Shadowing Practice: The School Nativity Play: He Forgot His Lines - Learn English Speaking with Video
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34 sentences
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1
Honestly, I wanted the floor to swallow me up, and I wasn't even on stage.
2
Me too, and every parent in the hall turned round to stare at us.
3
He'd been given just one line, and he'd practised it all week.
4
I know. He was still saying it in the bath last night.
5
I was looking for my gloves, so I missed the start. What happened?
6
While the other shepherds were kneeling, he was just standing there, frozen.
7
He opened his mouth, but absolutely nothing came out.
8
Oh, the poor thing! He must have been terrified when he saw all those faces.
9
By the time the teacher whispered it to him, he'd gone bright red.
10
And then he marched to the front of the stage, and everyone went quiet!
11
He announced, really loudly, that he couldn't remember his words,
12
so he'd just say Merry Christmas to everyone instead!
13
Then he bowed like a pop star, and I just couldn't stop laughing!
14
The whole hall was in stitches, even the head teacher.
15
Seriously, though, why do you think he froze like that?
16
He might have seen your mum waving at him from the front row.
17
Oh, she was waving her phone at him like mad, wasn't she?
18
Speaking of phones, did you manage to film any of it?
19
No! I wish I'd filmed it, but my phone was buried in my coat.
20
Don't worry. His teacher stopped me as we were leaving, actually.
21
Oh no. Was she cross that her big finale had been ruined?
22
Not at all! She said he'd been brilliant, and she meant it.
23
She told me it was the funniest nativity she'd seen in years!
24
Really? That's a relief, because I was dreading the next parents' evening.
25
To be fair, he kept going, and that took real courage for a six-year-old.
26
It did. He didn't burst into tears, which is what lots of kids do.
27
So what do we say to him when he gets home?
28
If he's upset, we shouldn't make a big deal of it.
29
If I were him, I'd want to hear that people loved it, and they did.
30
Good point. But what if he asks about the line he forgot?
31
Then we'll tell him that forgetting things happens to everyone, even real actors.
32
And let's tell him his joke was the best bit of the whole show.
33
Agreed, and next year I'm filming the whole thing from start to finish!
34
That's your mum's car outside, so get the mince pies out, quick!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “The School Nativity Play: He Forgot His Lines”. This video has 34 sentences and 421 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:42. The speaker talks at a natural 156 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 8 of its 34 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| freeze verb | /ˈfɹiːz/ | Especially of a liquid, to become solid due to low temperature. |
| nativity noun | /nəˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/ | Someone's birth considered as a means of astrology; a horoscope associated with a person's birth. |
| terrify verb | /ˈtɛɹɪfaɪ/ | To frighten greatly; to fill with terror. |
| practise verb | /ˈpɹæktɪs/ | To repeat (an activity) as a way of improving one's skill in that activity. |
| stitch noun | /stɪt͡ʃ/ | A single pass of a needle in sewing; the loop or turn of the thread thus made. |
| dread noun | /dɹɛd/ | Great fear in view of impending evil; fearful apprehension of danger; anticipatory terror. |
| glove noun | /ɡlʌv/ | An item of clothing, covering all or part of the hand and fingers, but usually allowing independent movement of the fingers. |
| whisper verb | /ˈ(h)wɪspɚ/ | To speak softly or under one's breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter words without sonant breath; to talk without that vibration of the… |
| loudly adverb | /ˈlaʊdli/ | In a loud manner; at a high volume. |
| swallow verb | /ˈswɑ.loʊ/ | To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat. |
| bury verb | /ˈbɛɹi/ | To outlive. |
| shepherd noun | /ˈʃɛpəɹd/ | A person who tends sheep, especially a grazing flock. |
| stare verb | /stɛɚ/ | To look fixedly (at something). |
| finale noun | /fəˈnɑli | The grand end of something, especially of a show or piece of music. |
| burst verb | /bɜːst/ | To break from internal pressure. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 17 contractions and reduced forms, such as he'd, couldn't, I'd. 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.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like freeze, nativity, terrify.
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.