Shadowing Practice: Learn English Through Stories Red Roses level 0 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Red Roses by Christine Lindup Read by Eliza Foss
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Chapter 1 White Roses It's August.
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Anna is playing her guitar on the balcony of her new apartment.
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I like it here, she thinks.
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Then her phone rings.
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It's her friend, Vicki.
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I'm coming now, Anna.
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It's Grandview Apartments, Charlton, isn't it?
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That's right.
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See you soon.
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Anna takes her guitar and goes out of her apartment.
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She goes down in the elevator and goes outside.
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Anna is waiting outside the apartment building.
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A young man is walking along the street.
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He is carrying a bunch of white roses.
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Anna looks at them.
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What beautiful roses, she thinks.
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Then she looks at the young man.
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He's nice too, she thinks.
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The young man looks at her and smiles.
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And suddenly Anna's face is pink.
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Will is walking along the street when he sees a young woman with a guitar.
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Hmm, a guitar, he thinks.
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I must play my guitar more often.
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Then he looks at the young woman.
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She's nice, he thinks, and he smiles at her.
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Anna's face is pink and she looks away.
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Will goes into Grandview Apartments.
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Just then, Vicki arrives in her car.
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Hello, Anna, she says.
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Are you okay?
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Your face is a bit pink.
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What's the matter?
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Oh, uh, nothing, says Anna.
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They drive away.
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Vicki talks to Anna.
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But Anna is thinking about the young man.
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Who is he, she thinks.
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Does he live in the building?
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Who are the roses for?
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His wife?
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His girlfriend?
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His mother?
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Anna, are you listening? says Vicki.
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Oh, sorry Vicki, says Anna.
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Her face is red now.
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What are you thinking about? says Vicki.
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Tell me.
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Well, I'm thinking about a bunch of roses, says Anna, and a man.
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Aha!
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Who is he? says Vicki.
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I don't know, says Anna.
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But I want to know, she thinks.
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Will arrives at his Gran's apartment.
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Hello, dear, she says.
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Oh, you are a good boy.
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You always bring me roses. Of course, says Will.
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Gran makes Will some coffee.
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She asks him a question.
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But Will does not answer. Will, are you listening?
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You're thinking about something, aren't you?
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What is it?
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Oh, sorry, Gran.
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It's.. it's not important.
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Later, Will says goodbye to his Gran.
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Then he gets into his car and drives away.
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In the car, he thinks about the young woman with the guitar.
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Where does she live, he thinks.
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Does she live in one of the apartments?
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Or has she got a friend there?
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How can I meet her?
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Who is she?
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Five minutes later, Anna and Vicki arrive outside the apartment building.
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Good night, Vicki, says Anna.
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Quick, go inside, says Vicki.
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Just think, you walk out of the elevator, and there is a young man with a bunch of roses.
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And he says, Oh, be quiet, laughs Anna.
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See you tomorrow.
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Chapter Two Pink Roses It's September.
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Will is visiting his gran again.
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It's a lovely day, Will, she says.
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Let's have our coffee on the balcony.
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Will and his gran are sitting on the balcony in the sun,
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when suddenly Will hears a guitar.
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Listen, he says.
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That's a guitar.
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Where's it coming from?
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He stands up and looks around.
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But he cannot see the guitar.
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Excuse me, Gran, he says.
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I, er, er, back soon.
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And he runs out of the apartment.
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Will runs along the corridor.
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Where is the guitar?
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And who is playing it?
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He stops outside an apartment and listens.
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Nothing.
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Perhaps it's outside, he thinks.
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Perhaps she's on her balcony.
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So he goes down in the elevator and goes outside.
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Upstairs, Anna takes her guitar and goes inside.
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She closes the door to the balcony.
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That's it for today, she thinks.
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Will looks at all the balconies, but he cannot see or hear a guitar.
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He goes back to his Gran's apartment.
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Are you all right, dear? she says.
