Shadowing Practice: Why Did Emily Disappear for One Hour? | Easy English Listening Practice - Learn English Speaking with Video
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377 sentences
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1
David, this one hour is mine.
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It is the only hour that belongs to me.
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I looked everywhere for you tonight.
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And you were here the whole time.
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I am not running away from you.
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I come here so I can stay with you.
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I do not understand this yet.
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But I want to understand it.
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I really do.
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Then sit with me.
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Do not fix it.
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Do not ask questions.
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Just sit for now.
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Can I sit here for a while?
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I will not talk.
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I promise I will be quiet.
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Yes, you can stay, but please, David, just sit and breathe with me here.
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Six hours ago, I came home, and the whole house was dark and so empty.
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My wife was gone, and nobody could tell me where she was.
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Let me start there.
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This is the story of the one hour that Emily went missing from me.
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Emily?
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Emily!
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I am home!
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Are you in the kitchen?
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Is dinner ready yet?
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All the lights are off.
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The kitchen is cold.
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There is no food on the stove.
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Emily always cooks by six.
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Something feels wrong about tonight already.
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Dad?
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Is that you?
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I have been upstairs doing my homework all afternoon.
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Hi everyone, and welcome back.
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This is an easy English story for you today.
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We speak slow and clear English, so you can listen and learn with me.
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This story is A2 English level.
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It is perfect for beginners just like you.
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Today our words are worry, alone, relax, honest, and together.
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Let us begin.
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Anna, where is your mother?
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She left right after lunch, Dad.
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She said she would be home again by five. By five?
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But look at the clock now.
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It is already six and seven minutes.
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She is one hour late, and she always, always tells me where she is.
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I will call her phone.
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She will pick up.
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She always picks up for me.
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It is ringing.
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Come on, Emily.
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Please answer your phone for me right now.
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No answer.
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That is one call.
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I will try again.
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Maybe she did not hear it.
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Still nothing Emily never does this to me My heart is beating fast now
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Let me think clearly What happened at lunch today?
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Try to remember it This soup is so nice and warm I just want a quiet morning alone today
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You seem far away today, Emily.
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Is everything okay with you, my love?
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I am okay.
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I think I just need a little quiet time.
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Quiet time?
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Here at home?
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Or do you want to go somewhere?
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Maybe I will walk later.
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Just a short walk after lunch.
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I see your old oolong cup again.
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You have not used that for years.
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I used to drink oolong when I wanted to relax and breathe.
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Are you feeling tired of us, Emily?
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No, David.
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I love us.
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But I miss being alone sometimes. Do not worry.
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I will be back at five.
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I promise. That was it.
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She said five.
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She was calm.
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She was honest with me.
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Her car is still here, so she did not drive anywhere.
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If she walked, she could only be a few blocks from home.
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She smiled at me.
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A calm smile.
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I did not think about it again, not once the tea the book
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that quiet smile were these clues i did not read i was too busy to notice them
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now my wife is gone and i feel so afraid back to now it is past six
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i must find emily before it gets fully dark
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I will call her one more time please Emily just
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pick up the phone three calls now four five six calls
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and she does not answer at all where is her car let me check the garage.
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Maybe she drove off somewhere.
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The car is still here.
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Both cars are here.
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So Emily went out on foot today.
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She walked somewhere close. But where?
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She did not leave any note for me.
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Dad, check her bank app.
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You can see where she last used her card today.
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Good idea, Anna.
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You are so smart.
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Let me open that app right now.
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Here it is.
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Her last payment was at 3 o 'clock this afternoon, today.
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It was a small tea shop, only three blocks from our house.
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A tea shop?
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Why a tea shop?
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Emily never goes there.
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At least, I did not think she did.
111
Why do you think Mom did not tell Dad where she was going today?
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A. She was hiding a secret.
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B. She needed time that was only for herself.
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What do you think is true?
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write your answer in the comments below for me I am going to that tea shop now I
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will find her I have to find her there is the tea shop it is small
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and warm I I have walked past it before.
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Maybe Emily is inside.
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Maybe she is sitting by the window.
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Good evening.
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Can I help you?
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I am looking for my wife.
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Her name is Emily.
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Emily?
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Sometimes?
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What do you mean, sometimes?
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She was here today.
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She was reading by the window. Was she alone? Was she alone?
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Yes.
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She is always alone here.
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Very quiet.
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when did she leave maybe 30 minutes ago she bought
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oolong tea she comes here often why did she never tell me thank you
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if she comes back please tell her that David is looking for her Okay.
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Where did you go, Emily?
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I do not understand any of this at all right now.
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You look worried, sir.
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Please do not worry too much.
