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Shadowing practice: The Wind and the Sun — UK English accent (TheFableCottage.com)

Listen to the line, then say it out loud
Line 1

Full transcript

  1. The Wind and the Sun A version of the tale by thefabelcottage .com The Wind and the Sun are having a disagreement I am the most powerful, says the Wind0:00
  2. No, I am the most powerful, says the Sun I can blow trees to the ground, brags the Wind I can push ships across the ocean I can make hurricanes0:16
  3. and tornadoes Is that right?0:31
  4. replies the Sun Well, I can melt all the snow on the mountains I can dry up an entire lake I can make a pavement so hot that it cooks0:37
  5. an egg Just then, they see a man walking along the road in his winter jacket Let's have a contest to see who is more powerful, says the Wind Whoever0:51
  6. can remove the man's jacket first, wins The Sun agrees The Wind goes first He blows a gust of cold wind at the man The man shivers and zips up1:05
  7. his jacket Brr, what a cold and windy day It starts to rain The Wind blows even harder and turns the rain into snow Well, look at that, it's snowing,1:20
  8. says the man Snow wasn't in the weather forecast today He pulls his hood over his head The Wind blows his strongest gust towards the man But the man's jacket1:35
  9. stays on It's a bit fresh today, he says A winter storm must be coming He zips the jacket higher to cover his nose Gah, this is impossible, says the1:49
  10. Wind He stops blowing My turn, says the Sun First, the Sun shines enough to stop the snow The man unzips his hood Then, the Sun pulls the clouds apart2:06
  11. And gently shines down on the man Suddenly, it is a beautiful spring day Wow, the weather sure is strange around here, says the man He unzips his jacket The2:22
  12. Sun gently wiggles her fingers and increases the temperature What strange weather, now it feels like summer The man says as he begins to sweat Goodness me, it's so hot2:39
  13. He removes his winter jacket He lies down on the grass for a nap in the warm sun I win, says the Sun, beaming Moral, sometimes warmth and gentleness Can2:56
  14. achieve more than strength and force3:13

British English Pronunciation Practice with The Wind and the Sun

This clip is a narrated retelling of the fable "The Wind and the Sun," read in a clear British voice, which is what makes it useful for british english pronunciation practice. The Wind and the Sun argue over who is more powerful, then set up a contest to see which of them can make a man take off his jacket, one by force and one by warmth.

The reading runs at 115 words per minute, one of the faster narrations in the catalogue, so the sentences do not wait for you to catch up. The story is rated A2, and its plain cause and effect plot, the Wind tries and fails, then the Sun tries and wins, makes it a natural pick for english shadowing for beginners who want a full story rather than one isolated sentence to repeat.

The Language in This Fable: Brags, Beaming and a Wind Who Won't Quit

The vocabulary here carries the characters' personalities more than the grammar does. Verbs like "brags" and "beaming" tag each speaker's tone before you even reach the end of the sentence, and reading them aloud with that attitude is real english speaking practice, not just decoding words on a page.

  • "I can blow trees to the ground, brags the Wind": the boasts stack up with no pause between them, so keep the stress landing on the verbs, blow, push, make, to sound as forceful as the claim itself.
  • "It's a bit fresh today, he says": the man's flat understatement against a growing storm is the joke of the first half of the story, say it almost bored, and the gap between his tone and the Wind's effort is what lands.
  • "I win, says the Sun, beaming": the Sun's only line of triumph is quiet, not loud, so match the calm satisfaction in the word beaming rather than reading it like a shout.

How to Shadow This A2 English Listening Practice Story

The clearest way to shadow this fable is line by line, in story order, since each line sets up the one after it.

  • Start at line 2, "I can blow trees to the ground, brags the Wind", and repeat it until the boast in your voice matches the boast in the words.
  • Work through lines 6 to 9, where the man keeps beating the Wind at its own game, and say "It's a bit fresh today, he says" at the same unhurried pace as the recording. That restraint is the joke, so do not rush it.
  • Slow down through lines 10 to 12 as the mood flips from storm to spring. This is the easiest stretch to match to the narration's 115 words per minute pace, since the sentences get shorter and calmer.
  • Close on line 13, "I win, says the Sun, beaming", and let your volume drop the way the Sun's does. Hearing that shift, not just reading it, is what turns this into useful english listening practice and helps you speak english fluently in the same register the story actually uses.
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