Shadowing Practice: Yoon and the Jade Bracelet - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
163 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
YUN and the Jade Bracelet by Helen Rikorvitz Pictures by Gabby Swakowska My name is YUN.
2
I came here from Korea, a country far away.
3
Soon after we settled in America, it was time to celebrate my birthday.
4
I was hoping for a very special present, a jump rope.
5
I watched the girls in my schoolyard turning such a rope and jumping and singing happy songs.
6
I wanted so much to jump and sing with them, but I was still the new girl.
7
I had not been invited yet.
8
On my birthday, my mother called to me.
9
Little Yoon, come, I have a present for you.
10
I clapped my hands and ran to her.
11
She handed me something thin and flat wrapped in pretty paper.
12
Happy birthday, she said.
13
Jump ropes are not thin and flat, I thought.
14
I tried not to show my disappointment.
15
Thank you, Mother, I said, smiling.
16
My mother watched excitedly as I opened the present.
17
It was a Korean storybook about a little girl who was tricked by a tiger.
18
I knew the story, and I laughed at the silly girl.
19
The pictures are colorful, I said.
20
Yes, they remind me of the pictures you draw, Yoon.
21
I liked the book, but my heart still longed for a jump rope.
22
And here is another surprise, my mother said as she handed me a lovely box.
23
Inside was a pale green bracelet.
24
I held its cool smoothness in my hand.
25
A jade bracelet, Yoon, my mother said.
26
When I was a young girl, my own mother gave me this very bracelet.
27
Now I am giving it to you.
28
It is a wonderful present, I said.
29
It was so wonderful I felt afraid to take it from her.
30
Look, Yoon, she said.
31
Here is your Korean name now etched inside.
32
She showed me the dancing symbols that meant shining wisdom.
33
Then she told me the story of Jade.
34
Jade is a stone from the earth, but it is called the gem of the heavens.
35
Green is the color of happiness and hope, and it is said that wearing jade will bring you good luck.
36
It is the symbol of truth and friendship.
37
A precious gem for a precious daughter.
38
My mother slipped the bracelet onto my wrist.
39
At lunchtime the next day at school, I sat at the end of the table.
40
An older girl from another class sat down beside me.
41
Oh, look, she said, you are wearing such a pretty bracelet.
42
Thank you, I said.
43
You are alone today.
44
I will be your friend.
45
Would you like to play jump rope with me?
46
The older girl asked.
47
Jump rope?
48
Yes, yes, I answered.
49
Good, I will teach you.
50
We will have fun.
51
Yes, I said, smiling at my new friend.
52
Jump rope.
53
After lunch, we ran outside to play a while.
54
The older girl tied one end of the rope to the fence.
55
Then she gave me the other end to turn, turn.
56
She jumped and sang while I turned faster, slower, faster.
57
I turned and turned.
58
My arm grew tired.
59
I had learned the rope part very well, but I really wanted to learn the jump part.
60
"'When will I jump?' I asked.
61
"'Tomorrow,' the older girl said.
62
The bell rang.
63
It was time to go inside, and she took the rope from me.
64
I really like your bracelet, she said.
65
In America, friends share things.
66
If we are going to be friends, you should share your bracelet with me.
67
You should let me wear it, just for today.
68
My birthday bracelet?
69
Oh, no, no, no. I could not share that.
70
My mother's own mother had given it to her, and now it was mine.
71
No, no, I shook my head.
72
Well, then how can we be friends?
73
The older girl asked.
74
I thought you wanted to learn how to jump rope.
75
I slipped the jade bracelet off and held it in my hand.
76
My mother said it would bring me good luck and good friends.
77
But sharing it did not seem right.
78
Quickly, the older girl grabbed the bracelet from me and twisted it onto her own wrist.
79
Do not worry, she said.
80
I will give it back tomorrow.
81
When I got home from school, I went straight to my room.
82
My mother came in to check on me.
83
As I sat on my bed reading my new Korean storybook, she reached for my arm and gasped.
84
Where is your bracelet, Yoon?
85
I shrugged with shame, not trusting myself to speak.
86
Oh, I see a sad face.
87
Did you lose it at school, Yoon?
88
I shrugged again.
89
Maybe it rolled away and is hiding somewhere here, she said with teary eyes.
90
And she kneeled to look under my bed.