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Yes, thanks, Gran, says Will.
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It's just, oh, it's not important.
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Well, it is important, but...
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And Will tells Gran about the girl with the guitar.
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A week later, Anna is coming home.
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She can see a young man near the apartment building,
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and he is carrying a bunch of roses, pink roses today.
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But he is not looking, and he does not see her.
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Anna walks more quickly, but when she gets to the building, there is nobody there.
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She gets into the elevator.
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There is nobody in the elevator.
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But she can smell roses.
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Beautiful pink roses.
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One day, Anna comes home and finds Gran at the door of the building with a lot of bags.
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Oh, can I help you?
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she says.
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Can I carry something?
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Thank you very much, says Gran.
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At the apartment, Gran says, Come in, dear.
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Would you like some coffee?
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Oh, that's very nice of you, says Anna.
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I'm new here, and I don't know anybody in the building.
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What do you do? asks Gran.
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I'm a music student, says Anna.
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Gran brings some coffee into the room.
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These are lovely apartments, aren't they? says Anna.
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Oh yes, says Gran.
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I like it here very much.
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She tells Anna about her apartment and about Charlton.
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Later, Anna gets up.
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I must go now, she says.
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Thank you for the coffee.
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Goodbye, dear, says Gran.
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And Anna goes out.
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What a nice girl, Gran thinks.
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But just a minute.
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A music student.
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Perhaps she's the girl with the guitar.
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I can ask her over one day when Will comes.
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No, I can't.
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I don't know the number of her apartment.
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Later that week, Vicki talks to Anna.
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I'm having a party on Saturday, she says.
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Can you come?
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Yes, Yes, of course, says Anna.
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Your parties are always wonderful.
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Vicki calls her brother.
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Come to my party on Saturday, James, she says, and bring some friends.
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On Saturday, James and his friends arrive at Vicki's house.
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Hi, Vicki, says James.
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Meet my friends.
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This is Tom and Daniel and Will.
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Just then, Vicki's phone rings.
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I'm sorry, Vicki, says Anna.
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I can't come to your party because I'm not feeling well.
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Oh, Anna, I'm sorry too, says Vicki.
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Well, stay in bed and get better soon.
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Vicki's party is wonderful.
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Will meets Natalie and Jane and Katie.
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But he does not meet Anna.
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Chapter 3 Red Roses Now it's October.
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Will visits his gran, but he does not see Anna.
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He walks along the corridor, but he does not hear a guitar.
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Where is she, he thinks.
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Anna visits her family for a week.
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Then she comes back to her apartment.
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She looks for Will, but she does not see him.
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There are lots of men, says Vicki, but Anna cannot forget Will.
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Then Gran goes to hospital for two weeks.
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One day Will visits her there.
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How are you today, Gran? he asks.
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Very well, thank you, dear.
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I'm going home on Friday.
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That's good, says Will.
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Perhaps I can get some things for you on Thursday and take them to the apartment.
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That's very nice of you, Will, says Gran.
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After work on Thursday, Will goes to the shops and gets some things for Gran.
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He gets some roses, too.
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And he puts everything in his car.
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Suddenly it begins to rain.
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Will is getting into his car when he sees his friend, Tom.
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Where are you going, Tom?
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Says Will.
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Home, to Eastfield.
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I'm going to my gran's apartment in Charlton, so I can take you to Eastfield first.
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Can you take my friend Anna, too?
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She's going to Charlton.
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Yes, of course, says Will.
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Tom and Anna get into Will's car.
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Thanks, Will, says Tom.
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It's not a very nice night.
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That's all right, Tom, says Will.
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He drives Tom home.
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And then he says to Anna, Where are you going, Anna?
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I'm going to Grandview Apartments.
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It's on Park Road.
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That's funny, says Will.
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I'm going to Grandview Apartments. Is it her?
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He thinks.
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The girl with the guitar?
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He looks in the mirror.
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but he can't see her face very well.
