Shadowing Practice: Usborne First Reading - Level 04 - The Tin Soldier - Learn English Speaking with Video

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The Tin Soldier Happy birthday, Tom, said Grandpa.
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Wow, thanks!
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Just what I wanted, Tom cried.
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Tin soldiers!
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Oh dear, this soldier only has one leg, said Grandpa.
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Attention!
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Quick march!
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Tom didn't mind.
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He spent all day playing.
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At bedtime, he packed the soldiers' bag in their box.
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But the one-legged soldier was missing.
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Where's he gone? wondered Tom.
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Don't worry, you can look for him tomorrow, said Grandpa.
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Tom saw the toys, waited until he was asleep.
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All clear.
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Now it was their turn to play.
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Whoopee!
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Ha ha!
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Yippee!
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The soldiers tried to join in, but they were stuck in their box.
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Except for the one-legged soldier.
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He had fallen behind a pile of toys, building blocks.
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But he didn't join in the games.
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He was gazing at the fairy tale palace in the corner.
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It once belonged to Tom's sister.
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A paper ballerina doll stood in the doorway.
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The pretty ballerina was dancing on one leg.
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She'd be a perfect wife for me, said the soldier.
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Suddenly, the grumpy Jack-in-the-box sprung up.
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Keep your eyes to yourself!
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The soldier ignored him.
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He smiled at the ball arena.
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She smiled back.
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The jealous Jack in the Box turned bright red.
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Just wait, he fumed.
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The next morning, Tom found his missing soldier.
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He put him by the window.
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The cruel Jack in the Box saw his chance.
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Ha ha, so long, soldier boy.
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He took a deep breath and blew as hard as he could.
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The tin soldier fell out of the window.
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He landed, whoa, on the street below.
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Ow! cried the soldier.
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He tried to move, but his foot was stuck.
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Two boys ran up.
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Look! shouted one.
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A tin soldier!
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Let's turn him into a sailor, said the other.
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They made a little boat out of an old newspaper.
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They stood the tin soldier in the boat, then they dropped it in the gutter.
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The soldier's boat sailed along the street.
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Ha ha!
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Oh no!
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The tin soldier wished the boat would stop.
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I feel sick.
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But things were about to get worse.
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There was a drain hole in the row ahead.
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The paper bolt shot down the drain.
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Whoa!
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It landed, splashed, in a dirty, smelly sewer.
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Oof, said the soldier as he sailed along the tunnel.
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He turned the bend.
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A fat black rat was in his way.
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Stop!
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Pay me a penny to pass, ordered the rat.
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The soldier had no money.
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He couldn't stop anyway.
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Sorry, stinky.
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Hey, come back.
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The soldier sailed on and on, a mouse from home.
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Will I ever see the ball in the door again?
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He wondered.
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Just then, he noticed daylight up ahead.
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Seconds later, the boat whooshed out of the sewer.
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It landed, whoa, in the river.
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The tin soldier was glad to be out of the sewer.
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Phew!
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But he wasn't happy for long.
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Now his boat was leaking.
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The next moment, he was sinking like a stone.
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Help!
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And things were about to get worse.
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A huge fish swung by.
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Mmm, he looks tasty.
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It swallowed the tin soldier in one gulp.
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a little hard but not bad oh no The soldier sat sadly in the fish's tummy.
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I'll be here forever.
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But his luck was about to change.
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A man caught the fish.
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What a beauty!
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He took it to sell at the market.
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Tom's grandpa bought the fish.
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He carried it home for supper.
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He unwrapped the fish.
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And then, tin soldier fell out.
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Grandpa took the tin soldier to Tom's room.
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Look who I found!
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Welcome home, soldier! shouted Tom.
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All the toys were glad to see the tin soldier, except one.
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Grrrr!
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He went hopping mad, broke his spring. and never worked again.
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The very next day, the tin soldier married the lovely ballerina.
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And they invited all the toys to a noisy party, after Tom was asleep, of course.
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Whoopee!
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Haha!
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Yippee!
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The Sad Fast Tin Soldier was first written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1838.
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The original version had a very sad ending.
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The tin soldier and the paper ballerina melted in the fireplace.
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All that was left of them was a heart-shaped piece of tin and a black screen.

About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "Usborne First Reading - Level 04 - The Tin Soldier" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

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.