91
Mother, I said, tugging her sleeve.
92
I left it at school.
93
I will get it tomorrow.
94
The next morning, I waited in the schoolyard for the older girl.
95
She was still wearing my jade bracelet.
96
It is time to give back my bracelet, I said.
97
I will give it to you later, she said, rushing past me.
98
All morning, my heart was heavy with worry.
99
I could not remember how to spell cat or how to add two plus two.
100
After lunch, when the children ran outside, I found the older girl again.
101
You have my bracelet and I want it back, I said.
102
Stop bothering me, do not be a pest.
103
She pushed me away and laughed.
104
I was just like the silly girl in my storybook.
105
I had been tricked by a tiger.
106
Back in my classroom, I laid my head on my desk.
107
What is wrong, Yoon?
108
My teacher asked.
109
I told my teacher about the older girl, and she sent for her.
110
Do you have something that belongs to Yoon?
111
My teacher asked her.
112
Is that her bracelet you are wearing?
113
Oh no, the older girl said with her trickster tongue, it is mine.
114
No, it is my birthday bracelet, I said.
115
The children in my class gathered around us.
116
Yoon was wearing it yesterday, the ponytail girl said.
117
Yes, said the freckle boy, I saw it too.
118
Can you tell me something about this bracelet, Yoon? my teacher asked.
119
My mother gave it to me, I answered, looking into the tiger girl's face.
120
This bracelet is a symbol of kindness and courage.
121
It is a symbol of jade friendship, true friendship.
122
Now you tell me about this bracelet, my teacher said to the older girl.
123
Well, it is smooth and green, she answered in a sure voice.
124
I worried I would never get my bracelet back.
125
I did not feel like shining wisdom.
126
My mother should have named me Shining Fool instead.
127
Then I had a very good idea.
128
I whispered something into my teacher's ear.
129
So tell me about the inside of this bracelet, she asked the older girl.
130
Well, it is smooth and green, she repeated.
131
The teacher told her to take it off, and the girl struggled to get it over her hand.
132
My teacher looked inside and saw the dancing Korean symbols.
133
Do you know what this says?
134
She asked the girl.
135
No, the older girl said.
136
Well, I thought it was my bracelet.
137
I used to have one just like it.
138
Maybe this one does belong to Yoon.
139
My teacher's eyes said, older girl, you are in trouble.
140
Then my teacher slid the jade bracelet easily over my hand.
141
Here is your name, bracelet, shining wisdom. And it fit perfectly.
142
My mother saw the bracelet on my wrist after school.
143
She clapped her hands.
144
Aha, it was at school.
145
Mother, I asked, does wearing jade make wishes come true?
146
Yes, she said.
147
it is known to happen she smiled and what are your wishes
148
so I told her about my jump rope wish
149
and my wish for true friends
150
and I told her a story about a wise girl who tricked a tiger about the author and illustrator.
151
Helen Rekorvitz has an early memory of her mother reading to her.
152
Her favorite story then was Cinderella.
153
When she was eight years old, Helen began writing her own stories.
154
She shared them with her cousins.
155
She wrote a weekly newspaper column when she was a teenager.
156
Today, she lives in Rhode Island.
157
She teaches second grade.
158
Gabi Swakowska was born in Poland.
159
Her first memory is of the crows that gathered in front of her house.
160
She wrote stories and drew pictures, mostly of princesses.
161
She studied art at the Lyceum of Art in Poland.
162
Gabi also studied at the Cooper Union School of Art in New York.
163
She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
A12
Level B.Rain in the Country
KidsDaily Conversation
A22
Level K.Where We Get Energy
KidsDaily Conversation
A12
Level B.Bridges
KidsDaily Conversation
A14
Level B.High or Low?
KidsDaily Conversation
A25
Level H.I'd Like To Be
KidsDaily Conversation
B16
Literature Anthology Grade 3.Protecting Our Parks
KidsDaily Conversation
A21
Phonics Readers.Katie and Kenny's Junk Art
KidsDaily Conversation
A22
Level L.Blizzards
KidsDaily Conversation
A23
Literature Anthology Grade 3.The Inventor Think Up Helicopters
KidsDaily Conversation
A17
Level AA.Mom
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
A23
Literature Anthology Grade 3.Sharing Cultures
KidsDaily Conversation
A23
Phonics Readers
KidsDaily Conversation
A12
Level E.A Week with Grandpa
KidsDaily Conversation
A24
Cheese Power.Phonics Readers
KidsDaily Conversation
A21
Literature Anthology Grade 3.Deltona Is Going Batty
KidsDaily Conversation
A26
Level G.Building a House
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
A26
Level I.What Time Is It?