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Can I smell roses? thinks Anna.
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Is it him, the man with the roses?
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Then they are outside the apartment building.
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They get out of the car, and then they begin to talk at the same time.
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Oh, it's you.
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You play the guitar.
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And you come here with roses.
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Yes, I always bring roses to my gran.
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His gran? thinks Anna.
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Not his wife, not his girlfriend.
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She's coming home from hospital tomorrow,
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so I'm taking some things to her apartment, says Will.
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Can I.. would you like some help?" says Anna.
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Yes, please, says Will.
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They go up to Gran's apartment.
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Will puts things away, and Anna puts the roses in a vase.
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There!
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Aren't they lovely, she says.
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I like roses.
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They They smell wonderful.
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Thank you for your help, Anna, says Will.
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That's all right, Anna says.
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Look, would you like to come up to my apartment for coffee?
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I'd like to very much, says Will.
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He smiles.
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And she smiles.
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They go upstairs.
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On Friday, Gran comes home.
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Will goes to see her.
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He is carrying a bunch of red roses.
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That's a big smile, Will, says Gran.
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Red roses.
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Don't they say red roses for love?
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Well, Gran, says Will.
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Ten minutes later, Will comes out of Gran's apartment and goes upstairs.
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He's carrying a bunch of red roses.
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Gran goes out onto the balcony and sits down in the sun.
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She can hear a guitar.
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Then it stops.
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Gran hears Will's voice and Anna's voice.
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Then Anna laughs.
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Gran smiles.
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She can smell roses, beautiful red roses,
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in the sun outside on a balcony.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Learn English Through Stories Red Roses level 0”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Anna, gran, roses, apartment, guitar. This video has 252 sentences and 1615 words to shadow. The speech runs for 20:28. The speaker talks slowly, about 79 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 39 of its 252 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| guitar noun | /ɡɪˈtɑɹ/ | A stringed musical instrument, of European origin, usually with a fretted fingerboard and six strings, played with the fingers or a plectrum (guitar pick). |
| balcony noun | /ˈbælkəni/ | An accessible structure extending from a building, especially outside a window. |
| elevator noun | /ˈɛləˌveɪtɚ/ | Anything that raises or uplifts. |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| upstairs adverb | /ˌʌpˈstɛɹz/ | Up the stairs; on or to a higher floor or level. |
| goodbye | /ɡʊdˈbaɪ/ | Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing. |
| corridor noun | /ˈkɒɹɪdɔː/ | A narrow hall or passage with rooms leading off it, as in a building or in a railway carriage. |
| mirror noun | /ˈmiɹɚ/ | A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it. |
| vase noun | /veɪ̯s/ | An upright open container used mainly for displaying fresh, dried, or artificial flowers. |
| gran noun | /ɡɹæn/ | A grandmother. |
| apartment noun | /əˈpɑɹt.mənt/ | A complete domicile occupying only part of a building, especially one for rent; a flat. |
| smile verb | /ˈsmaɪl/ | To have (a smile) on one's face. |
| bunch noun | /bʌnt͡ʃ/ | A group of similar things, either growing together, or in a cluster or clump, usually fastened together. |
| pink noun | /ˈpɪŋk/ | A color reminiscent of pinks, the flowers. |
| smell verb | /smɛl/ | To sense a smell or smells. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| drive away verb | To force someone or something to leave |
| come up to verb | To approach. |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. |
| look around verb | To inspect a building or area. |
| look away verb | To ignore something; to pretend not to have seen or noticed something; to avoid dealing with something. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What are you thinking about?
- You're thinking about something, aren't you?
- How can I meet her?
- Are you all right, dear?
- Would you like some coffee?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | is playing · I'm coming · is waiting |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | Will is · Will goes · Will arrives |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | must play · must go |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 26 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, aren't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: elevator /ˈɛləˌveɪtɚ/, anybody /ˈɛn.i.bə.di/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like guitar, balcony, elevator.
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.