Shadowing Practice: INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH STORY 💫 The Magical Secret✨ B1 - B2 | Level 3 - 4 | BRITISH ENGLISH SUBTITLES - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B2
Hello and welcome to Lovely English Stories.
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Hello and welcome to Lovely English Stories.
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Thank you for stopping by.
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This story is written for intermediate English learners.
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Ready?
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Let's get started.
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B1 B2 English Story.
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The Magical Secret Trixie was a special being and she had a very unusual secret.
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Not many people would believe her if she told them,
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so she kept it to herself.
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She had a talent that only her nearest and dearest knew about.
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No one else in her family had the same special skill.
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It seemed she was the only one.
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She'd only ever read about people who could do what she could do in fairy tales.
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So she knew if she ever told anyone,
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they'd think she was crazy.
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Sometimes when playing two truths and one lie with her friends,
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She would tell the truth about her secret and everyone would assume it was the lie.
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The joke was on them.
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So, what was her secret?
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She could fly.
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Yes, you may laugh.
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You may think this is all very silly.
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But it is true, I can assure you.
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Trixie was born with the ability to fly.
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You may be wondering how all this came about.
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Well, let me explain.
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Trixie was born 21 years ago.
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Her parents had longed for a child and they were finally blessed with her.
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Trixie's mother did not have a pleasant birth.
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It lasted for over two days and had many complications.
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But as soon as Trixie was born,
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a lot of it was forgotten.
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Trixie was a tiny baby with curly blonde hair.
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She had the biggest blue eyes the midwives had ever seen.
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There was something very sparkly and special about her.
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Whenever someone walked past her, they smiled.
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She had a positive aura and a loving, kind energy.
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As soon as she was able to walk and talk,
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people were drawn to her,
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but it was only when she reached her terrible twos that her special skill came to light.
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One day she was having a tantrum because she really wanted some ice cream,
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but her mum and dad wouldn't let her have any.
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She was stomping her feet, screaming and shouting.
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Luckily, they were at home in their back garden,
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so no one else was around to witness what happened next.
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As Trixie got increasingly frustrated by her lack of ice cream,
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she started to slowly lift off the grass.
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At first her parents thought they were seeing things until she reached about a metre off the ground.
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Trixie's mum ran over and grabbed her.
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She was panicked.
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What was going on?
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They both wondered if they had imagined it until it happened again two weeks later.
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Again, Trixie was having a typical two-year-old tantrum.
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This time she wanted to play with the water hose,
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but she wasn't allowed.
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As her mum watered the garden,
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Trixie got angrier, and as she did,
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her feet slowly lifted off the ground.
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As she floated higher, she started to giggle.
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Trixie's mum turned around and saw her floating about a metre above the ground again.
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She called her husband out,
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who ran over and grabbed Trixie.
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That night, when Trixie went to bed,
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they tried to work out what was going on.
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She could be possessed, said Trixie's dad.
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Don't be silly, of course she isn't.
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There has to be a logical explanation behind all this.
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The problem was, until they figured out what was going on with Trixie,
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they didn't want to send her to nursery because they didn't want other people to see her fly.
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So the next morning, Trixie's mum went to the local library
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and started doing some research while Trixie and her dad stayed at home Unfortunately,
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she didn't find anything useful about flying except lots of fairy tale stories and make-believe books
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They decided to keep Trixie's flying skills to themselves
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and hoped it wouldn't happen again because they didn't want to stop Trixie from playing with other children.
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They knew now that it only happened when Trixie wasn't in control of her emotions,
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and because she loved going to nursery,
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they hoped she'd be okay there.
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One day, when Trixie's grandmother was visiting,
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Trixie got frustrated because she wanted to play in the garden,
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but it was raining.
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Trixie's grandmother explained to her that they had to stay inside and that they could go outside once the weather was better.
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Trixie wasn't happy and started to become frustrated.
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As she did, she slowly started to lift off the ground.
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Her grandmother couldn't believe what she was seeing.
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Finally, someone else in the family had her secret talent too.
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Ever since she was a little girl,
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Trixie's grandmother had also been able to fly.
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She hoped her daughter would be the same,
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but she realised the magical secret had skipped a generation.
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That night, when Trixie's parents came home from work,
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Trixie's grandmother decided to bring up the subject of her flying.
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She was nervous.
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She thought her family might think she had turned into a crazy old lady.
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But the truth was, during the night time,
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she often flew above the woods and enjoyed feeling the wind blowing through her hair.
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Now she was glad that she might be able to teach her granddaughter a few tricks
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and tell her about the secret places where she went to fly.
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The talk with Trixie's parents went better than expected.
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Now they all knew they weren't going mad and that what they had seen was some sort of magical power.
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Trixie's grandmother made a promise to teach her all she knew about flying.
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Apparently, her mother and grandmother could also fly but it had skipped Trixie's mother.
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Trixie's dad wondered, Why does she only fly when she's frustrated?
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Because she is only a small child,
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she is going through the terrible twos and she doesn't understand her emotions properly yet.
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As she grows older, she will be able to control her flying,
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but it does take some practice.
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Over the next few years,
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Trixie went on many holidays with her grandma.
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They stayed in the family's secluded cottage in the Scottish Highlands,
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where no one else was there except them and nature.
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In the evenings, Trixie would practice flying and learning new skills from her grandmother.
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She loved those holidays and listening to her grandma's stories about how she had kept her magic secret for all her life.
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They were her most cherished memories.
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Now all Trixie had to do was keep her magic secret too.
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Sometimes it was difficult for her,
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especially when she was happy or excited and she wanted to fly around and celebrate.
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But most of all, it was difficult for her
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when she felt frustrated or angry because she wanted to fly away and get some fresh air.
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When she reached 21, Trixie decided to move to the house in the Scottish Highlands.
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She had set up her own business so she was able to work from anywhere.
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She knew she would miss her family dearly but she needed the freedom to enjoy her flying skills.
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She could work as a freelancer and spend her evenings flying and exploring the nearby lakes and rivers.
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Soon after Trixie moved to Scotland,
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her grandma sadly passed away and asked for her ashes to be scattered close to the cottage.
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Trixie never felt alone because she knew her grandmother was close by in spirit.
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Trixie was never lonely as she had such a vivid imagination and kept herself busy by gardening and looking after her cows,
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sheep and chickens.
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Now Trixie was living in a remote place she could relax and be herself without too much interruption from the outside world.
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She loved to be surrounded by nature.
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She only wished there were others like her who could soar through the skies and enjoy the world from above.
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If you could have a magical power, what would it be?
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Tell us in the comments below.
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We hope you enjoyed this lovely English story.
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Thank you for stopping by.
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Don't forget to like, subscribe and share.