KidsDaily Conversation
A13
Level AA.The Ocean
KidsDaily Conversation
A15
Level E.Let's Make Lemonade!
KidsDaily Conversation
A11
Level AA.My Family
KidsDaily Conversation
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
A229
40 sentences
Level 3 Book 1 B8 Noodles for Mom
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A212
12 sentences
The Little Gift #learnenglish #boostyourconfidence #improveenglish #englishstory #little #gift
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A22,013
66 sentences
Tangled (subtitle English)
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A114
17 sentences
Thuyết trình tiếng Anh về Trung Thu - Mid-Autumn Festival
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A23
157 sentences
상품권과 거짓말 / Hello Jadoo
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A237
22 sentences
UNIT 12: LESSON 5- FAMILY&FRIENDS 2
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A22
188 sentences
Rumi Cried Loudly Because Mira Stole Her Giant Doll | Slow English for Beginners ( Level A2 )
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A24
14 sentences
1.5 Basketball is Fun
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A2606
19 sentences
MOVERS SPEAKING - TOPIC 1 - PART 2
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A24
35 sentences
One story a day level 2 book 7 Story 16 17 Big moon rising
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A215
341 sentences
I Told My Sister to Go Away… Now She is Missing | Slow English Listening Story (A1 - A2)
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A23
127 sentences
McGraw Hill.Wonders 3.Gary The Dreamer
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Yoon and the Jade Bracelet”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: bracelet, mother, older, rope, Yoon. This video has 163 sentences and 1449 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:27. The speaker talks at a steady 127 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| bracelet noun | /ˈbɹeɪslət/ | A band or chain worn around the wrist as jewelry/jewellery or an ornament. |
| rope noun | /ɹoʊp/ | Thick strings, yarn, monofilaments, metal wires, or strands of other cordage that are twisted together to form a stronger line. |
| symbol noun | /ˈsɪmbəl/ | A character or glyph representing an idea, concept or object. |
| tiger noun | /ˈtaɪɡə/ | Panthera tigris, a large predatory mammal of the cat family, indigenous to Asia. |
| shine verb | /ʃaɪn/ | To emit or reflect light so as to glow. |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| friendship noun | /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/ | The condition of being friends. |
| wisdom noun | /ˈwɪzdəm/ | An element of personal character that enables one to distinguish the wise from the unwise. |
| wrist noun | /ɹɪst/ | The complex joint between forearm bones, carpus, and metacarpals where the hand is attached to the arm; the carpus in a narrow sense. |
| thin adjective | /ˈθɪn/ | Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite. |
| smooth adjective | /smuːð/ | Having a texture that lacks friction. Not rough. |
| silly adjective | /ˈsɪl.i/ | Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance. |
| belong verb | /bɪˈlɒŋ/ | To have its proper place. |
| slip verb | /ˈslɪp/ | To lose one’s traction on a slippery surface; to slide due to a lack of friction. |
| gather verb | /ˈɡæðɚ/ | To collect normally separate things. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| give back verb | To return, restore (a thing to its original owner or location etc.). |
| roll away verb | To move or spray away suddenly, as from being kicked, earthquakes, explosions, impacts, etc. |
| sit down verb | To assume a sitting position from a standing position. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Would you like to play jump rope with me?
- Is that her bracelet you are wearing?
- I whispered something into my teacher's ear.
- Do you know what this says?
- Mother, I asked, does wearing jade make wishes come true?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | had not been invited · was tricked · is called |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was hoping · was still wearing · was wearing |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should share · should let · should have |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will be · will teach · will have |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “th” sounds: thin /ˈθɪn/, smooth /smuːð/, gather /ˈɡæðɚ/, bother /ˈbɑðɚ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shine /ʃaɪn/, friendship /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/, rush /ɹʌʃ/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/, shrug /ˈʃɹʌɡ/
- Long words — get the stress right: disappointment /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntmənt/, illustrator /ˈɪləˌstɹeɪtəɹ/
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 bracelet, rope, symbol.
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.