Shadowing Practice: INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH STORY π A Night in A&E π B1 - B2 | Level 4 - Level 5 | BRITISH ACCENT SUBTITLES - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
B2
Hello and welcome to Lovely English Stories.
170 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Hello and welcome to Lovely English Stories.
2
Thank you for stopping by.
3
This story is written for intermediate English learners.
4
Ready?
5
Let's get started.
6
B1, B2 English Story.
7
A night in A and E.
8
Fiona had taken the week off work to redecorate her spare room Her employer had changed everyone's working arrangements
9
So they were now allowed to work 50% from home
10
and 50% from the office Fiona was overjoyed at the new contract because it meant she could get a dog
11
but it also meant she now had an excuse to redecorate her spare room and turn it into an office.
12
She opted for an accent wall of dark green,
13
some new plants and a gorgeous adjustable desk which meant she could choose to work stood up or sat down.
14
She suffered from a back complaint,
15
so this would make the world of difference to her.
16
She also bought a fluffy rug,
17
a blind for when it was sunny,
18
and some lovely drapes to hang around the window.
19
Her new office was going to be her haven.
20
Fiona had received a delivery from a local furniture shop and she had spent the morning assembling her new shelves.
21
After she'd had her lunch
22
and taken her new puppy for a walk she decided to try and mount the shelves onto her new green wall.
23
It was a big mistake.
24
She was strong enough to do it,
25
but she didn't have anything or anyone to steady her dad's old step ladders that she had borrowed.
26
As she stretched and tried to attach the shelves to the wall with her drill,
27
the small step ladder became wobbly.
28
Fiona lost her balance and fell to the floor with a bang.
29
Her new dog, Alfie, ran upstairs to check what all the noise was about.
30
Once he knew something was wrong with Fiona, he started to bark.
31
Fiona had landed awkwardly on the floor and,
32
as she was waiting for her new carpet to be delivered,
33
it meant she fell onto a hard surface and,
34
all of a sudden, she was aware of searing pain through her right leg.
35
As she tried to sit up,
36
her chronic back pain kicked in and she struggled to move.
37
She tried to calm Alfie down as he was making such a racket.
38
Fiona laid on the floor and took some deep breaths.
39
She tried to think of a plan.
40
Her dad was coming to pick up the step ladders from her,
41
but that wouldn't be for another few hours.
42
She couldn't lay there for that length of time.
43
She looked around and her phone was on the windowsill.
44
Maybe if she slowly shuffled over,
45
she could get it and call someone.
46
As Fiona concocted her plan,
47
Alfie started to get increasingly distressed again as he could see she was in pain.
48
He kept rubbing his nose into her neck and licking her face.
49
It's all right, Alfie.
50
We'll work something out.
51
Alfie ran off downstairs and continued to yelp
52
and bark at the back door Fiona looked up at her phone on the windowsill
53
and started to shuffle as slowly as she could towards it
54
She was yelping in pain She knew moving wouldn't help but she needed to get help
55
While she was slowly starting to move,
56
she heard Alfie barking louder and louder and suddenly there was a noise downstairs.
57
Fiona wondered if someone was trying to break in.
58
Then she heard the voice of her neighbour.
59
The relief flooded through her veins.
60
Thank goodness!
61
Sandra, is that you?
62
I'm up here!
63
Sandra came running up the stairs Oh bloody hell love, what's happened?
64
I knew something must be wrong because Alfie never normally barks like
65
that Good job I've still got your spare key from when you were on holiday Sandra grabbed Fiona's mobile and called 999
66
She explained that she'd had a fall and was in pain.
67
They advised her to lay flat on the floor and not move anymore.
68
It took 25 minutes for the ambulance to arrive.
69
The two paramedics assessed Fiona and then decided to move her to the ambulance on a stretcher.
70
They secured her head between two pieces of foam so she didn't move it.
71
It was difficult to try and get her out of the house,
72
but they managed it with the help of Sandra and her husband.
73
Within 20 minutes, Fiona, Sandra and the paramedics arrived at A&E.
74
The paramedics checked Fiona in with the receptionist and gave them her details.
75
They explained what had happened and what her vitals were.
76
Her blood pressure was a little low.
77
They also explained what painkillers they had given her and that she was allergic to penicillin.
78
The paramedics then took Fiona into a cubicle and Sandra went outside
79
and called Fiona's mother to tell her what had happened The A&E doctors
80
and nurses started to perform lots of tests on Fiona They concluded that she had fractured her pelvis and potentially her femur.
81
Fiona couldn't believe it.
82
She was young and healthy,
83
apart from her dodgy back.
84
This sort of thing only happened to elderly people.
85
They told her that it wasn't about the height she had fallen from,
86
but about how she had fallen on her hip.
87
They sent for the porter to take her for an MRI scan to double check
88
that she had no other breakages or any internal bleeding.
89
Fiona had never had an MRI scan before.
90
It was a whole new experience.
91
The radiographers took out her earrings as she wasn't allowed to have any metal on her body during the scan.
92
They then asked her to lay as still as possible while the scan took place.
93
It was not like Fiona had seen on the television.
94
It was incredibly loud.
95
Even the music on the nearby radio didn't drown out the sound.
96
She laid as still as she could and hoped that her injuries weren't too serious.
97
Then she started to worry about Alfie.
98
She knew Sandra and her husband would look after him while she was in the hospital,
99
but he hated to be without her.
100
She also started to worry about her parents They didn't live close by
101
And she didn't want them to travel such a long way As they were quite elderly
102
Once the scan was over Fiona was taken back down to
103
A&E Where she was monitored by the nurses Until her scan results were ready
104
The painkillers the paramedics had given her were starting to wear off.
105
She began to feel dizzy and sick.