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About This Lesson

This lesson is designed for intermediate English learners (B1-B2) and is based on the imaginative story of Trixie, who possesses a magical ability that allows her to fly. By engaging with this story, learners will practice their listening and speaking skills, enhance their vocabulary, and develop their comprehension abilities. The narrative presents various scenarios that can inspire discussion and practice, making it a fun and effective way to learn English with YouTube.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • special being - a unique individual with extraordinary traits
  • unusual secret - something hidden that is not common or typical
  • talent - a natural ability to do something well
  • fly - to move through the air using wings or other means
  • tantrum - an uncontrolled outburst of anger, often seen in children
  • aura - a distinctive atmosphere surrounding a person or thing
  • frustrated - feeling upset or annoyed due to inability to change or achieve something
  • sparkly - something shiny that reflects light in a dazzling way

Practice Tips

To make the most of this video and improve your English speaking practice, consider using the shadowspeak technique, which involves repeating phrases after the speaker. This method can enhance your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation. Here are some specific tips for shadowing this story:

  • Watch the video multiple times: Begin by listening to the story without pausing. Then, watch it again, focusing on specific phrases. This familiarity will help you feel more comfortable when you start shadowing.
  • Match the speed: Trixie's story is delivered at a moderate pace. Try to mimic the speaker’s speed during your practice sessions to acquire a natural flow in your speech.
  • Focus on intonation and emotion: Note the tone of the storyteller, especially during key moments in the story. Pay attention to how emotions are expressed through voice and ensure your delivery reflects similar feelings when you practice.
  • Use a shadowing app: Consider recording yourself while practicing. Compare your pronunciation and rhythm to the original to identify areas for improvement. Listening back can be a highly effective way to refine your skills.

By integrating these tips into your practice, you can effectively use this engaging story to improve your English speaking skills. Enjoy your journey into Trixie's magical world and let it inspire your speaking ability!

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.

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