Shadowing Practice: 'Library Lion' read by Mindy Sterling - Learn English Speaking with Video
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185 sentences
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Hi.
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Welcome to the Screen Actors Guild Foundation Storyline Online.
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I'm Mindy Sterling and I get a great chance to share this wonderful book with you.
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I just found it recently and fell in love with it.
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It's called Library Lion, and it's written by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Kevin Hawks.
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One day, a lion came to the library.
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He walked right past the circulation desk and up into the stacks.
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Mr. McBee ran down the hall to the head librarian's office.
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Miss Merriweather, he called.
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No running, said
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Miss Merriweather without looking up.
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But there's a lion, said Mr. McBee, in the library.
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Is he breaking any rules, said Miss Merriweather.
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She was very particular about rule breaking.
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Well, no, said Mr. McBee.
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Not really.
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Hmm.
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Then leave him be.
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The lion wandered all around the library.
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He sniffed the card catalog.
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He rubbed his head against the new book collection.
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Then he padded over to the story corner and went to sleep.
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No one was sure what to do.
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There weren't any rules about lions in the library.
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Soon it was time for story hour.
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There weren't any rules about lions at story hour either.
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The story lady seemed a little nervous.
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But she read out the first book's title in a good, clear voice.
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The lion looked up.
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The story lady kept reading.
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The lion stayed for the next story.
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And the story after that, he waited for another story but the children began to walk away.
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Story hour is over, a little girl told him.
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It's time to go.
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The lion looked at the children.
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He looked at the story lady.
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He looked at the closed books.
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And then he roared very loud.
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Miss Merriweather came striding out of her office.
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Who's making that noise, she demanded.
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It's the lion, said Mr. McBee.
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Miss Merriweather marched over to the lion.
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If you cannot be quiet, you will have to leave, she said in a stern voice.
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Those are the rules.
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The lion kept roaring.
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He sounded sad.
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The little girl tugged on Miss Merriweather's dress.
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If he promises to be quiet, can he come back for story hour tomorrow?
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She asked.
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The lion stopped roaring.
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He looked at Miss Merriweather.
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Miss Merriweather looked back.
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Then she said, Yes, a nice quiet lion would certainly be allowed to come back for story hour tomorrow.
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Hooray, said the children.
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The next day the lion came back.
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You are early, said Miss Merriweather.
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Story hour is not until three o 'clock.
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The lion did not budge.
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Hmm, very well, said Miss Merriweather.
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You might as well make yourself useful.
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She sent him off to dust the encyclopedias until it was time for story hour.
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The next day, the lion came early again.
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This time, Miss Merriweather asked him to lick all the envelopes for the overdue notices.
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Soon the lion began doing things without being asked.
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He dusted the encyclopedias.
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He licked the envelopes.
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He let small children stand on his back to reach books on the highest shelves.
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Then he curled up in the story corner to wait for story hour to begin.
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At first, the people in the library were nervous about the lion, but soon they got used to having him around.
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In fact, he seemed very well suited for the library.
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His big feet were quiet on the library floor.
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He made a comfy back rest for the children at story hour, and he never roared in the library anymore.
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What a helpful lion, people said.
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They patted his soft head as he walked by.
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How did we ever get along without him?
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Mr. McBee scowled when he heard that.
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They had always gotten along fine before.
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No lions were needed.
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Lions, he thought, could not understand rules.
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They did not belong in the library.
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One day, after he dusted all the encyclopedias and licked all the envelopes and helped all the small children,
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the lion padded down the hall to Miss Meriwether's office to see what else there was to do.
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There was still some time left before story hour.
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Hello, lion, said Miss Merriweather.
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I know something you could do.
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You can bring a book back into the stacks for me.
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Let me just get it down from the shelf.
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Miss Merriweather stepped up onto the step stool.
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The book was just out of reach.
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Miss Merriweather stood on her toes.
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She stretched out her fingers.
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Almost there, she said.
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Then Miss Merriweather stretched a little too far.
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Ouch, said Miss Merriweather softly.
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She did not get up.
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Mr. McBee, she called for a minute.
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Mr. McBee.
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But Mr. McBee was at the circulation desk.
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He could not hear her calling.
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Lion, said Miss Merriweather.
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Please go get Mr. McBee.
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The lion ran down the hall.
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No running, Miss Merriweather called after him.
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The lion put his big front paws up on the circulation desk and looked at Mr. McBee.
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Go away, lion, said Mr. McBee.
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I'm busy.
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The lion whined.
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He pointed his nose down the hall toward
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Miss Merriweather's office.
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Mr. McBee ignored him.
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Finally, the lion did the only thing that he could think of doing.
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He looked Mr. McBee right in the eye.
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Then he opened his mouth very wide, and he roared the loudest roar he had ever roared in his life.
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Mr. McBee gasped.
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You're not being quiet, he said to the lion.
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You're breaking the rules.
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Mr. McBee walked down the hall as fast as he could.
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The lion did not follow him.
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He had broken the rules.
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He knew what that meant.
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He hung his head and walked toward the doors.
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Mr. McBee did not notice.
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Miss Merriweather, he called as he walked.
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Miss Merriweather, the lion broke the rules.
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The lion broke the rules.
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He burst into Miss Merriweather's office.
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She was not in her chair.
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Miss Merriweather?
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He asked.
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Sometimes, said Miss Merriweather from the floor behind her desk, there is good reason to break the rules, even in the library.
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Now, please, go call a doctor.
