Shadowing Practice: Lisa's Song | Human Interest | Dominoes Quick Starter - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Chapter 1.
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Al's First Love Al Brown is 13.
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He lives with his parents in a little house.
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It's in Nottingham in England.
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The family are happy, but they have not got much money, so life is not easy.
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When our story begins, Mrs Brown is expecting a baby.
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Al is waiting excitedly for his new little brother or sister.
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Al's first love is music.
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He can play the guitar very well.
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He is in a band, Fast Cars, with three of his friends.
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They are Emma, Mick and Ben.
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Ben and Al play the guitars in the band.
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Emma sings, and Mick plays the drums.
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Al writes songs for the band.
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They play at Ben's house.
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Al's parents often come and listen to them.
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They are good friends with Ben's parents.
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Our boy can't live without his music, Al's parents tell everyone.
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Chapter 2
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one morning mrs brown does not feel well the baby's coming she says but it's six weeks early
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mr brown cries yes i know but please take me to the hospital this baby can't wait
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mrs brown is right after six hours lisa arrives
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she is beautiful but she is very little she must stay in hospital for two weeks
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when lisa comes home life is not the same the baby cries a lot and she doesn't eat much
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is the little girl all right everyone is tired when al tries to play his guitar his mother says
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lisa's sleeping mr brown says
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you must help more in the house al your mother's very tired al tries to help
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but he is tired too he can't concentrate at school
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and he forgets to do his homework one day
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al visits his grandfather jack brown the old man lives alone al says
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Mum and Dad never listen to me now.
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They're always with Lisa.
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A new baby is a lot of work, Jack says.
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You must understand that, Al.
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But what about you?
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Are you writing any new songs?
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You're a good songwriter.
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Al says nothing to his grandfather he has no time for the band these days when Jack is alone
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He takes out an old photograph.
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He looks at it.
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It is a picture of his sister Alice.
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Life's short, Al, he says quietly.
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Be good to your sister.
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You're older, but you don't always know best.
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Chapter 3 Al's Angry Friends
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Al's friends are waiting for him at Ben's house
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Al is late again
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Where is he?
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Emma asks We can't begin playing without him
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He's always late these days, Ben says angrily, and he can't concentrate.
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Let's look for a different guitar player.
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My brother wants to be in the band.
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You're right, says Mick.
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Let's find someone new.
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Emma does not want to lose Al
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she calls him on her mobile phone where are you we're waiting for you get here fast
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and say sorry then perhaps we can forget these last weeks but you must
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Just change, Al.
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You must give more time to the band.
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Al is in an internet cafe.
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He is trying to do his homework.
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Emma, things aren't easy for me these days.
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I can't work at home.
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Lisa's always crying my parents are always with her they tell me do this do
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that now you're doing the same leave me alone
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and he stops the call and puts the phone down emma is very angry i'm trying to help al
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But he's not interested, she thinks.
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She quickly sends him a phone message.
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Fast Cars is looking for a new guitar player.
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Don't worry about us.
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We don't need you anymore, Al.
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Goodbye.
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Al tries to phone
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Emma, but she doesn't answer.
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how does he feel bad he does not want to lose his friends and he loves playing in the band
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but what can he do now just then his phone rings again this time it's his grandfather
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Chapter 4.
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Something is wrong.
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Al does not answer his mobile, and his grandfather does not leave a message for him.
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I can phone him later, Al thinks.
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When Al goes home, something is wrong.
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His mother's eyes are red, and his father's face is white.
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What's the matter?
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Al asks.
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It's your sister, Dad says.
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She's ill.
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Ill?
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Her heart isn't right, Al.
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She needs an operation, and quickly.
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Oh!
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There's more.
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It's a difficult operation.
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No hospital in England can do it.
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Lisa needs to go to the United States for it.
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I see.
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So when are you going?
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We don't know.
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The operation's expensive.
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And there are the plane tickets and the hotel too? mr brown tries to smile
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but we can find the money don't worry about it now al is very sad and alone
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lisa is very ill he knows perhaps he can phone emma
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then on his mobile he sees a message from his grandfather come
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and see me i know about lisa jack is waiting for al
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he is thinking about his sister alice dead at 13.
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suddenly al runs in
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granddad what can we do where can we find the money for lisa's operation take
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it easy al says granddad
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i've got an idea tell your friends in the band write a song for lisa A song for Lisa.
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How can that help?
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Trust me, Al.
