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The Frightened Lion - US English accent (TheFableCottage.com)

English shadowing practice · 49 sentences · 2:37 long · 288 words

The Frightened Lion - US English accent (TheFableCottage.com)

About this practice session

This page turns the YouTube video “The Frightened Lion - US English accent (TheFableCottage.com)” into an English shadowing exercise. The recording is split into 49 short sentences that you can play one at a time, repeat after the speaker and record your own version for automatic pronunciation scoring.

The speaker talks at about 122 words per minute, a moderate pace, with an average of 5.9 words per sentence. That makes it suitable for intermediate learners who want natural, everyday speech.

How to practise with this video

  1. Play the first sentence and listen while reading the transcript. Notice the stress, the pauses and where the intonation rises or falls.
  2. Replay it and speak along with the speaker, copying the rhythm rather than reading word by word.
  3. Record yourself straight after the original. ShadowEcho scores each word for accuracy, fluency and completeness.
  4. Compare your recording with the original, retry the words marked in red, then move on to the next sentence.
  5. Practise 10–15 minutes a day. Coming back to the same video after a few days is an easy way to measure progress.

Transcript (English)

  1. The Frightened Lion
  2. (A version of the tale by TheFableCottage.com)
  3. One night, Lion is getting ready for bed.
  4. He reads his favorite bedtime story
  5. and sings his favorite bedtime song.
  6. He turns on his night-light.
  7. Then — he hears a sound...
  8. Tap! … Tap!
  9. "What’s that sound?” he whispers.
  10. Tap! … Tap!
  11. "That sound… it’s coming from outside the window!”
  12. He climbs out of bed.
  13. He grabs a baseball bat
  14. and tip-toes towards the window.
  15. Tap! Tap! Tappity-tap! TAP!
  16. “It’s a monster!” he thinks.
  17. He grabs his bicycle helmet and puts it on his head for protection.
  18. He hears the sound again...
  19. TAP! ... TAP! … Tappity-TAP!
  20. Lion panics.
  21. “The monster is getting closer!
  22. It sounds like the BIGGEST, SCARIEST monster ever!”
  23. Tap! ... Tap! ... Tappity-tap!
  24. TAPPITY-TAP!
  25. TAPPITY-TAPPITY-TAPPITY…. TAP!
  26. "EEEK!" Lion squeals.
  27. He runs away from the window and hides under the bed.
  28. He pulls a blanket over his head.
  29. He holds his baseball bat tightly in his hands, and….
  30. Tappity tap!
  31. ... A little frog jumps up on the window sill.
  32. The frog is wearing a tutu and tap shoes.
  33. She dances a little dance.
  34. Tap tap tappity tap!
  35. "Hello Lion! Are you in there?” says the frog.
  36. She looks through the window
  37. and sees Lion hiding under the bed.
  38. Lion is wrapped in a blanket…
  39. wearing a bicycle helmet …
  40. ... and holding a baseball bat.
  41. He looks ridiculous.
  42. (And to be honest, he feels ridiculous too.)
  43. "Ummm… I have some new dance moves to show you," says the frog.
  44. "But you look busy.
  45. I will come back later. See ya!"
  46. The frog hops down to the ground and happily dances away.
  47. Tap-TAP! Tappity-tappity-TAP!
  48. Moral:
  49. Sometimes our imaginations make things scarier than they really are.

The original video belongs to its creator: watch it on YouTube.

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