106
She was about to ring her buzzer and ask for some assistance
107
when the doctor on duty came to see her with an orthopaedic surgeon.
108
They explained that they had analysed her scans and it was a little worse than they originally suspected.
109
Fiona had fractured her pelvis and had broken her femur.
110
On top of that, her blood test results showed that she was low in vitamin D and iron,
111
which could explain why she was feeling tired and sick lately.
112
They arranged for her to have a vitamin infusion and she was booked in to have surgery in the morning.
113
The surgeon would operate on Fiona's femur to try and align it again.
114
It would be fixed together with a small plate and some screws.
115
Fiona was in shock She was going to be like a bionic woman They told her
116
that she would need to take a couple of months off work
117
and have someone to help her around the house They explained the possible complications from the surgery such as infection
118
or blood clots but they reassured her that this was rare.
119
Fiona was most worried about Alfie but she knew that Sandra adored him and would help when she could with walking him.
120
Fiona hated relying on people.
121
If only she'd waited and got someone to help her then she wouldn't be in this position.
122
The porter took Fiona to a ward where she would stay for the next few days.
123
Her surgery was scheduled for 9am the next morning.
124
She was nil by mouth until then.
125
Even though she was in so much pain, she was starving.
126
She didn't sleep well.
127
The ward was noisy overnight,
128
with people crying out in pain,
129
and machines whirring and bleeping.
130
She felt exhausted.
131
Then, at half-past eight, a porter came to collect her and took her to the surgery.
132
A nurse explained to her what was going to happen and she signed some more forms.
133
Then she called her parents.
134
As she expected, they were incredibly worried
135
and decided they were going to come and stay with her for the next couple of weeks.
136
The time came when the anaesthetist came to put her to sleep.
137
Luckily for Fiona, the operation went better than expected and only took a couple of hours.
138
She was woken up in a little room by a nurse with a Scottish accent.
139
Then suddenly she saw the faces of her parents peering over her.
140
She drifted in and out of consciousness for the next few hours
141
and most of the day went by in a blur of nurses coming to check her blood pressure,
142
her temperature and her pain relief.
143
She couldn't believe it when,
144
the following day, the physiotherapists turned up and explained
145
that they were going to make her stand up and sit in the chair by her bed.
146
Fiona was terrified.
147
Surely they wouldn't make her move so soon.
148
But, without hesitation, they encouraged her up and out of her bed.
149
She couldn't believe she managed to do it The next day
150
they came to see her They made her walk to the end of her bed
151
and back The day after she walked to the toilet and back
152
And by the fourth day she was able to walk out of the ward And up the corridor a little bit Progress!
153
It was then that the consultant and surgeon came to see her again.
154
They were happy with her progress and she was told to get her things ready to be discharged.
155
They would write to her in the next seven days to give her details about her physio
156
and another check-up appointment in six months.
157
What a whirlwind the last few days had been
158
Fiona's mum and dad were there to help her to the car
159
and they picked up her painkillers from the pharmacy on the way out of the hospital
160
Fiona was so thankful to the staff at the hospital They all worked so hard and got little to no thanks.
161
She decided to buy them a big box of chocolates
162
and some flowers from the hospital shop
163
and asked her dad to take her back to the ward so she could thank them.
164
Fiona felt lucky to have access to the NHS.
165
Now it was time for her to go home,
166
rest and let her parents look after her for a couple of weeks
167
She hoped she wouldn't have another trip to A&E anytime soon Have you ever had to go to A&E?
168
Tell us in the comments below
169
We hope you enjoyed this lovely English story Thank you for stopping by And don't forget to like,
170
subscribe and share See you soon
Download App
AI scoring for every sentence you speak
TRENDING
Popular
About This Lesson
This lesson is designed for intermediate English learners at B1 and B2 levels. Through the story "A Night in A&E," learners will practice listening comprehension, vocabulary enrichment, and the nuances of conversational English, particularly with a British accent. The narrative follows Fiona, who experiences an accident while redecorating her home. By engaging with Fiona's story, learners will reinforce their speaking skills, enabling them to articulate their own experiences and emotions in English. Additionally, this engaging narrative will provide practical context, helping learners to connect vocabulary and expressions with real-life situations.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Redeem - to make something better by improving it or restoring it
- Chronic back pain - persistent pain in the back that lasts for a long time
- Wobbly - unsteady or shaky, often used to describe something that is not stable
- Haven - a place of safety or refuge, particularly a comfortable or enjoyable environment
- Concocted - to create or devise a plan, often involving ingenuity
- Bark - the sound a dog makes, used here to indicate concern or alertness
- Accent wall - a single wall painted a different color to create a focal point in a room
Practice Tips
To maximize your learning experience with this video, consider employing the shadowing technique. This involves listening to the story and speaking along with the narrator, mimicking their intonation, rhythm, and pronunciation. The pacing of this particular story is moderate, making it an ideal candidate for IELTS speaking practice. Hereβs how you can effectively apply shadowing:
- Use a shadowing app or site to pause the video as needed and repeat sections that are challenging. This guides your brain in processing English sounds, boosting fluency over time.
- Focus on the emotional tone of Fiona's story. Try to replicate the feelings expressed in her voice, as this adds depth to your understanding and delivery.
- Practice speaking in front of a mirror to observe your facial expressions and mouth movements. This visual feedback will help you adjust your pronunciation.
- Record your attempts and listen to your own speech. This reflective practice can highlight areas for improvement and help you track your progress.
By utilizing the shadowing technique consistently, you will not only enhance your speaking abilities but also become more confident in your English conversations. Happy practicing!
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 β like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1β2 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 β making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
β Buy us a coffee
ShadowingEnglish remains 100% free thanks to your support. Server and AI costs are high β your coffee keeps us going! π