Shadowing Practice: 'Otters vs. Badgers' read by Uzo Aduba - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Welcome to Storyline Online Brought to you by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation I'm Uzo Aduba and today I'm going to read Otters vs. Badgers written and illustrated by Anya Glazer Before our story begins, there are a few things you should know.
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Firstly, the otters live on one side of the river.
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Secondly, the badgers live on the other side of the river.
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Thirdly, and MOST importantly . . .
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OTTERS AND BADGERS DO NOT GET ALONG.
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Head otter Head badger It's just the way things had always been.
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The badgers started it!
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Tunneling under OUR land.
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Badgers and otters couldn't even share the river without a fight.
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It's the otters' fault!
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Always splashing about - we never have any peace!
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And it was only getting worse.
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So, to avoid any more trouble, the leaders decided the two groups must never meet.
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No badgers and no otters must EVER cross the river.
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Stay away! Good riddance to them.
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And that would be that.
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But our story really begins with an otter named Francie.
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The important things you need to know about Francie are: Firstly, she lives on the otter side of the river.
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Secondly, she's a little shy.
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Thirdly, and especially: she bakes the best cakes anywhere along the river.
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All the otters said so.
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This lemon meringue square is spectacular.
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Oh, but did you try last week’s caramel shortbread?
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My top cookie would be chocolate chip, then apple cinnamon . . .
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Francie was happiest dreaming up recipes, finding new flavors, tasting, and testing . . .
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. . . always in pursuit of the perfect bake.
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And one day, when she was searching for just the right ingredient for her next creation, she went a little farther . . .
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. . . than she meant to.
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HEY! Before the badgers could catch her, Francie ran back to the otter side of the river and the safety of her kitchen.
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You won’t get away with this!
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But the badgers were just a few steps behind.
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Head badger will want to know about this.
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We saw her right there!
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Ooh, a muffin!
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You know, this is pretty good!
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When the badgers turned up on the otter side, they demanded to see the otter with the muffins who had been stealing their berries.
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She was sneaking onto OUR land!
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She must pay!
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But the otters stood firm.
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Our Francie wouldn’t mean any harm.
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It must have been a mistake!
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Go back to your badger hole!
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Can anyone else smell cake?
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Meanwhile, back in her kitchen, Francie measured and mixed, and stretched and shaped.
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Because no matter what trouble might be brewing . . .
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. . . Francie always baked.
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Francie's cookies were her best yet.
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That zingy berry flavor is just divine.
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What's that extra something?
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Goodness, that was delicious.
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Hang on! These are made with OUR berries.
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Those are OUR berries, so we should get ALL the cookies.
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No way! Those are otter-made cookies.
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Well then you don't get any more berries.
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Badgers don't even eat berries! Badgers eat worms!
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WORM BREATH!
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Typical ignorant otters!
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THAT'S NOT TRUE!
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But although she never meant for her baking to start another argument . . .
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. . . unfortunately, it did.
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Giant hairy slugs!
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Lazy monochrome bears!
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Worm breath!
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Stripy-faced fur balls!
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Frog feet! Rotter otter!
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STOP! Suddenly, all eyes were on Francie.
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Why can’t we just share it all?
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And everyone listened to what she had to say.
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There’s plenty of space, and berries for all of us.
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I suppose that’s true.
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And if we all try and get along . . .
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We’ve never done that before.
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Then everyone can have cookies.
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I do want more cookies . . .
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We could give it a try?
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So now, this is where the otters AND the badgers live.
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Together. On both sides of the river.
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They still argue sometimes .
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You’re wrong!
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Digging is not better than fishing!
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Yes it is ! And I’ll tell you why . . .
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But there is one thing they ALWAYS agree on . . .
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Francie bakes the best cookies along the whole river.
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You know what I like about the book?
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I like how in the beginning the badgers and the otters think that they're so different and that they can't get along, but when they come together, they realize they have something in common and that they can live together happily.
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Thank you for watching Storyline Online.
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Make sure to check out all of our stories.
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Keep watching and keep reading.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “'Otters vs. Badgers' read by Uzo Aduba”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: otter, badger, Francie, river, cookie. This video has 88 sentences and 718 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:06. The speaker talks slowly, about 101 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 79% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| cookie noun | /ˈkʊki/ | A small, flat, baked good which is either crisp or soft but firm. |
| berry noun | /ˈbɛɹi/ | A small succulent fruit, of any one of many varieties. |
| bake verb | /beɪk/ | To cook (something) in an oven (for someone). |
| worm noun | /wɝm/ | A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm. |
| breathe verb | /bɹiːð/ | To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. |
| flavor noun | /ˈfleɪvə/ | The quality produced by the sensation of taste or, especially, of taste and smell in combined effect. |
| secondly adverb | /ˈsɛk.(ə)ndli/ | In the second place. |
| meanwhile adverb | /ˈmiːnwaɪl/ | During the time that something is happening, often specifically in a different place. |
| harm noun | /hɑːm/ | Physical injury; hurt; damage. |
| argue verb | /ˈɑɹ.ɡju/ | To show grounds for concluding (that); to indicate, imply. |
| steal verb | /stiːl/ | To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it. |
| stretch verb | /stɹɛt͡ʃ/ | To lengthen by pulling. |
| delicious adjective | /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/ | Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty. |
| chip noun | /t͡ʃɪp/ | A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material. |
| divine adjective | /dɪˈvaɪn/ | Of or pertaining to a god. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| get along verb | To interact or coexist well, without argument or trouble. | |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| come together verb | /ˈkʌm tʊˈɡɛðɚ/ | To assemble; to congregate; to combine. |
| get away with verb | To get away, or escape, taking (something) with one. | |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. | |
| stay away verb | To avoid or not go anywhere near someone or something. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Oh, but did you try last week’s caramel shortbread?
- You won’t get away with this!
- Why can’t we just share it all?
- We could give it a try?
- You know what I like about the book?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was only getting · was searching · was sneaking |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should know · should get |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the best |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | must never · must EVER · need to know |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 13 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: breathe /bɹiːð/, thirdly /ˈθɚdli/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/, splash /splæʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: importantly /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt.li/, spectacular /spɛkˈtæk.jə.lɚ/, ingredient /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/
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 cookie, berry, bake.
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.