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It can.
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Go home now and write your song.
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Chapter 5
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Back home.
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Al talks to his parents.
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I want to write a song for Lisa.
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I want to tell everyone about her.
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Mr and Mrs Brown smile.
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What a nice idea, his mum says.
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Thanks, Al.
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Al phones his friends.
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He meets them at Ben's house.
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He says sorry.
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Then he tells them all about Lisa and the song.
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Emma looks at Mick and Ben.
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What do you think, boys?
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Can Al come back to the band now?
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she asks Yes, Ben laughs
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We need him
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My brother can't play the guitar at all
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And he can't write songs
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Mick says I've got an idea
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Emma says We can play
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Al's new song at our gig.
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What gig?
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Al asks.
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The gig for Lisa, Emma says.
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People can pay at the door.
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With their help, Lisa can have her operation.
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Good idea, Ben cries excitedly.
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Let's tell people about it on our website.
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So Mick puts the day and time of their next gig up on the band's website.
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Two weeks later, after lots of work, the band plays at Al's school.
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Al's family and friends are there.
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Late in the evening, Al sings Lisa's song.
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Some people from the radio are there too
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They record the song
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Let's sing for Lisa and her life
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The future's in her eyes of blue A bright tomorrow's in her smile
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So let's all help
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Let those times come true.
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Next day, Al and his friends look at the money from the gig.
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How much is there?
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Can Lisa have her operation now?
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we need more money al says
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then let's put lisa's song on our website ben cries people can pay for it
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and download it people hear about lisa's song on the radio they pay
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and download it from the website soon al's family have the money for america at the airport al
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and his grandfather say goodbye good luck al calls to his parents and lisa suddenly
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Jack remembers a night in 1941 his mother is dead his father is away at the war
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he is the man of the house
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now night after night planes drop their bombs on
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their town people are afraid his sister Alice wants to sing
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and dance and forget the war he hears her words that night and his answer please can I go out
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Jack I want to sing at the concert my friends are waiting no Alice
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you're 13 you must stay at home later he is working at the hospital
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bombs are dropping the sky is red then someone says
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Jack there's a bomb in your street your house is on fire Alice
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he cries he runs home but he can do nothing he never sees Alice again
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what's the matter granddad
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Al asks Jack smiles at his grandson.
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He sees a lot of Alice in the boy.
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Sometimes past experience teaches you things.
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Oh, it's not important now.
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But you must write some more songs.
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When's the band's next concert.. er.. gig?
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Soon, Grandad.
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With that, grandfather and grandson leave the airport and go home.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
The speaker keeps coming back to these words: lisa, song, emma, band, brown. This video has 178 sentences and 1405 words to shadow. The speech runs for 18:55. The speaker talks slowly, about 74 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 89% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bind verb | /ˈbaɪ̯nd/ | To tie; to confine by any ligature. |
| grandfather noun | /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌfɑðɚ/ | A father of someone's parent. |
| 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). |
| goodbye | /ɡʊdˈbaɪ/ | Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing. |
| homework noun | /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ | Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class. |
| concentrate verb | /ˈkɑn.sən.tɹeɪt/ | To bring to, or direct toward, a common center; to unite more closely; to gather into one body, mass, or force. |
| grandson noun | /ˈɡɹæn(d)sʌn/ | A son of one's child. |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| photograph noun | /ˈfoʊ.təˌɡɹæf/ | A picture created by projecting an image onto a photosensitive surface such as a chemically treated plate or film, CCD receptor, etc. |
| quietly adverb | /ˈkwaɪ.ɪt.li/ | Producing little or no noise. |
| drum noun | /ˈdɹʌm/ | A percussive musical instrument spanned with a thin covering on at least one end for striking, forming an acoustic chamber; a membranophone. |
| songwriter noun | A musician who composes songs; especially writing the song's lyrics and/or creating a melody or a tune for the song. | |
| granddad noun | grandfather | |
| excitedly adverb | In an excited manner. | |
| angrily adverb | /ˈæŋ.ɡɹə.li/ | In an angry manner; under the influence of anger. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. |
| take out verb | To remove. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Are you writing any new songs?
- You're older, but you don't always know best.
- Let's look for a different guitar player.
- Emma, things aren't easy for me these days.
- What do you think, boys?
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 expecting · is waiting · Are you writing |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | must stay · must help · must understand |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 27 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 bind, grandfather, guitar.
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.