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She looked fine to me.
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I am worried.
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She is alone out there, and she will not answer her phone.
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She is always alone when she comes here, sir.
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Very quiet, but not unhappy.
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Always alone?
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Emily comes here alone often?
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Yes.
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She reads, drinks tea, and sits quietly.
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I think she likes the quiet.
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She comes here often?
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Why did she never tell me?
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Emily?
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Are you there?
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Emily?
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Emily?
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Emily, can you hear me?
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Please answer me.
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Something is wrong!
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I can feel it!
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I have to find her now!
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David?
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Are you looking for Emily?
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Yes.
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Have you seen her?
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I think I saw Emily at the park on Elm.
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She was reading on a bench.
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Elm Park?
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Are you sure it was Emily?
168
My voice is shaking.
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The sun is going down.
170
The streets are getting dark.
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A whole hour she was gone, and I did not even know that she was missing.
172
How well do I really know my own wife?
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That question hurts me so deeply.
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Excuse me, sir.
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Have you seen a woman walking alone near here tonight?
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I think I saw Emily near the park on Elm.
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She was walking alone.
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At the park on Elm?
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Are you sure it was Emily?
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I saw her on a bench.
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She was alone.
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She looked far away.
183
Far away?
184
What does that mean?
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Was she crying?
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Was she hurt?
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No, not hurt.
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Just quiet.
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Like she wanted to be alone.
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Thank you.
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Thank you, sir.
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I need to go there now Okay, here's a quick English question What does the word relax mean?
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Let me know A.
194
To work hard B.
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To rest and feel calm C.
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To be quiet The answer is B Relax means to rest and feel calm.
197
If she was relaxing, why did she not answer me?
198
Why did she scare us?
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There.
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On the bench.
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I think I see someone.
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Hold on, Emily.
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I am coming to you.
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Please be safe.
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Please, just be okay.
206
My legs are tired, but I cannot stop now.
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She needs me.
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I have to reach her.
209
Why did she go so far alone?
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Why did she shut the whole world out tonight?
211
I thought I knew everything about her.
212
Tonight I feel like a total stranger The park is just ahead now It is dark,
213
but I can see the bench lights
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My heart is pounding so hard I am afraid of what I am going to find here
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This is the best part of my day One hour where nobody needs me at all.
216
I love my family so much, but this hour, this one hour, is just for me.
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I see someone on a bench far away.
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Is that her?
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Please let that be Emily.
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I cannot run any faster.
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My chest hurts.
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Emily, please, just be alright.
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I should head home soon.
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David is probably wondering where his dinner is.
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One more page.
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One more sip of tea.
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Then I will walk back to my family.
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I am getting closer now.
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The shape on the bench is a woman.
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She is so still.
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Why is she not moving?
232
Why is she sitting there so quietly in the dark?
233
Emily?
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Is that you?
235
Please turn around.
236
Please tell me that you are okay.
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My whole body is shaking now.
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This is the longest walk of my entire life.
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everything I feared is in my head right now let it
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not be true please I am almost there just a few more steps
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and I will finally see her face Emily Emily Emily it is me it is David oh thank goodness you are here
242
David?
243
What are you doing here?
244
Looking for you.
245
For an hour.
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I thought something happened.
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I just needed an hour to myself.
248
Oh, Emily.
249
An hour?
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Emily, your phone was off.
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Anna did not know where you were.
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My phone died.
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I did not know.
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I am sorry I scared you.
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you come here alone at night I come
256
here three times a week I have for six months Six months?
257
Yes.
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I read.
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I drank tea.
260
I breathe.
261
That is all.
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The tea.
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The book.
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Her quiet face at lunch.
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I saw the clues, and I read them all wrong wrong.
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She was not hiding.
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She was breathing.
268
I read it all wrong.
269
Six months?
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You have done this for six months and you never once told me?
271
I did not tell you.
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I kept it as my own quiet secret.
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I am sorry, David.
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Six months of an hour, I knew nothing about.
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I cannot believe this at all.
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It is not a bad secret.
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It is just mine.
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It is the one thing that is mine.
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Why did you not tell me?
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I would have come with you.
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I could have sat here too.
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That is exactly why I did not tell you.
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I knew you would offer to come with me.
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I would have offered, because...
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I love you, Emily.
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I know.
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But then the hour would stop being mine.
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so you needed time away from me I needed time alone that is not the same thing
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I am trying to understand I really am trying You do not have to fix it.
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Please do not fix it.
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Just listen.
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I feel hurt.
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But I am trying to listen.
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I really am.
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This one hour is mine.
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Not because I am running from you, but because I need to stay.