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I think I've broken my arm.
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Mr. McBee ran to call a doctor.
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No running, said Miss Merriweather calling after him.
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The next day, things were back to normal.
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Almost.
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Miss Merriweather's left arm was in a cast.
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The doctor had told her not to work too hard.
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I will have my lion to help me, Miss Merriweather thought.
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But the lion did not come to the library that morning.
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At three o 'clock, Miss Merriweather walked over to the story corner.
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The story lady was just beginning a story for the children.
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The lion was not there.
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People in the library kept looking up from their books and computer screens, hoping they would see a familiar furry face.
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But the lion did not come that day.
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The lion did not come the next day either, or the day after that.
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One evening, Mr. McBee stopped by Miss Merriweather's office on his way out.
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Can I do anything for you before I go, Miss Merriweather?
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He asked her.
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No, thank you, said Miss Merriweather.
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She was looking out the window.
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Her voice was very quiet, even for the library.
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Mr. McBee frowned as he walked away.
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He thought there probably was something he could do for Miss Merriweather after all.
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Mr. McBee left the library, but he did not go home.
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He walked around the neighborhood.
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He looked under cars.
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He looked behind bushes.
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He looked in backyards and trash cans and tree houses.
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Finally, he circled all the way back to the library.
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The lion was sitting outside, looking in through the glass doors.
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Hello, lion, said Mr. McBee.
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The lion did not turn around.
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I thought you might like to know, said Mr. McBee, that there's a new rule at the library.
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No roaring allowed, unless you have a very good reason.
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Say, if you're trying to help a friend who's been hurt, for example.
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The lion's ears twitched.
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He turned around.
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But Mr. McBee is already walking away.
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The next day, Mr. McBee walked down the hall to Miss Merriweather's office.
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What is it, Mr. McBee? asked
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Miss Merriweather in her new, sad, quiet voice.
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I thought you might like to know, said Mr. McBee, that there's a lion in the library.
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Miss Merriweather jumped up from her chair and ran down the hall.
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Mr. McBee smiled.
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No running, he called after her.
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Miss Merriweather didn't listen.
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Sometimes there was a good reason to break the rules, even in the library.
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Oh, I love this book.
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And there are so many other books just like this
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and other types of stories with other kinds of animals in the library.
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And it's so easy to just go there and check out a book or read a book in the library.
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And they even have people that will tell stories, so check that out.
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Well, hopefully I'll see you in the library someday.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “'Library Lion' read by Mindy Sterling”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: lion, Miss, Merriweather, Mcbee, library. This video has 185 sentences and 1501 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:58. The speaker talks at a steady 126 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lion noun | /ˈlaɪən/ | A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly much of Europe. |
| roar verb | /ˈɹoɹ/ | To make a loud, deep cry, especially from pain, anger, or other strong emotion. |
| desk noun | /dɛsk/ | A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a… |
| dust noun | /dʌst/ | Fine, dry particles of matter found in the air and covering the surface of objects, typically consisting of soil lifted up by the wind, pollen, hair, fiber… |
| circulation noun | /ˌsɝkjʊˈleɪʃən/ | The act of moving in a circle, or in a course which brings the moving body to the place where its motion began. |
| envelope noun | /ˈɛnvə(ˌ)loʊp/ | A paper or cardboard wrapper used to enclose small, flat items, especially letters, for mailing. |
| lick verb | /lɪk/ | To stroke with the tongue. |
| encyclopedia noun | /ɪnˌsaɪkləˈpidi.ə/ | A comprehensive reference work (often spanning several printed volumes) with articles (usually arranged in alphabetical order, or sometimes arranged by… |
| clock noun | /klɑk/ | A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day. |
| stretch verb | /stɹɛt͡ʃ/ | To lengthen by pulling. |
| stack noun | /stæk/ | A large pile of hay, grain, straw, or the like, larger at the bottom than the top, sometimes covered with thatch. |
| shelf noun | /ʃɛlf/ | A flat, rigid structure, fixed at right angles to a wall or forming a part of a cabinet, desk, etc., and used to display, store, or support objects. |
| pad noun | /pæd/ | A flattened mass of anything soft, to sit or lie on. |
| finger noun | /ˈfɪŋɡɚ/ | A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other… |
| ignore verb | /ɪɡˈnɔː/ | To deliberately not listen or pay attention to. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| run down verb | To hit someone with a car or other vehicle and injure or kill them. | |
| walk away verb | To withdraw from a problematic situation. | |
| get along verb | To interact or coexist well, without argument or trouble. | |
| look up verb | /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ | To have better prospects. |
| turn around verb | To physically rotate (usually around a vertical axis) for a half turn (180 degrees), a whole turn (360 degrees), or an indefinite amount. | |
| walk down verb | To continually advance (on an opponent) and punch (the opponent) in order to control the fight and dominate the opponent, while shrugging off the opponent's… | |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How did we ever get along without him?
- You're not being quiet, he said to the lion.
- I think I've broken my arm.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be allowed · being asked · were needed |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've broken · who's been hurt |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | kept reading · kept roaring · stopped roaring |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was just beginning · was looking · was sitting |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, weren't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: circulation /ˌsɝkjʊˈleɪʃən/, shelf /ʃɛlf/, trash /tɹæʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: circulation /ˌsɝkjʊˈleɪʃən/, encyclopedia /ɪnˌsaɪkləˈpidi.ə/
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 lion, roar, desk.
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.