 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
A classic tale of friendship, kindness, and compassion.
2
Written by E.B.
3
White, with illustrations by Garth Williams.
4
Read by Joshua Cashel.
5
Charlotte's Web Subtitles available in the following languages.
6
Chapter 1.
7
Before Breakfast Where's Papa going with that axe?
8
said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.
9
Out to the hog house, replied Mrs. Arable.
10
Some pigs were born last night.
11
I don't see why he needs an axe, continued Fern, who was only eight.
12
Well, said her mother, one of the pigs is a runt.
13
It's very small and weak, and it'll never amount to anything.
14
So your father has decided to do away with it.
15
Do away with it, shrieked Fern.
16
You mean, kill it?
17
Just because it's smaller than the others?
18
Mrs. Arable put a pitcher of cream on the table.
19
Don't yell, Fern, she said.
20
Your father's right.
21
The pig would probably die anyway.
22
Fern pushed a chair out of the way and ran outdoors.
23
The grass was wet, and the earth smelled of springtime.
24
Fern's sneakers were sopping by the time she caught up with her father.
25
Please don't kill it, she sobbed.
26
It's unfair.
27
Mr. Arable stopped walking.
28
Fern, he said gently, you will have to learn to control yourself.
29
Control myself, yelled Fern.
30
This is a matter of life and death, and you talk about controlling myself." Tears ran down her cheeks,
31
and she took hold of the axe and tried to pull it out of her father's hand.
32
"'Fern,' said Mr. Arable, "'I know more about raising a litter of pigs than you do.
33
A weakling makes trouble.
34
Now run along.' "'But it's unfair,' cried Fern.
35
The pig couldn't help being born small, could it?
36
If I had been very small at birth, would you have killed me?" Mr. Arable smiled.
37
Certainly not, he said, looking down at his daughter with love.
38
But this is different.
39
A little girl is one thing.
40
A little runty pig is another.
41
I see no difference, replied Fern, still hanging on to the axe.
42
This is the most terrible case of injustice I ever heard of.
43
A queer look came over John Arable's face.
44
He seemed almost ready to cry himself.
45
All right, he said.
46
You go back to the house, and I'll bring the runt when I come in.
47
I'll let you start it on a bottle, like a baby.
48
Then you'll see what trouble a pig can be.
49
When Mr. Arable returned to the house half an hour later, he carried a carton under his arm.
50
Fern was upstairs changing her sneakers.
51
The kitchen table was set for breakfast and the room smelled of coffee, bacon, damp plaster, and wood smoke from the stove.
52
Put it on her chair, said Mrs. Arable.
53
Mr. Arable set the carton down at Fern's place.
54
Then he walked to the sink and washed his hands and dried them on the roller towel.
55
Fern came slowly down the stairs.
56
Her eyes were red from crying.
57
As she approached her chair, the carton wobbled, and there was a scratching noise.
58
Fern looked at her father.
59
Then she lifted the lid of the carton.
60
There, inside, looking up at her, There was the new-born pig.
61
It was a white one.
62
The morning light shone through its ears, turning them pink.
63
He's yours, said Mr. Arable, saved from an untimely death,
64
and may the good Lord forgive me for this foolishness.
65
Fern couldn't take her eyes off the tiny pig.
66
Oh, she whispered.
67
Oh, look at him.
68
He's absolutely perfect.
69
She closed the carton carefully.
70
First, she kissed her father.
71
Then she kissed her mother.
72
Then she opened the lid again, lifted the pig out, and held it against her cheek.
73
At this moment, her brother Avery came into the room.
74
Avery was ten.
75
He was heavily armed, an air rifle in one hand, a wooden dagger in the other.
76
What's that? he demanded.
77
What's Fern got?
78
She's got a guest for breakfast, said Mrs. Arable.
79
Wash your hands and face, Avery.
80
Let's see it, said Avery, setting his gun down.
81
You call that miserable thing a pig?
82
That's a fine specimen of a pig.
83
It's no bigger than a white rat.
84
Wash up and eat your breakfast, Avery, said his mother.
85
The school bus will be along in half an hour.
86
Can I have a pig too, Pop? asked Avery.
87
No, I only distribute pigs to early risers, said Mr. Arable.
88
Fern was up at daylight trying to rid the world of injustice.
89
As a result, she now has a pig.
90
A small one, to be sure, but nevertheless, a pig.
91
It just shows what can happen if a person gets out of bed promptly.
92
Let's eat.
93
But Fern couldn't eat until her pig had had a drink of milk.
94
Mrs. Arable found a baby's nursing bottle and a rubber nipple.
95
She poured warm milk into the bottle, fitted the nipple over the top, and handed it to Fern.
96
Give him his breakfast, she said.
97
A minute later, Fern was seated on the floor in the corner of the kitchen with her infant between her knees, teaching it to suck from the bottle.
98
The pig, although tiny, had a good appetite and caught on quickly.
99
The school bus honked from the road.
100
Run, commanded Mrs. Arable, taking the pig from Fern and slipping a donut into her hand.
101
Avery grabbed his gun and another donut.
102
The children ran out to the road and climbed into the bus.
103
Fern took no notice of the others in the bus.
104
She just sat and stared out of the window,
105
thinking what a blissful world it was and how lucky she was to have entire charge of a pig.
106
By the time the bus reached school, Fern had named her pet, selecting the most beautiful name she could think of.
107
Its name is Wilbur, she whispered to herself.
108
She was still thinking about the pig when the teacher said, Fern, what is the capital of Pennsylvania?
109
Wilbur, replied Fern dreamily.
110
The pupils giggled.
111
Fern blushed.
112
Hey there, my name is Josh Cashel.
113
I am the creator of this channel, Inglés Esencial, and I hope you enjoyed the video that you just saw.
114
And if you could, take a moment to click the like button or possibly subscribe.
115
Any support that you provide this channel goes a long way in helping me to continue creating the amazing,
116
outstanding, unique, marvelous, unparalleled, if I may use that adjective,
117
content that you just saw.
118
So please take one moment, like and subscribe, and I will see you in the next video.
119
Bye-bye.
120
you