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can i just sit with you not talking just sitting
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hurt why are you hurt david please tell me what is in your heart now my wife needed time away from me
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and she could not even tell me why sit down David it is time that we were honest with each other tonight
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David I love you and I love our family more than anything
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but for 12 years every minute of my day has belonged to someone else Someone always needs dinner,
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homework, socks, medicine, answers, comfort, or me.
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I love giving those things.
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But sometimes I cannot hear myself anymore.
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This one hour is mine.
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Not because I am running from you.
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I come here because I need to stay.
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If I never breathe, I cannot stay well.
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I thought love meant sharing everything.
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Every minute.
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Every worry.
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Every place.
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Love also means trust.
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You can love me and let me be alone for one hour.
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Alone.
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Not gone.
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Not lost.
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Just alone.
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Yes.
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I was not lost.
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I was just alone for once.
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There is a difference.
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Can I sit here for a while?
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Yes.
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But do not talk.
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Just sit.
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so you come here to get away from us from me
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that is the part
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that hurts no listen to me David I do not come
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here to run away from you hear me I was not lost I was just alone for once
331
There is a difference, David.
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Then why did you not tell me?
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Because I knew you would offer to come with me.
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I would have wanted to come because I love you.
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I know, but then it would not be my hour anymore.
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I never wanted to take that from you.
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But every minute of my day belongs to someone else.
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To Anna To Peter To dinner To the house To everyone This one hour is mine
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Not because I am running from you But because I need to stay
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can I just sit here with you not talking just sitting yes but do not talk just sit
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I have been honest about my fear.
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Will you be honest with me from now on?
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Yes.
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I will tell you when I come here.
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I will not hide my hour from you again.
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And I will not follow you here.
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I will let your hour stay your own hour.
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Wow!
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Thank you.
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For next time, so I know you're okay.
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Hi, it is me, Peter.
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Did you enjoy our story tonight?
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I really hope you did.
354
Mom went missing for one hour.
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But she was not lost.
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She was just resting.
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Let me ask you a question now.
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Why did Mom go to the park all alone today? Was she lost?
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Was she angry?
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Or did she need time alone to relax?
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Yes, she needed time alone.
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She needed to rest and feel calm.
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Relax means to rest and feel calm.
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Mom wanted to relax for one hour.
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Mom was honest with Dad.
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Honest means telling the truth.
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At the end, Mom and Dad were calm together.
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Together means with each other.
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Now grammar time.
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Today, we used post -continuous.
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Mom was reading at the park.
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Dad was looking for mom.
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Now you try.
374
Write a sentence with.. was doing. For example...
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I was doing my homework at 6 o 'clock.
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My favorite answer gets a shout -out next time.
377
See you in our next story as a gentle pointing gestures into a slow, friendly wave.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Why Did Emily Disappear for One Hour?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: emily, alone, hour, david, quiet. This video has 377 sentences and 2443 words to shadow. The speech runs for 29:08. The speaker talks slowly, about 84 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 73 of its 377 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| bench noun | /ˈbɛnt͡ʃ/ | A long seat with or without a back, found for example in parks and schools. |
| breathe verb | /bɹiːð/ | To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. |
| clock noun | /klɑk/ | A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day. |
| belong verb | /bɪˈlɒŋ/ | To have its proper place. |
| homework noun | /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ | Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class. |
| shake verb | /ˈʃeɪk/ | To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly. |
| clue noun | /kluː/ | Information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion. |
| quietly adverb | /ˈkwaɪ.ɪt.li/ | Producing little or no noise. |
| scare verb | /skɛɚ/ | To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. |
| deeply adverb | /ˈdi(ː)pli/ | To a deep extent or degree; very greatly. |
| comfort noun | /ˈkʌm.fət/ | Contentment, ease. |
| pound noun | /ˈpaʊ̯nd/ | A unit of weight in various measurement systems. |
| garage noun | /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/ | A building (or section of a building) used to store a car or cars, tools and other miscellaneous items. |
| continuous adjective | /kənˈtɪn.juː.əs/ | Without stopping; without a break, cessation, or interruption. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
| run away from verb | To avoid or shirk a problem or consequences; to rush to back away from or disclaim responsibility for something. |
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
| drive off verb | To force to leave or go away. |
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. |
| sit down verb | To assume a sitting position from a standing position. |
| 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. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Can I sit here for a while?
- Are you in the kitchen?
- Anna, where is your mother?
- Is everything okay with you, my love?
- What do you think is true?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been · have not used · have walked |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was not lost |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was going · was hiding · was reading |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the best · the longest |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shake /ˈʃeɪk/, garage /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/, shout /ʃaʊt/
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 relax, bench, breathe.
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.