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Scan To Download
Scan To Download
Download on theApp Store
Get it onGoogle Play

Why practice speaking with this video?

The first chapter of Charlotte's Web immerses listeners in a powerful story about friendship and compassion, making it an excellent choice for English learners looking to practice their speaking skills. By utilizing the shadowing technique, you can enhance your IELTS speaking practice in a context that combines emotional depth with practical language use. As you follow along, replicate the speaker's intonation and pacing, which will help you develop a more fluid and natural sounding English.

Engaging with a story also allows you to connect emotionally with the language, making it easier to remember phrases and vocabulary. Furthermore, practicing with such content enables you to understand conversational English better, uncovering nuances that formal study might overlook.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In this chapter, several key structures and expressions can be identified that can help elevate your speaking skills:

  • Direct Speech: The use of dialogue to convey emotions and relationships is prevalent. Phrases like “Please don’t kill it” not only express urgency but also demonstrate how to convey strong messages effectively.
  • Conditional Sentences: The construction “If I had been very small at birth, would you have killed me?” showcases the second conditional, useful for discussing hypothetical situations.
  • Adverbs of Manner: Words like "gently" and "very" enhance the meaning of verbs, providing clarity on how actions are performed. Users can practice incorporating such adverbs in their speech to add depth to their descriptions.
  • Descriptive Phrases: The transcript includes phrases such as “a weakling makes trouble,” which serve to describe circumstances succinctly while conveying opinions. This approach is vital for expressing ideas effectively in conversation.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you work through this engaging narrative, some tricky words and expressions may arise that could challenge your English pronunciation. Pay close attention to:

  • Emotionally Charged Words: Terms like "unfair" and "cried" require not only pronunciation but also intonation to express feelings accurately.
  • Contractions: Words like “you’ll” and “he’d” may pose pronunciation challenges, particularly in fast speech. Practicing these can help you achieve a more natural conversational flow.
  • Linking Sounds: The phrase “would you” is often spoken quickly and can sound like “wouldja,” which is common in conversational English. Recognizing and practicing these connections will aid in improving your overall fluency.

By focusing on these aspects of pronunciation and sentence structure, learners can engage effectively with the material and bolster their speaking skills using the shadowspeak method. Enjoy the process of improving your English through storytelling, and watch as your confidence in speaking grows!

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

☕ Buy us a coffee